Truly wireless earbuds are here to bring us into a world where untangling cables is firmly a problem of the past. Every major audio company now knows that and have been quick to jump on the cable-free bandwagon. That means everyone is launching wireless earphones, making it a hard task knowing which are the best wireless earbuds that deserve pride of place in your ears.

That’s why we’ve put in the hard hours wearing various earphones and listening to find the standout options – plus, we love testing cool gadgets here at BBC Science Focus. Some earbuds deliver superior sound, others offer useful additional smarts and some tick all of the important boxes. We chose the Apple AirPods Pro as our top pick for a high-quality pair of earbuds that justify the price tag.

However, everyone has different needs and wants, so read on to find the best true wireless earbuds for you. 

When investing in wireless earbuds it's important to find the best possible fit. Bear in mind different types of ear gels can influence the way sound is isolated inside of your ears, and look for the option of Comply foam tips to better block out noise and improve the overall audio experience.

Look for wireless earphones with quick charge cases that will stop you losing your earbuds and also top up battery life. There are cases that offer quick charge technologies that will let you drop them in for short periods of time and give you a few more hours of listening when you don’t have time to charge them fully.

Out of the box, many earbuds might not sound quite to your liking. Many now offer equalisers that live inside of companion phone apps to give you greater control over how things sound.

If you plan to exercise while wearing wireless earbuds you'll want to check for water resistance, so look for the Ingress Protection or IP rating. This is the universal standard for rating protection for electronics. An IP55 rating deems that something is protected against dust ingress and against water jets projected by a nozzle at any angle. 

Whether you want to stay entirely away from your phone during your listening time or you like the prospect of being able to access your phone’s smart assistant hands-free, pay attention to what controls and functions are built into the buds themselves.

Don't forget charging cases come in a variety of sizes. Some are truly pocket-friendly, others sacrifice a portable design for offering more charging capacity before they need to be charged up themselves. When looking for the best wireless earphones that suit your needs, consider whether you want a case that’s easy to carry around or if it’s something you’re happy to throw into a bag. 

True to form, it’s taken Apple a couple of iterations to deliver a pair of wireless earbuds that justify the hefty price tag.

The AirPods are still all-white, but a smarter, stubbier design means that you don’t look like you’ve stuck a pair of electric toothbrush heads in your ears anymore.

Unsurprisingly, The AirPods play best with Apple hardware with a setup that’s mercifully painless thanks to the new chip tech. Pull them out of the case and if your device is nearby, it will pair them up, giving you a quick glance at the battery status of the buds too. 

Sound quality has stepped up a notch as far as offering something that’s more balanced. It’s not heavy handed with the bass and there’s a nicer sense of detail here. The headline grabber is the addition of active noise cancellation that will help drown out the world. Apple uses outward microphones to detect the noise from outside and an inward-facing one to deal with sound that makes it through the seal.

There’s even room to squeeze on controls into the stem and a very pocket-friendly case will quickly give them a battery boost. More features include surround sound support and the welcome addition of a smart switching mode to pair to the device you’re currently using, giving you more reason to keep them in.