The best wireless headphones for runners, tried and tested (2024)

These headphones don’t come cheap, but we think they’re worth every penny. The punchy bass is great for pacing and their adjustable hooks fit around the ear to make sure they stay in place throughout any workout.

Despite having a bulkier design than most, courtesy of the aforementioned hooks, we found them supremely comfortable to wear. As they’re manufactured by Apple, they’re definitely best-suited to iPhone users, with the ability to summon Siri and display their battery on your mobile’s home screen.

We were also big fans of the magnetic charging case, which boosts the total battery life up to 24 hours.

Beats Powerbeats Pro review

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Sennheiser’s sports pedigree really shows here. Three different sizes of ear adapters and four different sizes of fins combine to provide you with a customisable fit that our testers found stayed firmly in place.

The ‘Adaptable Acoustic’ tech means you can opt to have the ear adapters open to stay aware of your surroundings but minimise body noise such as your breathing and footfalls, or closed to block outside noise and immerse yourself in your chosen soundtrack. Testers were also impressed with the sound quality, which they felt punches way above the price tag.

Sennhesier Sport True Wireless review

What sets these OpenRun headphones (previously called Aeropex) apart is the bone-conduction technology, which sends audio vibrations through your cheekbones to your inner ears, bypassing your lugholes. This is great from a safety perspective and comes with surprisingly little compromise on sound quality, which is excellent.

There’s also a comfort bonus – you don’t have to ram and twist them into your ears as you do with some buds. Battery life is also solid (roughly eight hours of playback), while a nano protective coating and watertight rubber gaskets make them fully sweatproof and waterproof. Playback and calls are easily controlled by a single multi-function button, too.

On the downside, our tester found the rocker switch that controls power and volume rather fiddly and had to resort to using their phone mid-run. All in all, though, an excellent package.

Shokz OpenRun review

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There’s plenty to shout about with these shiny new Beats, which are enhanced versions of the popular Studio Buds. What's changed? You get a funky transparent case, improved audio, more effective noise cancelling and longer battery life, according to the brand. But do they live up to the hype?

Beats Studio Buds + review

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Whether we were running hill sprint intervals or grinding through sets of burpees and box jumps, these earbuds didn’t budge. The tips felt tight, comfortable and secure, and we really liked the discreet design that sat flush within our ears.

Our independent audio expert raved about their dynamic range, which lends itself particularly well to heavy guitar anthems (rock fans, rejoice). Happily, there was next to no sound leakage, so you can blast your top tunes on the tube without inadvertently sharing your music taste with fellow passengers.

There’s no noise cancellation, and their five hours of playback time on a full tank isn’t amazing in the grand scheme of things, but this can be boosted to 24 hours thanks to their portable charging case.

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Testers found these were quick and easy to lodge in the ears and then highly comfortable and secure on the run. Sound quality scored highly, too, with our audiophile praising the ‘smooth, rich sound’ and the noise cancellation. Battery life is decent and can be extended via the pocket-friendly charging case, while additional features such as voice detect, which turns on ambient mode and lowers the volume when you’re talking, impressed testers.

Though compatible with any Android or iOS device, those within the Samsung ecosystem can enjoy hi-tech extras such as 24-bit audio and 360-degree head tracking.

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Thanks to a new H2 chip and amplifier, the 2nd generation of these iconic buds has a noticeably deeper bass and clearer sound. Transparency mode, too, is greatly improved with less of the crackle you get when wind passes over microphones that pump in external audio. On the run, they feel lightweight and comfortable and the fit is reassuringly secure, with our tester suffering no fall-out over a variety of terrain and paces.

Perhaps the biggest reason to love the 2nd generation, though, is that AirPods finally get on-ear volume control – swipe up or down on the white stem – and wireless charging.

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Jabra claim these are the 'world's toughest earbuds' and they certainly lived up to expectations in our testing. At 5g for each bud, the Jabra Elite 8 Active are brilliantly light, with a compact wing-tip-free secure fit. That secure fit is helped by a special silicone coating that grips more when it gets wet or sweaty. 'They're probably the most secure-feeling earbuds without tips that I've run in,' said one tester.

