Articles by Ted Kritsonis

Sennheiser ventures ever closer into budget territory.

It used to be that you’d have to budget more if you wanted to plug your ears with a pair of Sennheiser wireless earbuds; however, the new CX True Wireless buds were made with greater affordability in mind. As a result, you do pay less to get in, and you don’t have to sacrifice all of the sound you’d expect from the company.

Sennheiser had to look for ways to cut down on certain features and performance expectations, since it’s unusual to find earbuds at this price from what is an otherwise premium brand. Yet those small sacrifices hardly take away from how good these buds can be.

Sennheiser CX True Wireless review:

Price and availability
What’s good
What’s not good
The competition
Should you buy?

At a glance

Sennheiser CX True Wireless

Bottom line: Sennheiser’s C…

If your budget for a pair of headphones allows, then something under $100 is within reach. They range from over-ear headphones to true wireless earbuds, giving you some variety to select from. For the best of the bunch, you’d have to start with the Anker Soundcore Life Q30 because of their excellent sound quality, comfort, and consistency.

Best overall: Anker Soundcore Life Q30

Need long battery life? With the Anker Soundcore Life Q30, you get up to 40 hours of playback while ANC is enabled, with that number going up to a ridiculous 60 hours when ANC is off. That’s an impressive figure for a pair of budget headphones, and adding USB-C now makes fast charging possible. Plug in for five minutes and get four hours of play time.

That kind of long battery life makes comfort a bigger factor, and thankfully, Anker delivers there. It improved the design and materials from the previous iteration, with a nice headband with deep and wide ear cups to accommodate even the biggest ears. That …

Smart assistants like Amazon Alexa are becoming more popular than ever, and headphone makers are jumping on board to offer it as a built-in signature feature. They’re growing in number and variance, but the Sony WH-1000XM4 stand out because of the combination of comfort, sound quality, and versatility in bringing Alexa into the fold. We have plenty of options for all ranges, so here are our picks for the best headphones with Alexa.

Best overall: Sony WH-1000XM4

It’s a challenge for any company to follow up on a great product with something better, but in this case, Sony has fixed some key pieces to make the WH-1000XM4 one of the best pairs of headphones available. There was no need to reinvent the wheel when so much of the previous model worked so well, though good changes are always welcome.

Whether the WH-1000XM4 sound any better is highly subjective. There is aptX HD and LDAC codec support, plus 360 Reality Audio for those who can actually hear it on Tidal. Sony also tinkered…

For some, the Apple Watch is considered the gold standard of smartwatches. However, that doesn’t hold much weight for Android users who couldn’t use it even if they wanted to. The best Apple Watch alternative for Android users that stands out from the pack is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. It offers the perfect balance of functionality and style that caters to a wider subset of users. But, of course, there are plenty of other options worth exploring, too. We did the research so you can find the best Apple watch alternatives for Android.

Best overall: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

After focusing for over a year on the Active models in its Galaxy Watch lineup, Samsung came back this year with a newer premium design. The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 offers a slimmer frame, and while it’s not quite as small as the Active models, there are 41mm and 45mm sizes to choose from.

The biggest design treatment setting this watch apart from others is the trusty physical rotating bezel that makes navigation …

Smartphones are laden with smarter features every year, and one of the constant ways is Google Assistant, which you can find on several different devices. Some of those include headphones, where the trusty Assistant can pipe up on demand, either by voice or a simple button press. Google’s own Pixel Buds A-Series) are the leading example for making that access easy, functional, and consistent.

Best overall: Google Pixel Buds A-Series

When Google remade its Pixel Buds, the 2020 iteration was a huge departure from the original model in that they were true wireless earbuds. The Pixel Buds A-Series take so much of the 2020 iteration and came out with what is essentially a cheaper variant that performs more consistently.

