Our top earbuds of 2026 so far: all the buds that wowed us in testing
We’re about to enter the final stretch of 2026, and with the Black Friday sales and the festive season looming on the horizon, it felt like as good a time as any to take stock of the headphones we’ve tested this year, and what has impressed us most. Because we’ve tested just so many great headphones so far this year, in this article I’ve narrowed things down to just the earbuds. Below, you can see all the pairs that impressed us enough to score four stars or higher in our tough tests.
Sennheiser has produced standouts at both ends of the price spectrum. For those feeling flush, the Momentum True Wireless 5 offer “superb” sound quality with a side order of sustainability, thanks to user-replaceable batteries in both the earbuds themselves and the charge case. Anyone on a tighter budget should take a look at the Sennheiser CX 80U — these wired earbuds deliver stellar sound (our tester noted “clean and agile bass, clear mids, and vivid highs”) alongside solid noise isolation, for a price tag that’ll give you change from $40 / £30.
Another big winner was the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Our reviewed noted: “they sound incredible, the noise cancellation really works, they look classy yet understated, and knock it out the park with the array of features offered in the app”. There are a few little caveats, though: the battery life could be better, and you need a Samsung phone to really get the best from them.
We’ve also tested plenty of impressive open-ear buds this year. We found the Shokz OpenDots 2 ultra-comfortable and long-lasting, but a little prone to being knocked out of the ear. The affordable Baseus Bowie MC2 also delivered on the comfort front, and are a very solid choice if you’re on a tighter budget.
Scroll down to take a look at the earbuds we’ve been most impressed with this year so far — hit the View details button to see each model’s overall score, a rundown of the main pros and cons we noted in testing, and a link to read the full review. Note: you’ll only be able to see product cards for the earbuds available in your region.
Earbud excellence
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We’re about to enter the final stretch of 2026, and with the Black Friday sales and the festive season looming on the horizon, it felt like as good a time as any to take stock of the headphones we’ve tested this year, and what has impressed us most. Because we’ve…
