The best wireless headphones of 2024 so far have really impressed us by packing the best audio technology into tiny designs. We've seen a rise in open-ear designs that allow you to be aware of your surroundings, advances in noise cancellation technologies, and audio excellence that prove wireless headphones are here to stay.
In this guide, we've rounded up all the biggest releases of 2024 so far, including what we thought of wireless earbuds during our testing, what biggest trends they reflect, and how these designs could be improved in the future.
Then, we'll take a look at the brands we know will be releasing new wireless earbuds in the second half of the year, as well as some predictions about what we might see soon and where the super-popular wireless earbuds format is headed.
Whether you're a die-hard audio tech fan or just thinking about purchasing a pair of wireless headphones, this guide will give you a temperature review of the highlights so far and what's to come…
Wireless headphones in 2024: what have been the biggest launches so far this year?
We’ve tested so many wireless earbuds over the past six months that it’s hard to know where to start. But what better place to begin our roundup than with some amazing earbuds that sound great – because that’s the most important thing here, right?
When we first got our hands on the Final ZE8000 MK2 (above), we weren't convinced by the claims that these headphones offer “8K sound,” but we were wrong. In our final review of the ZE8000 MK2, our reviewer wrote: “I truly think this is some of the best, most nuanced, detailed audio you can buy in a set of true wireless earbuds.” In terms of sonic excellence, also take a look at the gloriously expansive and agile Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 with best-in-class ANC to boot.
We’ve also seen a number of brands launch earbuds that boast Dolby Atmos sound as their big selling point. If achieving an incredibly powerful and immersive audio experience is a priority for you, then you’ll want to check out the LG Tone Free T90S and the Jabra Elite 10. The latter in particular are a highly accomplished pair of wireless earbuds, and our Jabra Elite 10 review praises their solid feature set, comfortable fit, and excellent Dolby Atmos performance.
But we know that not everyone needs surround or audiophile-grade sound, nor has the budget for it. Fortunately, we've also tested some great mid-range wireless headphones that still tick all the boxes.
Our recent Nothing Ear(a) review showed us why we love this great brand so much. At just $99 / £99 / AU$169, the Nothing Ear (a) have incredibly good specs, with a sound we described during our testing as “fun, enthusiastic and expansive”, a great-looking transparent design that Nothing is going for becoming known and superior active noise cancellation. Nothing also launched the third generation of its Nothing Ear wireless headphones. Expect truly punchy bass, excellent sound customization, and a comfortable fit. Did we mention how much we love the Nothing brand?
One of the biggest advancements in wireless earbuds in 2024 so far has been the number of audio tech companies that have released open-ear designs. These are designs that don't cover your ear, like the best over-ear headphones, or fit inside your ear, like many of the best true wireless earbuds. Instead, these wireless designs use what's called air conduction technology and place a small speaker over your ear canal.
The design of these headphones is hard to get right (there's nothing to “anchor” them in place), but we've been testing a lot of these open-ear designs for our guide to the best open-ear headphones and we highly recommend checking out our Shokz OpenFit review and Bose Ultra Open headphones review for our current top picks.
Wireless headphones in 2024: what launches can we expect for the rest of the year?
It can be difficult to know what releases to expect in the future, as we only tend to hear the biggest news and rumors about the biggest tech brands. That's why one of the biggest releases we're looking forward to in the second half of 2024 comes from Samsung.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro will be the next iteration of Samsung’s flagship wireless earbuds and an upgrade to the already stellar Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. While Samsung hasn’t said anything official about these earbuds, we expect them to be announced at its upcoming Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event on July 10 and to feature excellent Hi-Res sound quality with improvements to AI, ANC, and noise cancellation.
Rumors also suggest they could have a clear Nothing-like case and long stems similar to Apple's AirPods. In addition to the Pro version, we are also expecting a new version of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3. These are expected to be announced at the same time and are the successors to the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2.
As air conduction technology was very popular during the first half of 2024, we can expect that trend to continue in the second half. We expect several brands to release open-ear designs, but what we know for sure is that Beyerdynamic’s first open-ear headphones (above) are on the way, promising high-resolution audio quality without isolating you from the world.
Another trend our spidey senses are noticing are updates to our wireless earbuds' charging cases. Sure, some have built-in features like cleaning technology and even a screen. But this could become more important in the second half of this year.
For example, the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 and Jabra Elite 10 Gen 2 earbuds will feature a smart case with Bluetooth LE audio. This means that a Bluetooth LE audio chip in the case will allow you to connect audio sources to the case via its 3.5mm jack. The case itself will be able to transmit audio to the headphones in your ears.
Finally, more and more headsets are expected to integrate AI in interesting and innovative (and perhaps, in some cases, completely unnecessary) ways. The Iyo One (above), a pair of wireless headphones coming later this year, claims to be “the first computer with audio,” including real-time language translation, exercise guidance, life organization, and features such as spatial audio, head tracking, and AI-enhanced voice amplification. But wait.
While the Iyo One is certainly interesting, plenty of other brands are doing things with AI. For example, Apple will be incorporating Apple Intelligence into its products, including its AirPods, later this year. And a few other companies are already combining earbuds with AI, such as Nothing, which is doing interesting things with its Nothing Ear integration with ChatGPT.
As with any other product category, the challenge will be determining whether AI actually improves our experience with our wireless headphones or simply overcomplicates things in order to put “AI” on the box. We expect to see a bit of both as we move into the second half of 2024.
