2024: a good year for earbuds

The year 2024 has been another very good one for wireless earbuds. We’ve reached a point where every tech giant is firing on all cylinders. Apple’s AirPods Pro, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 are each fantastic in their own right and fairly comparable in the features they offer. Are there advantages depending on which you pick? Sure. Samsung’s new voice controls are super convenient. Google wins out on comfort. And Apple’s new hearing health features really level up what we expect from consumer earbuds. But in terms of everyday performance, they’re all within spitting distance of each other. 

As for over-ear headphones, Sonos introduced its long-rumored Ace headphones this year. Their marquee trick, TV Audio Swap, is the ability to receive audio from a Sonos soundbar for private listening — a good example of a brand trying to muster a unique selling point in a competitive market, while Apple, Samsung, and Google are laser-focused on interplay within their own respective ecosystems. (Of course, Sonos’ headphones were all but forgotten in the avalanche of controversy brought on by the company’s overhauled mobile app.)

But this year has reinforced that you don’t need to spend big to find great value. Apple brought active noise cancellation to its less expensive AirPods 4. With the Nothing Ear and budget-priced Ear (a), Nothing proved yet again that it can compete with long-established earbud makers — and outdesign many of them. Style-wise, it’s hard to choose between the flashy yellow of the Ear (a) or Beats’ candy red Solo Buds, but Nothing gives you more for your money than Apple’s brand. 

2024 also saw Jabra make an exit from the consumer earbuds market. The company spent years producing worthy alternatives to the AirPods and other products back during the early waves of true wireless earbuds, but Jabra lost its momentum and failed to meaningfully stand out with its more recent Elite earbuds. The Elite 10 Gen 2 are excellent by all accounts but hard to recommend when they represent the end of the line.

As for where the category is headed, earbuds are quickly evolving into devices with a purpose that extends well beyond audio consumption. Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 now offer a powerful trifecta of hearing health features: you can wear them as hearing protection, take a test to gauge your own hearing loss, or use the earbuds as clinical-grade over-the-counter hearing aids. I’d expect we’ll see other industry heavyweights like Sony, Samsung, and Google bring similar capabilities to their own future buds — perhaps as soon as next year. 

Fitness tracking is another area where we’ll continue to see earbuds offer new advantages. Heart rate tracking is becoming relatively common, and the next-generation Powerbeats Pro, due early in 2025, are rumored to include the useful feature.

As for the new year, Sony’s long-popular 1000X series is due for a refresh. The 1000XM6 earbuds (and headphones) seem like a lock for 2025. I think the same is true of the next AirPods Pro; Apple will reportedly release a redesigned third-gen pair sometime next year. On the other hand, with Samsung and Google having both released new models in the last six months, I wouldn’t expect much from them in the near future. 

For you audiophiles out there, 2025 is likely to see the introduction of more earbuds that can wirelessly stream lossless audio as Qualcomm’s most advanced chips start to proliferate across new products from various brands — potentially including Sennheiser, Bose, and others. As for other features, I’m curious to what extent earbud makers will tap into AI chatbots. Google’s Pixel Buds Pro make it possible to carry on entire conversations with Gemini Live. Will other brands look to provide a similar experience with different AI platforms? 

The new year is certain to get off to a busy start right out of the gate, with headphones and earbuds from dozens of brands expected at CES 2025. Hopefully there’ll be some genuine surprises among the bunch.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge