The best wireless earbuds used to be made with travel and commuting in mind, but the switch to telecommuting during the pandemic has created many new situations where good earbuds are invaluable.

From work calls and workouts to blocking out roommates and family members during Zoom calls, wireless earbuds have recently taken on more roles and are once again accompanying people on planes and trains.

So what should you look for in your next wireless earbuds? We've picked out five essential features we think your next earbuds should have to ensure they are the perfect all-rounder you need.

In the past, active noise cancellation (ANC) was a feature reserved for bulky over-the-ear earphones. For those who preferred the convenient size of earbuds and more discreet styling, they had to ensure a good fit, turn up the volume, and hope for the best.

While fit is still a really important consideration (see next point for details), turning up the volume to dangerous levels is not a good way to block out outside noise. Thankfully, technology has caught up and the best earbuds now have active noise-canceling features that can block out external noises such as cars, trains, children's voices, and the sound of the neighbor's kitchen remodeling. This can usually be turned on or off as needed, and some even allow the user to adjust the level of noise cancellation based on the environment. Some can also adjust the level of noise cancellation depending on the environment.

Bose headphones traditionally offer the best noise cancellation, and the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are at the top of our best noise-canceling earbuds list. However, Sony has made great strides in this area, and the Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds are considered to be right behind, making the Jabra Elite Active 75t a great budget option.

The comfort of the in-ear buds is really important if you wear them a lot, but how they fit in your ears can make them a difficult element to get right.

A good place to start is with relatively lightweight earbuds, each weighing less than 0.25 oz.

We also recommend earbuds that offer a variety of tips to customize the fit and stabilize them in the ear. Doing so will not only make them more comfortable, but will also give you the best sound quality.

Wireless earbuds are great when it comes to convenience, but they should have adequate battery life so that they can be used well before they need to be recharged.

There are a few things to consider here: first, how long the earbuds' battery will last on a single charge, second, how many times the earbuds can be charged with the included case, and finally, whether the earbuds have fast charging capabilities for when you really need them.

Turning on ANC will affect battery life (sometimes significantly), as will volume during music playback, but you want to find headphones that have at least five hours of battery life with ANC on and three to four full charges from the case. master &. Dynamic MW08 promises 10 hours with ANC and 30 hours with the charging case. The OnePlus Buds Pro, on the other hand, can be fully charged for 10 hours in just 10 minutes from the charging case.

When wired headphones were popular, in-line microphone controls allowed users to control music playback and incoming calls without having to reach for their phones. That is not possible with wireless earbuds, but the best products introduce smart controls built into the earbuds' design, so you can keep your phone in your pocket.

Many of the best wireless earbuds allow users to communicate their requests with a tap or gesture using the outer shell of the earbuds. This feature used to be hit or miss in its accuracy, but has improved considerably and is now truly useful, not just a gimmick.

Other features include the ability to sense when earphones are removed and pause or start music accordingly. Some can play a sound to locate them if they are lost outside (rather than under the couch).

For a long time, earbuds have been primarily focused on music performance, with phone and video calls also a consideration. However, while earphones still need to play music correctly, these days the ability to play sound is also important.

This means a multi-microphone setup that can pick up audio clearly and powerful connectivity features such as low-latency Bluetooth 5.2 are needed to ensure that video and audio flow well in sync with each video call.