The tight integration with Google Assistant is easily one of the biggest reasons to want these earbuds above all others, especially when said integration feels so natural. Just activate it via a touch gesture on the earbud, or wake it up by voice, hands-free. The voic…

Industry stalwart

Sony WF-1000XM4

$280 at Amazon

Pros

Outstanding ANC performance
Stellar sound quality
Amazing battery life
Wireless charging case with USB-C
LDAC and 360 Audio support
Solid app support

Cons:

Touch controls need work
Smaller ears may not feel comfy
Single-bud mode only in right buds

Sony took what was already working so well and made it even better with the WF-1000XM4, which offers the best active noise cancelation (ANC) performance for any pair of wireless earbuds and brings a great combination of features and performance.

Modern comforts

AirPods Pro

$197 at Amazon

Pros

Seamless integration with Apple devices
24 hours of audio with wireless charging case
Excellent sound quality
Great ANC performance
Class-leading microphone quality for phone calls

Cons

Battery life could be better with ANC enabled
No customizability on non-Apple devices
Lightning for wired charging

The AirPods Pro have been the poster buds for all of Apple’s audio …

A workout isn’t the same for everyone. You could be lifting in a gym, going for a long run, or out riding a bike, and that’s why having the best headphones for your workout can really add to the motivation to keep going. Whether it’s music, podcasts, or audiobooks that keep you going while breaking a sweat, all of these options are capable of delivering something good when you’re pushing yourself. Here are some of the best wireless headphones for working out.

Best overall: Jaybird Vista 2

For durability and audio customization, the Jaybird Vista 2 stand out as one of the best you can find. The original Vista earbuds were a big step in this direction, but this second attempt gets a lot of the otherwise missing pieces right.

For starters, an IP66 rating gives these a higher water and sweat resistance level, making them well suited to any run or workout. Jaybird considers them to be waterproof, crushproof, drop-proof, and sweatproof, so it’s definitely reasonable to expect these ea…

Crank up your tunes with our favorite headphones, Sony’s WH-1000XM4. These outstanding cans feature class-leading active noise cancelation (ANC) and come with great sound, battery life, and comfort. Jam out to your favorite tunes, talk to Alexa, and even take a phone call without ever having to take your headphones off. Sony has built its reputation on high-end headphones, and these are the best Sony headphones you can buy.

Best overall: Sony WH-1000XM4

Sony didn’t have to rethink its approach with the WH-1000XM4 because the previous WH-1000XM3s were already among the best in the industry, topping some of our own lists. The two biggest reasons were the audio quality and ANC performance, both of which got decent upgrades with the WH-1000XM4. Sony put in its QN1 processor and dual noise sensor to further improve blocking ambient sound. While it’s highly debatable that the results are a big leap forward from their predecessors, they do get help from other areas.

Sony could’ve chose…

Good wireless earbuds don’t have to break the bank, especially when timing is everything. The best Prime Day wireless earbud deals offer plenty of value for less, and one pair of buds that stands out for what they can do are the Sennheiser CX 400BT True Wireless. These combine the audio prowess Sennheiser is known for with the feature set that focuses on audio first, and everything else second.

Sennheiser CX 400BT True Wireless | $120 off at Amazon

$80 at Amazon

Sennheiser goes more of the value route with the CX 400BT True Wireless earbuds. You’ll get great sound quality and some customization to make them sound the way you want.

The Sennheiser CX 400BT True Wireless are about sound first and foremost. They don’t have active noise cancelation (ANC) or an ambient mode to hear outside noises through the onboard microphone array, and aren’t built for getting wet or sweaty, so these are the pair you might want if you’re thinking about leisurely listening without a care for the s…

Anytime you want to listen to your favorite tunes or catch up on a podcast or audiobook, you could use the best headphones to help you do that. When you want all the audio you can handle, and keep ears free of any potential discomfort, one of the best Prime Day headphone deals can you make more comfortable by paying less for this pair of AfterShokz headphones.

AfterShokz Aeropex

$104 from Amazon $130 at Walmart

AfterShokz confirms its at the head of the class of the best bone conduction headphones with the Aeropex, thanks to their combination of fit, comfort, performance, and flexibility.

Who says that every pair of headphones has to be for your ears? The AfterShokz Aeropex are bone conduction headphones that don’t play audio into your ears, but through your jawbone and skull instead. The vibrations from the headphones penetrate through the skin and make it possible to hear everything without anything touching your ears. For those who may have hearing impairments, issues with…