They earbuds are also IP68 rated, which means they can be submerged up to 1.5 metres, be rinsed underwater, get splashed during water sports and get soaked on a rainy day. So, even for the hardcore runners, these should see you through most activities.

The battery life is 4 hours more than the older Elite 7 Active, too, and the sound quality – which is customisable – is great. It’s not necessarily the very best, but there’s good top volume, decent nuance and richness and plenty of butt-kicking bass.

Jabra Elite 8 Active review

Whether your runs are soundtracked by hip hop or heavy metal, these top-quality Bang & Olufsen buds will do your playlist justice. Our audiophile was blown away by the sound quality, praising the ‘excellent clarity and detail’, and rated the breadth of customisation options available within the app. As well as pre-sets including ‘commute’ and ‘podcast’, you can tinker with the ANC when you’re heading out on the roads and need to be aware of your surroundings. Though there was some sound leakage, the noise cancelling tech was brilliant for such tiny buds.

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Easily some of the most comfortable in-ear headphones we've ever tried (that name doesn't lie), with some of the best noise cancelling out there, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra wowed our testers.

The transparency (or 'Aware' as the brand dubs it) mode is also excellent, dulling harsh or explosive sounds but keeping conversation crystal clear, and they've yet to wriggle free from my ears, despite hours of wear during vigorous exercise.

While not solely marketed or designed for fitness purposes, with sweat-resistance, all-day comfort and impeccable sound quality, these sleek earbuds are a no-brainer when it comes to runners who really care about their tunes.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra review

Few headphones can withstand sprint intervals without popping out, but these sporty buds did a stellar job on test. With a choice of six different tips and ergonomic over-the-ear hooks, our testers were able to find a secure fit that didn’t come loose mid-stride.

Built-in noise cancelling tech lets you block out external sounds so you can crank up the tunes and get in the zone, but there’s also a ‘Be Aware’ mode for hearing cars whizzing past when running in busy areas. The music pauses when one earbud is removed (helpful when crossing the road mid-run) and we found the touch controls intuitive, with no fumbling required – just tap the buds to play, pause and skip songs. There are also three EQs to try within the JLab app, including ‘Balanced’, ‘Signature’ and ‘Bass Boost’, as well as a movie mode if you fancy watching a flick on your phone.

The battery life is another standout feature – you get a whopping 15 hours from a single charge and up to 55 hours with the charging case. On that note, the case is rather bulky and won’t slip into your pocket, but given the mammoth battery life, you shouldn’t need to bring it along anyway.

Our testers did have some irritating connectivity issues, meaning they had to pull their phones out on the move. Don’t expect the sound quality to be up there with Beats, Bose and Jabra either, but then again, these earphones are significantly cheaper.

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Another sport-specific set of headphones, the JBL Reflect Flows use Freebit technology (a small silicone wing attached to each earbud that presses against the inner ear) to ensure they stay put throughout runs and workouts.

The ambient-aware feature is really handy for allowing external noises in without having to pause your music, so you no longer have to choose between ditching your favourite playlist and giving your running partner the cold shoulder. They’re sweatproof too, allowing you to push the pace without worrying about protecting your earbuds.

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For road runners who like to listen to music or podcasts but need to be aware of their surroundings, these sleek Haylou buds are a sound choice. They use bone conduction technology to transfer sound vibrations along your cheekbones, leaving your ears free to hear any potential hazards around you. They’re also handy if you’re running as part of a group and want some background music to help you through the miles.

Our testers rated the lightweight design and secure fit, saying the buds didn’t budge, even as they ramped up the pace. The wraparound band didn’t feel too tight, and the control buttons were delightfully responsive and easy to tinker with while on the move. We wouldn’t recommend them for gym workouts, however, as the band made lying-down exercises tricky.

Like many bone-conducting cans, the sound quality isn't out of this world and there’s a hefty amount of sound leakage, but that’s a compromise we’re willing to make for safety. The battery life is a solid eight hours, and they boast a quick charge feature, which offers two hours of juice from a rapid 10-minute charge, so you’ll never have to face a silent commute again.

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