AirPods-Beats-HeadphonesPhoto by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

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The Best Headphones and Earbuds for Your iPhone

We round up all the wireless headphones and earbuds that have the same “magic” of AirPods.

By Tucker Bowe

Published

·

Updated

When Apple released the first AirPods in late 2016, they had what no other wireless headset had before it: Apple’s W1 chip. This special processor allowed AirPods to quickly pair to an iPhone — no need to open Bluetooth Settings and wait to be discovered — which was actually a pretty deal at the time; 2016 was also the year when Apple introduced the iPhone (iPhone 7) without a 3.5mm headphone jack, so more and more people were converting to Bluetooth headphones.

In addition to fast pairing, the W1 chip helped the original AirPods establish a more stable Bluetooth connection to your iPhone. It worked with the AirPods’s built-in optical sensors so that music automatically play/paused when you placed the earbuds in/out of your ears. It also allowed for quick switching between Mac and iOS devices. And, thanks to later software updates, Apple’s chips have enabled features like audio sharing so that two people with AirPods could listen to one iPhone.

Apple’s Headphone Chips, Explained: W1, H1 and H2

headphones work with iphone
The wireless earbuds and headphones that are specially designed to work with your iPhone.
Tucker Bowe

Apple has made newer and better versions of its original W1 chip. In 2019, Apple released its next-generation H1 chipset which enabled an even faster and more secure Bluetooth connection. It also enabled hands-free “Hey Siri,” meaning any wireless headphones or earbuds with the H1 chip could respond to a voice command. (Previously, early AirPods summoned the voice assistant with a double tap on their side.

More recently, Apple has introduced the H2 chipset with the AirPods Pro. This builds on the W1 and H1 platforms but enables the AirPods Pro to improve noise-cancellation and transparency modes significantly. It also enables personalized Spatial Audio, which allows the newest AirPods Pro and AirPods Max to deliver an even more immersive experience.

Additionally, Beats — which Apple acquired back in 2014 — is rolling out more wireless headphones and earbuds that also have AirPod-esque abilities; many of them support fast iPhone pairing, Apple’s Find My network and even spatial audio. So, unlike a few years ago, there are many options that capture the “magic” of AirPods.

If you’re in the market for a new pair of wireless headphones or wireless earbuds that work particularly well with your iPhone and other Apple devices, we’ve rounded up the best options below with the W1, H1 and H2 chips.

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How We Tested

wireless earbuds that work with iphoneTucker Bowe

We’ve had hands-on and tested most of the wireless headphones and earbuds that work exceptionally well with Apple’s iPhone and other devices. Each of the below options are integrated with one of Apple’s proprietary chips — except for the Beats Studio Buds — and therefore support fast iPhone pairing. We’ve also tested each for fit, comfort, sound quality and other features such as noise cancellation and support for spatial audio.

To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.

Beats Solo Buds

Beats

Beats Solo Buds

Specs

Chip Beats Custom
Type Wireless Earbuds
Noise Cancellation No
  • Release date: June 2024

The Beats Solo Buds are the company’s first wireless earbuds that cost under $100 (at launch). They share a similar look and fit to Beats’s other wireless earbuds. They’re also powered by Beat’s custom chip, allowing them to work well with both iPhones or Androids. However, they lack any active noise-cancellation, and their very small charging case doesn’t actually provide an additional charge to the earbuds; once their 18 hours of battery life runs out, you’ll need to plug them back into power.

Beats Solo 4

Beats Solo 4

Specs

Chip Beats Custom
Type On-ear wireless headphones
Noise cancellation No
  • Release date: April 2024

The Beats Solo 4 are the long-awaited successor to the 2016-released Solo 3 Wireless. The new models share a familiar look, but Beats made some pretty big changes internally. The Solo 4 are powered by a custom Beats chip — just like the Studio Pro — giving the headphones the ability to work well with both iPhones and Androids; no matter which device you have, the Solo 4 support fair pairing and Find My. If you have an iPhone, these headphones support spatial audio with head tracking. And they play lossless audio over a wired connection (either USB-C or 3.5mm).

Apple AirPods Pro 2

white airpod proAmazon

AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)

Specs

Chip H2
Type Wireless earbuds
Noise-cancellation Yes
  • Release date: September 2023

These are the newest AirPods Pro — which are the only AirPods Pro that Apple now sells. They are the same size, shape, and design as the 2019-released AirPods Pro but pack Apple’s new H2 processing chip. This helps these newest AirPods Pro sound better and drastically improves their noise-canceling and transparency abilities. The H2 chip powers personalized Spatial Audio, too, so they sound even more immersive. Apple upgraded the AirPods Pro in 2023 so that they now charge via USB-C.

