The best AirPods in 2026: We tested all the Apple headphones to help you narrow down your pick
Need help finding the right Apple for your ears? We reviewed every pair — here are the results
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For many a music-minded shopper, it's not a question of which earbuds or headphones to buy, but rather which AirPods. Apple
makes some of the best-known and most popular products in these categories, so it's not surprising they're top-of-mind. But with four (actually five, at least for now) to choose from, what are the best AirPods for your specific needs and preferences?
You've got ears; I've got answers. As Yahoo's senior tech writer, I've not only tested and reviewed the AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods Max, but also used them almost daily for years. Below you'll find summary reviews of each product, along with my recommendations.
In this story
Take note, however, that if you're not an iPhone user, this story probably isn't for you. Although AirPods can and do work with Android devices, you'll miss out on various iPhone-only benefits. Have no fear: We've assembled more generalized roundups of the best noise-cancelling headphones and best wireless earbuds for your perusal.
The best AirPods for 2026
Ear detection:Yes | Spatial audio:Yes | Multipoint connectivity:Yes | Case charging:USB-C | Max battery life:5 hours on a charge | Water resistance:IP54 | Special features:None
Don't like the feel of silicone ear-tips wedged inside your ears? Apple's AirPods 4 have a "semi in-ear" or "open" design, meaning they rest gently just inside your concha. (Bet you didn't even know you had a concha, huh?) That's not only less invasive, but also better at allowing outside noise to slip in.
Why would you want that? Situational awareness: If you use ANC (active noise-cancelling) earbuds, you might not hear the sound of, say, an oncoming car or bike messenger. You might not hear a shouted warning. Open earbuds can be a safer option.
And, in this case, a cheaper one: AirPods 4 are the most affordable AirPods you can get right now. List price: $129, but very often discounted to $99. (By often I mean once a month, on average, so do not pay full price for these unless you're in a hurry.)
There's another AirPods 4 option available, one that does have ANC — meaning you're getting the best of both open-earbuds worlds. You also get a case that supports Apple Find My and wireless charging; the non-ANC AirPods 4 rely solely on USB-C. In most other respects, the two products are identical.
Consequently, I'll refer you to my full AirPods 4 with ANC review — and also to the write-up below.
- Very good sound and spatial audio
- Comfortable fit
- Great for phone calls
- Nifty head-gestures features
- Case doesn't support wireless charging or Find My
- Unhelpful status LED on case
- So-so battery life
- No physical pairing button
Ear detection:Yes | Spatial audio:Yes | Multipoint connectivity:Yes | Case charging:USB-C or wireless | Max battery life:5 hours on a charge (4 with ANC enabled) | Water resistance:IP54 | Special features:Find My, head gestures
Positioned smack in the middle between standard AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (that's the full product name, for real) is a great option for anyone who doesn't like silicone ear-tips but still wants respectable ANC.
Apple also borrowed from the AirPods Pro feature list the H2 chip, spatial audio, Personalized Volume, Conversation Awareness, wireless charging case with speaker (and USB-C charging port) and so on. The relatively new Head Gestures feature — nod to accept calls/announcements, shake to decline — is here as well.
Overall sound quality is quite good, though the AirPods Pro still win the day thanks to that silicone-powered noise isolation. Similarly, while the AirPods 4's ANC works surprisingly well, it's not quite as effective as the Pro's. If I'm getting on an airplane, I'm bringing the latter.
But as an open-ear option, this is hard to beat. Read my complete AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation review to learn more.
- Most of the same features as AirPods Pro 2
- Charging case and earbuds each support Apple Find My
- ANC works surprisingly well, except against wind
- Good overall sound quality
- Great for phone calls
- Nifty head-gesture features
- So-so battery life
- No volume controls on stems
- Unhelpful status LED on case
- AirPods Pro have better overall sound, ANC
- No physical pairing button
- No hearing-aid or hearing-protection features
Ear detection:Yes | Spatial audio:Yes | Multipoint connectivity:Yes | Case charging:USB-C or wireless | Max battery life:10 hours on a charge (8 with ANC enabled) | Water-resistance:IP57 | Special features:Hearing aid, protection
If your goal is to block out maximum world, you can't beat the one-two punch of silicone ear-tips and active noise-cancelling (ANC) — which is why the AirPods Pro 3 earn this designation and not the AirPods Pro Max. And thanks to a minor redesign, those ear tips fit more snugly, meaning they block more noise than the Pro 2.
They're also less likely to fall out of your ears, a problem some users had with the old design. The flipside is these are a little less comfortable to wear long-term — again, for some users. You'll have to see for yourself.
