Stay on song with our pick of the best wireless headphones
Looking for a reliable pair of headphones to wear as you clock up the miles? We've been putting some of the most popular running headphones on the market through their paces in our in-depth test.
What to look for when buying running headphones
A comfortable fit: There's nothing worse than your headphones digging into the side of your head in the final miles of a long run. These days, you can get all sorts of headphones designed for sport that wrap around your ears in various weird and wonderful ways. When scrolling through the list below, have a think about whether you'd prefer wireless headphones that are still connected to one another with a cable, or earbuds. It's worth highlighting the Powerbeats Pro here, which has an innovative over-ear hook design that all runners testing found extremely comfortable.
Waterproof casing: Sure, you can run with a 'normal' pair of headphones, but they probably won't be built to withstand heavy rain showers, or a great amount of sweat (nice). A good pair of running headphones will have a waterproof casing that probably can't be submerged underwater but will save them from getting destroyed if you're running a rainy race.
Sound quality: Of course, you're using headphones to distract yourself as you clock up the miles. They might not pick up as much as your day-to-day headphones, but a good pair of running headphones will still have a decent sound quality, while still letting you hear the traffic. For those who are guilty of blasting their music, the AfterShokz Aeropex below are worth taking a look at.
Runner’s World Expert Tested
Look out for products labelled Runner’s World Expert Tested, as products with this insignia have been put through the wringer by our lab tester.
This involved seeing how each pair of earbuds performed while stationary and running, to make sure the impact of heels repeatedly striking the tarmac didn’t send them tumbling floorward. They were also judged on their design, ease of use and performance, with the final category including criteria such as battery life, comfort and sound quality.
Products were also sent to an independent sound technician to make sure they could provide the crisp treble and powerful bass needed to help us push our pace.
Runner’s World Editor’s picks
Leaving no stone unturned when it comes to finding the finest earpieces for running, the other products on our round-up have been hand-picked by our editors.
Using their extensive knowledge of running tech – courtesy of countless hours in the gym,
Which are the best headphones on the market for runners in 2023?
So, without further ado, here's our list of the best running headphones on the market right now.
HONOR Earbuds 2 Lite
Runner’s World Expert Tested – Our score: 8.7/10
These HONOR earbuds prove that your bank account needn’t take a three-figure hit when buying a quality pair of headphones. Despite looking similar to the Apple Airpods Pro and boasting a remarkably well-balanced sound, you can pick a pair up for under £50.
Even before you consider their portable charging case, they offer 10 hours of playback time on a full tank. The noise cancellation feature cut out almost all external audio, minimising distractions (useful if you’re training in a busy gym), and the silicone tips offered an incredibly comfortable fit.
Overall, an accomplished performance, particularly considering their low price point.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear, true wireless
Battery life: 10 hours (32 with charging case)
Noise-cancelling: Yes
Accessories included: Charging case, USB charging cable
Location of in-line controls: On ear bud
Beats Powerbeats Pro
Runner’s World Expert Tested – Our score: 9.3/10
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.
Read a full review of the Powerbeats Pro here.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear, true wireless
Battery life: Nine hours (24 hours with charging case)
Noise-cancelling: No
Accessories included: Charging case, ear tips in four sizes, USB charging cable
Location of in-line controls: Buttons on earbud
Apple Airpods Pro (2nd Generation)
Runner’s World Expert Tested – Our score: 9.1/100
Thanks to a new H2 chip and amplifier, the 2nd generation of the iconic buds has noticeably deeper bass and clearer sound. Transparency mode, too, greatly improves 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.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear, true wireless
Battery life: 6 hours (buds), 30 hours (with case)
Noise-cancelling: Yes
Accessories included: Three different-sized silicone ear tips, charging case, USB charging cable
Location of in-line controls: On earbud
Bose Sport Earbuds
Runner’s World Expert Tested – Our score: 8.8/10
These earbuds are extremely comfortable to wear, slipping into the ear seamlessly and (most importantly) staying there whether we were doing sprint intervals or slower-paced recovery runs. As an extra line of defence against falling out, they also have clever little hooks that sit against the inside of the ear to keep them secure.
As you’d expect from a brand like Bose, these earbuds offered a brilliant blend of booming bass and crystal clear treble. Put another way: our playlists have rarely sounded better. There’s no active noise cancellation, but if that’s not a dealbreaker for you then we can’t recommend these highly enough.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear, true wireless
Battery life: Five hours (15 hours with charging case)
Noise-cancelling: No
Accessories included: Three sizes of silicone ear tips, charging cable, charging case
Location of in-line controls: On earbud
Jaybird Vista
Our Score: 8.8/10
Comprehensive touch controls, voice assistant compatibility, a choice of silicone tips for the best possible fit and a compact case for on-the-go charging all contributed to these headphones’ impressive performance.
We found them comfortable to wear and the sound quality was solid, though the bass sometimes sounded somewhat muddy when we cranked up the volume.
However, their sweatproof qualities and the ability to listen through one earbud at a time — handy when you need to be more aware of your surroundings while running — ensured the Jaybird Vistas still took a top score.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear, true wireless
Battery life: Six hours (16 hours with charging case)
Noise-cancelling: No
Accessories included: Three sizes of silicone ear tips, charging cable, charging case
Location of in-line controls: Button on earbud
JBL Reflect Flow
Runner’s World Expert Tested - Our score: 8.7/10
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.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear, true wireless
Battery life: 10 hours (30 hours with charging case)
Noise-cancelling: No
Accessories included: Three sizes of silicone ear tips, three sizes of silicone ear hooks, charging case, USB lead
Location of in-line controls: On ear bud
Shokz OpenRun
Runner’s World Expert Tested - Our score: 8/10
What sets these OpenRun headphones apart (previously called Aeropex) 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 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.