Beats Studio Pro

beats studio proBeats

Beats Studio Pro

Specs

Chip custom Beats chip
Type Wireless over-ear headphones
Noise-cancellation Yes
  • Release date: July 2023

The Beats Studio Pro are the company’s flagship wireless noise-canceling headphones — and they are essentially a more budget-friendly alternative to Apple’s AirPods Max. The Studio Pro lack one of Apple’s special chips, but they do have a custom-made Beats chip that gives it most of the same abilities and features as the AirPods Max; Both support fast iPhone pairing, hands-free “Hey Siri” and Apple’s Find My network. They also support for Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking. The main tradeoff with the Studio Pro is that while good, the sound quality as well as noise-canceling and transparency modes aren’t quite as elite. On the plus side, the Studio Pro are significantly cheaper and lighter. Unlike AirPods Max, the Studio Pro support lossless audio when used as wired headphones (via USB-C) which is pretty cool.

Beats Studio Buds +

earbudsBeats

Beats Studio Buds +

Specs

Chip None
Type Wireless earbuds
Noise-cancellation Yes
  • Release date: May 2023

The Studio Buds + are new-and-improved versions of the 2021-released Studio Buds. The “Plus” models have the same design, but have been upgraded in just about every way — better sound, better noise-cancellation, better call quality and longer battery life. They also are available in a unique transparent finish that’s pretty darn cool. Just like the Studio Buds, the Studio Buds + are more affordable alternatives to AirPods Pro. They have very similar features, but since these Beats’s wireless earbuds lack an Apple-designed chip, they can’t do everything that AirPods Pro can do; for example, they support spatial audio but not with dynamic head tracking. Again, it’s worth noting that while the Studio Buds + deliver good sound and noise-cancellation, both aren’t as effective as AirPods Pro.

Beats Fit Pro

beats fit proAmazon

Beats Fit Pro

Specs

Chip H1
Type Wireless earbuds
Noise-cancellation Yes
  • Release date: November 2021

The Beats Fit Pro have a lot in common with Apple’s AirPods Pro (first generation). They are powered by the same H1 chip. They have the same active noise-cancellation and transparency modes. They also support spatial audio with dynamic head tracking. They don’t sound quite as good, however. And the other big difference is that the Fit Pro has a flexible earwing tip design that helps them better stay in your ears.

Apple AirPods 3

tech roundupApple

AirPods (3rd Generation)

Specs

Chip H1
Type Wireless earbuds
Noise-cancellation No
  • Release date: October 2021

The AirPods 3 are Apple’s mid-range wireless earbuds. They fit similarly to the AirPods Pro (although without the silicone ear tips), but lack active noise-cancellation and transparency modes. They do, however, support spatial audio and wireless charging. They’re sweat- and water-resistant. And they have a battery life of up to 6 ears (per earbud), which is better than any other model of AirPods (except for the new AirPods Pro 2) that Apple sells.

Beats Studio Buds

beats studio budsBeats

Beats Studio Buds

Specs

Chip None
Type Wireless earbuds
Noise-cancellation Yes
  • Release date: June 2021

The Studio Buds are noise-canceling wireless earbuds that can be viewed as an affordable alternative to the AirPods Pro. They are an outlier on this list because they do not pack either W1 or H1 chipset, but since Apple owns Beats they figured out a way to work similarly to AirPods Pro — such as fast iPhone pairing and support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos — but also allowing them to work with Android smartphones.

Beats Flex

beats flex earbudsBeats

Beats Flex

Specs

Chip W1
Type Wireless earphones
Noise-cancellation No
  • Release date: January 2021

Released in late 2020, the Beats Flex are the next generation of the 2017-released BeatsX wireless earphones. The two big upgrades of the Flex are that they charge via USB-C (as opposed to Lightning) and they cost just $50 (as opposed to the $150 that the BeatsX originally sold for). They still have Apple’s W1 chip so they can fast pair with your iPhone, but they lack hands-free “Hey Siri” because they don’t have Apple’s newer H1 chip.

AirPods Max

Apple AirPods Max

Specs

Chip H1
Type Wireless over-ear headphones
Noise-cancellation Yes
  • Release date: December 2020

These are Apple’s first and only pair of over-ear headphones — and they’re luxurious. The earcups are made entirely of stainless steel (no plastic) and the sound quality and noise-canceling ability are both top-notch. They have all the same features and abilities of the AirPods Pro, such as support for spatial audio and Dolby Atmos. If you can stomach the high price tag, you can’t go wrong with the AirPods Max.