The good news is AirPods Pro 3 still sound amazing, with utterly superb spatial audio and top-tier ANC. And Apple managed to squeeze a lot more battery life into the earbuds: Now you can listen for up to eight hours with ANC (or 10 with it turned off).
These are also much better protected against water, sweat and dirt. An onboard heart-rate sensor can monitor your ticker if you're not wearing an Apple Watch. And all this for the same $249 list price as the AirPods Pro 2.
Get a much more detailed look at these in my full AirPods Pro 3 review .
- Great sound, spatial audio and noise-cancelling
- Redesigned to fit more snugly in more ears
- Improved battery life
- Built-in heart rate sensor
- IP57-rated against dust and water
- Priced below Bose and Sony
- No equalizer
- A bit less comfortable to wear all day than AirPods Pro 2
- Charge-status LED still unhelpful
- Live Translation is limited and inconsistent
Ear detection:Yes | Spatial audio:Yes | Multipoint connectivity:Yes | Case charging:USB-C or wireless | Max battery life:6 hours on a charge (5 with ANC enabled) | Water-resistance:IPX4 | Special features:Hearing aid, protection
Although Apple introduced the AirPods Pro 3 in September, 2025, officially discontinuing the AirPods Pro 2 at the same time, I'm keeping the latter in this roundup for a couple reasons.
First: They're still available, at least as of the time of this writing — but you may have to do some hunting. I found them new at BJ's Wholesale Club and B&H Photo , but most other outlets were selling them used or refurbished.
Second: They're still great freaking earbuds. To my thinking, AirPods Pro 2 had few rivals in terms of sound quality, spatial audio, ANC and overall comfort. They can double as hearing aids, too, thanks to a 2024 software update.
Meanwhile, while the redesigned AirPods Pro 3 offer improvements in areas like noise-cancelling and battery life, not everyone likes the fit. It's a little bit of a "New Coke" situation; some folks like the old formula better.
So, yeah, if you can scoop up the AirPods Pro 2 on sale, I'd definitely consider it. And for a much deeper dive, read my detailed Apple AirPods Pro 2 review .
- Excellent sound quality, spatial audio and noise-canceling
- Great for phone calls
- Find My feature extends to both AirPods and charging case
- Amazing new hearing-aid and -protection features
- Very easy to shift between audio sources (iPhone, iPad and Mac)
- Unhelpful charge-status LED on case
- Battery life insufficient for all-day hearing-aid use
Spatial Audio:Yes | Foldable:No | Controls:Analog | Colors:Green, Pink, Silver, Space Gray, Sky Blue | Connectivity:Bluetooth | Weight:14 ounces | Carrying case:Sort of | Max battery life:20 hours on a charge
After I first reviewed the AirPods Max back in 2023, I made the mistake of handing them to my 25-year-old daughter — who has stubbornly refused to return them. This despite my offer of trading for something I consider better, namely the latest headphones from Sonos or Bose. Nope. She loves the AirPods Max.
Weird. These are not the best wireless headphones you can buy, not by a longshot. They sound great, sure, but they're very expensive, with mediocre battery life and some notable usability quirks. For example, there's inexplicably dumb, super-tiny charging LED. It shows battery status only when you press a button. (I initially thought I had a defective product, because I couldn't tell if it was charging.)
Maxes have the same controls as an Apple Watch: a button and a "digital crown." The button quick-switches between ANC and transparency modes; the crown adjusts volume when you rotate it, which is great. But I find myself overwhelmed by the crown's multiple button functions. (My daughter, on the other hand, loves that about them.)
Meanwhile, these headphones don't fold, so they're bulky to travel with. The purse-style case offers no protection for the headband, but you have to use it if you want to activate ultra-lower-power mode (and preserve battery life).
Make no mistake, AirPods Maxes sound great; ANC quality: also great. Spatial audio: superb. I also like the build quality, shiny metallic coloring and overall comfort. (These are some seriously cushy and breathable earcups.)
And let's remember: If you want an over-the-ear headphone instead of earbuds, this is your only choice. That's why we named this the top pick for Apple die-hards in our roundup of the best wireless headphones . And that's where you can read a much more detailed Apple AirPods Max review.
- Solid build quality
- Very comfortable earcups that are easy to replace
- Easy to pair with Apple devices and automatically switches between them
- Superb spatial audio
- Very expensive (even when discounted)
- Confusing setup instructions
- Poorly designed charging LED
- Below-average battery life
- Digital crown is great for controlling volume but bad for everything else
- No headphone jack for wired listening
- 'Smart' case is anything but
How we tested AirPods
I tested the four available AirPods the same way I test all audio products: by listening to lots of different stuff. Mostly music (Billy Joel, Rodriguez, Vivaldi), but also podcasts ( Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend ) and video ( Arrested Development rewatch for probably the fifth time). The obvious goal is to measure overall sound quality — which I found ranged from "very good" to "excellent" — but I was also interested in usability: Are AirPods easy to set up and operate? Did Apple supply decent printed instructions for novice users?