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.
Key specifications
Type: Bone conduction
Battery life: Eight hours
Noise-cancelling: No
Accessories included: Two magnetic charging cables, silicone rubber case, earplugs
Location of in-line controls: Buttons on band
Google Pixel Buds A-Series
Runner’s World Expert Tested – Our score: 7.8/10
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.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear, true wireless
Battery life: Five hours (24 hours with charging case)
Noise-cancelling: No
Accessories included: Ear tips with three size options, charging case, USB charging cable
Location of in-line controls: On ear bud
Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro
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 one audiophile praising the ‘smooth, rich sound’ and the noise cancellation. Battery life is decent and can be extended via the pocket-friendly charging case is, while additional features like 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.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear
Battery life: Eight hours (buds), 18 hours (with case)
Noise-cancelling: Yes
Accessories included: Three tips, USB charging case
Location of in-line controls: On earbud
Adidas FWD-01
Runner’s World Expert Tested – Our score: 7.7/10
If you don’t trust true wireless in-ear headphones to stay in your ears while running, try this near-wireless pair from Adidas instead. The two earbuds are connected by a quality cable that sits around your neck and acts as an added level of security if they fall out.
We found the buds a bit bulky and they did tend to slip from our ears during higher impact activities, so we’d recommend them for more stationary exercises like resistance training in the gym. The excellent bass is also a great motivator when lifting heavy.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear, near-wireless
Battery life: 16 hours
Noise-cancelling: No
Accessories included: Ear tips with four size options, carry pouch, USB charging cable
Location of in-line controls: Buttons on cord
Jabra Elite 7 Active In-Ear Bluetooth Earbuds
Runner’s World Expert Tested – Our score: 9.1/100
Giving the pricier Powerbeats Pro and Airpods a run for their money are the Jabra Elite Active 75Ts. The designers clearly had exercise on their mind when crafting these impressive earbuds, which are able to withstand a fast-paced track session thanks to their sweatproof and waterproof capabilities.
They come with a selection of three differently sized sticky silicone tips so you can find a secure fit that won’t come loose mid-stride. Responsive touch and voice controls allowed us to control our music, take calls and more while leaving our phone in our pocket, and (this is one for the true musos among you) you can tinker with the bass and treble settings on the free Jabra app — something we definitely appreciated.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear, true wireless
Battery life: Seven and a half hours (28 hours with charging case)
Noise-cancelling: No
Accessories included: Three sizes of silicone ear tips, charging cable, charging case
Location of in-line controls: On earbud
Urbanears Stadion Trail
Our score: 9/10
The first thing you notice about these is the unusual coil design of the wires. They stretch to fit your head and then sit there snugly, with no irritating flapping on the back of your neck. On-ear fit is secure and there are three buttons on the back of the bar that are extremely easy to locate and use for play/pause/skip/volume control. There is no noise cancellation, which is a good safety aspect on the run, as you’ll hear background noises.
The sound quality is decent, but not amazing; however, our view is that this is a secondary issue on sports headphones, and the comfort and ease of functionality more than make up for this. In short, they're a thoroughly competent, hassle-free delight.
Key specifications
Type: On-ear, near-wireless
Battery life: Seven hours
Noise-cancelling: No
Accessories included: Charging cable
Location of in-line controls: Buttons on the bar
Mifo O5 Plus
Runner’s World Expert Tested – Our score: 8/10
The remarkable sound quality was the standout feature here – every use is like being in a concert hall. And the Mifo's excellent noise-cancelling capabilities totally blocked out the awful, thumpy gym music when we cross-trained: such bliss. Set-up is idiot-proof, with minimalist, Apple-style instructions, so they are perfect for the technically challenged.
Functionality is where these need to be improved: the buttons are ludicrously small, so if you have bigger fingers you’ll find making a track or volume change on the run a bit of a pain. But the battery life (more than 100 hours if you use the charging case) is superb, the durability is good, they’re waterproof and the overall look and feel are premium.
If button functionality had been better, we’d have scored these even higher.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear, true wireless
Battery life: Seven hours (more than 100 hours with charging case)
Noise-cancelling: Yes
Accessories included: USB charging cord, seven sizes of silicone ear tips, charging case
Location of in-line controls: Buttons on earbuds
JLab Epic Air Sport ANC Airbuds
Six differently-sized tips, plus ergonomic over-the-ear hooks deliver a super-secure fit. Noise cancelling mode blocks external sounds pretty well, while ‘Be Aware’ mode lets more surrounding sounds in. Testers found the touch controls intuitive and fumble-free and battery life is a standout feature – you get a whopping 15 hours from a single charge and up to 55 hours with the charging case. The payback is the case is rather bulky, but given the mammoth battery life, you shouldn’t need to bring it along anyway. Don’t expect sound quality to be up there with B&O or Apple, but then they’re significantly cheaper.
Key specifications
Type: Over-the-ear hooks
Battery life: 15 hours (bud), 55 hours (with case)
Noise-cancelling: Yes
Accessories included: USB charging cord, charging case
Location of in-line controls: Buttons on earbuds
Senheiser Sport True Wireless
Senheiser’s sports-specific pedigree really shows here. Three different sizes of ear adapters and four different sizes of fins combine to provide you with a customisable fit which 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 punches which they felt punches way above the price tag.
Key specifications
Type: In-ear, true wireless
Battery life: 9 hours (buds), 27 hours (with case)
Noise-cancelling: Yes
Accessories included: USB charging cord, charging case
Location of in-line controls: Buttons on earbuds
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