Discontinued: Apple AirPods Pro (1st-Gen)

apple airpods proAmazon

AirPods Pro (1st Generation)

Specs

Chip H1
Type Wireless earbuds
Noise-cancellation No
  • Release date: October 2019

The AirPods Pro are Apple’s original noise-canceling wireless earbuds and the first to feature silicone eartips and a truncated design. Compared to the regular AirPods, the Pros had upgraded drivers and new sensors; this allowed them to support higher-end audio technologies, such as spatial audio and Dolby Atmos.

Note: The first-generation AirPods Pro have been discontinued, but you can still buy them from third-party sites.

Beats Powerbeats Pro

power beatsBeats

Powerbeats Pro

Specs

Chip H1
Type Wireless earbuds
Noise-cancellation No
  • Release date: May 2019

The Powerbeats Pro are wireless earbuds for people who want AirPods but want them to fit more securely and be more sweat-resistant. They have an earhook design and swappable silicone eartips, so they’ll fit pretty much any ear. They also have button controls on the earbuds, making adjust the volume and play/pausing very easy. Lastly, they’re available in several colors other than white.

Apple AirPods (2nd-Gen)

apple airpodsApple

Apple AirPods (Second-Generation)

Specs

Chip H1
Type Wireless earbuds
Noise-cancellation No
  • Release date: March 2019

Apple released these second-generation AirPods in early 2019. They’re upgraded with Apple’s newer H1 chip, which gives them improved battery life — Apple says 50 percent more talk time — and enables hands-free “Hey Siri.” You can buy them with or without a wireless charging case.

Discontinued: Beats Powerbeats

powerbeats earbudsBeats

Beats Powerbeats

Specs

Chip H1
Type Wireless earphones
Noise-cancellation No
  • Release date: March 2020

Note: The Beats Powerbeats have been discontinued, but you can still buy them from third-party sites.

The Powerbeats are the exact same as the Powerbeats Pro, but there’s a wire connecting the two earbuds. The features and sound quality are the same. The advantage of the two earbuds being tethered together is that the Powerbeats are less likely to have connectivity issues (sometimes a left or right earbud doesn’t sync). Plus, they’re more affordable.

Discontinued: BeatsX

headphonesAmazon

Beats BeatsX

Specs

Chip W1
Type Wireless earphones
Noise-cancellation No
  • Release date: February 2017

Note: The BeatsX have been discontinued, but you can still buy them from third-party sites.

The BeatsX are older versions of the Beats Flex and have since been discontinued. At the time of their release they were selling for $150, which is their biggest downside over the $50 Flex. They also charge via Lightning rather than USB-C.

Discontinued: Beats Solo Pro

beats solo pro headphonesBeats

Beats Solo Pro

Specs

Chip H1
Type Wireless on-ear headphones
Noise-cancellation Yes
  • Release date: October 2019

Note: The Beats Solo Pro have been discontinued, but you can still buy them from third-party sites.

Released in late 2019, the Solo Pro are wireless on-ear headphones that look very similar to the company’s Solo3 Wireless, but they pack a couple of big differences. They have Apple’s newer H1 chip, charge via Lightning charging port and, most importantly, they have active noise-cancellation. Additionally, Beats gave the Solo Pro improved drivers and redesigned ear cups so that they sound better are better at blocking out ambient noises.

Discontinued: Beats Studio 3 Wireless

beats studio 3 wireless headphonesBeats

Beats Studio 3 Wireless

Specs

Chip W1
Type Wireless over-ear headphones
Noise-cancellation Yes
  • Release date: October 2017

Note: The Beats Studio 3 Wireless have been discontinued with the introduction of the 2023-released Studio Pro. You can still buy them from third-party sites, however.

The Studio 3 Wireless were the first over-ear headphones by Beats to feature Apple’s W1 chip. At the time, they were selling for $350, but you can buy them for significantly less than that now. They’re a budget alternative to AirPods Max, but we recommend buying the much newer Beats Studio Pro. Also these headphones still charge via micro-USB.

Discontinued: Beats Solo 3 Wireless

beats 3 wireless headphonesBeats

Beats Solo 3 Wireless

Specs

Chip W1
Type Wireless on-ear headphones
Noise-cancellation No
  • Release date: June 2016

Note: The Beats Solo 3 Wireless have been discontinued with the introduction of the 2024-released Solo 4.

Quite incredibly, Beats still sells these 2016-released headphones. The Solo 3 Wireless have an on-ear design rather than over-ear, and they don’t have noise-canceling or transparency modes. They have the same W1 chip as the (now discontinued) Studio 3 Wireless and work basically the same—the Solo 3 Wireless charges via micro-USB.

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