Comfort is an important aspect for any earbud or headphone purchase. I'm lucky in that my ears are fairly average size, and consequently all the earbuds fit me quite well; I found I could wear them comfortably for long stretches. Same with the AirPods Max, which have a wide, soft headband and extra-cushy earcups. But that's me; your mileage may vary.
AirPods Max score some extra comfort points with their wide, soft headband and cushy earcups. (Rick Broida/Yahoo)
Full disclosure: We didn't test battery life, which is time-consuming and often imprecise. It varies depending on what you're listening to, what volume you've set and whether you've enabled ANC. And if we're being real, it doesn't matter: If you're set on buying AirPods, battery life is what it is. Anecdotally, they're all pretty much in line with Apple's ratings, which are what we've quoted in this story.
FAQs
What are the best AirPods for working out?
It depends on the workout. If you're running, cycling or doing just about anything outdoors, I'd recommend the AirPods 4, which are better for safety-minded situational awareness. At the gym, however, AirPods Pro 3 might be better: ANC lets you enjoy your own music even if there's a gym playlist blaring over loudspeakers.
What are the best AirPods for calls?
All AirPods are quite good for phone calls, but the AirPods 4 with ANC and AirPods Pro 3 really excel thanks to their H2 chip, which significantly reduces background voices, wind noise and the like.
Can I use AirPods on an airplane?
Of course! But if you specifically mean, "Use AirPods with the in-flight entertainment system," that's going to require a bit of accessorizing. For the AirPods Max, you'll need Apple's (ridiculously overpriced) USB-C to 3.5mm adapter cable , which will allow you to plug into the system's AUX jack. There's no such option for earbud-style AirPods, though, so unless the system supports Bluetooth, you're out of luck. There is a workaround, though: The AirFly Pro 2 is a Bluetooth dongle that plugs into those AUX jacks , effectively bridging the gap.
Do AirPods come in different colors?
To paraphrase Henry Ford, you can have AirPods in any color you want, as long as it's white. The exception is AirPods Max; Apple offers those headphones in five different colors (white not among them, surprisingly).
Do AirPods go on sale?
All the time! As noted above, we routinely see the AirPods Pro 2 selling for $199 or less, despite having a $249 list price. Similarly, the $129 AirPods 4 can often be found for $99. Around the office we refer to this as "perma-sale" pricing. The only exception is new products, which tend to stay at full price for at least the first few months.
When will Apple release new AirPods?
There's no set schedule, but new AirPods are sometimes announced during Apple's September product-launch event, albeit with two or three years between upgrades. Based on the rumor mill, we're fully expecting new AirPods Pro next month, though this isn't official just yet.
Are new features coming to AirPods in 2026?
Nothing announced yet, but the arrival of iOS 26 in 2025 brought several new AirPods features , including studio-quality recording, improved call clarity (it's already extremely good, though) and a camera remote (meaning you can squeeze the stem to snap a photo). These were free upgrades on compatible hardware .
How do I pair my AirPods to my iPhone?
It's shockingly easy: Just flip open the AirPods case. Your iPhone should automatically detect it and walk you through the pairing process. Now, there's a little more to it if you want to pair the AirPods to a second or different device. For that, check Apple's AirPods pairing instructions .
How do I connect my AirPods to my MacBook?
First, venture into your MacBook Settings and make sure Bluetooth is turned on. Then put your AirPods in pairing mode; in the list of devices on your MacBook, choose the AirPods and click Connect. That's all there is to it! If you need help enabling pairing mode, check Apple's AirPods pairing instructions .
| Price |
Active Noise-Cancelling |
Spatial Audio |
Est. Battery Life |
Hands-Free Siri |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AirPods 4 |
$129 |
No |
Yes |
5 hours |
Yes |
| AirPods 4 with ANC |
$179 |
Yes |
Yes |
5 hours (4 w/ANC) |
Yes |
| AirPods Pro 3 |
$249 |
Yes |
Yes |
10 hours (8 w/ANC) |
Yes |
| AirPods Pro 2 |
$199* |
Yes |
Yes |
6 hours (5 w/ANC) |
Yes |
| AirPods Max |
$549 |
Yes |
Yes |
20 hours |
Yes |
*The AirPods Pro 2 had a list price of $249, but were discounted to $199 on a regular basis for well over a year. Now that it's discontinued, we don't expect to see it selling above $199 again.
