The Best Wireless Earbuds in Australia

One side of your earbuds keeps cutting out, the battery dies before the bus gets to work, or you’re just tired of a cable catching on your bag strap. Choosing the best wireless earbuds in Australia shouldn’t take a weekend of research, and for most people it doesn’t have to. Buy the Sony WF-C510. Owners score them 4.7 out of 5, they connect to your phone and laptop at once, and they cost less than half the price of the noise-cancelling pairs further down.

If you need noise cancelling for a loud commute, something very cheap, or a pair that doesn’t go inside your ear at all, there’s a pick below for each.

The short answer

The best wireless earbuds in Australia

• Best overall: Sony WF-C510
• Best noise cancelling earbuds for commuting: JBL Tune Beam 2
• Best battery life with the case: Belkin SoundForm Play
• Best budget wireless earbuds: Belkin SoundForm Bolt 2
• Best for travel: JBL Tune Buds 2
• Best for Apple and Android households: Beats Studio Buds +
• Best open-ear earbuds: Audio-Technica ATH-AC5TW

Product		Price
	Sony WF-C510 Truly Wireless Earbuds (WFC510B)	from $77.00 at Bing Lee · 3 shops	$77.00 at Bing Lee
	JBL Tune Beam 2 Noise Cancelling Earbuds (6224915)	from $169.00 at Bing Lee · 2 shops	$169.00 at Bing Lee
	Belkin SOUNDFORM Play True Wireless In-Ear Headphones	from $69.95 at JB Hi-Fi	$69.95 at JB Hi-Fi
	Belkin SoundForm Bolt 2 True Wireless In-Ear Headphones	from $49.95 at Belkin · 2 shops	$49.95 at Belkin
	JBL Tune Buds 2 Noise Cancelling Earbuds (6224947)	from $169.00 at Bing Lee · 2 shops	$169.00 at Bing Lee
	Beats Studio Buds + True Wireless Noise Cancelling Earbuds (MQLH3PA/A)	from $169.00 at Amazon · 2 shops	$169.00 at Amazon
	Audio Technica Audio-Technica AC5-TW True Wireless Open-Ear Headphones (ATH-AC5TW)	from $134.00 at JB Hi-Fi	$134.00 at JB Hi-Fi

1. Best overall: Sony WF-C510

Most people want earbuds that sound good, stay in, and don’t need thinking about. They don’t want to pay for a feature list they’ll never open. That’s who the Sony WF-C510 is for, and it’s why it sits at the top.

The score is what puts it there. It’s 4.7 out of 5 from 63 owners. A couple of other pairs here score higher, but on far fewer reviews, so the Sony is the safest buy on the page.

Two features will make a difference day to day. Multipoint means your phone and laptop can both be connected at once, so when a call comes in during a video you don’t have to go into Bluetooth settings to switch over. Quick charge means that if you find them flat as you’re leaving, Sony says five minutes on the charger buys you an hour of listening. Sony also says each earbud weighs 4.6 g and calls these “amongst our smallest and lightest earbuds yet”. That’s a comparison with Sony’s own range, but light earbuds are usually the ones you forget you’re wearing.

The catch is that Sony doesn’t list active noise cancelling. You get an Ambient Sound mode instead, which lets outside sound in so you can hear a station announcement. If a loud train is the reason you’re shopping, look at the JBL Tune Beam 2 next.

Our verdict: Unless you need noise cancelling, buy these. They’re the earbuds most people should own, and they come in white as well as black.

2. Best noise cancelling earbuds for commuting: JBL Tune Beam 2

You turn your podcast up to drown out the train, then turn it up again when the brakes squeal. Noise cancelling fixes that, and the JBL Tune Beam 2 is our noise-cancelling pick: 4.7 out of 5 from 35 reviews, the same score as the Sony and on twice as many reviews as the higher-scoring Tune Buds 2.

Active noise cancelling cuts the steady rumble of buses, trains and the office air conditioning, so you can listen at a lower volume. When you need to hear the platform announcement, Smart Ambient lets the world back in without taking the earbuds out. JBL Spatial Sound is listed too, which is meant to make music sound more spread out around you.

It costs more than twice as much as the Sony. The Good Guys’ own listing describes it as mid-range and says premium flagship earbuds block more noise. That’s fair. Most people don’t need flagship noise cancelling, and this is the cheaper way to get the noise cancelling that matters.

Our verdict: If you commute on public transport every day, spend the extra and get these. If you mostly listen at home or on walks, the Sony does the job for much less.

3. Best battery life with the case: Belkin SoundForm Play

Forgetting to charge the case every couple of days is a pain. The Belkin SoundForm Play is built for people who’d rather not think about it. JB Hi-Fi lists 38 hours of total playback with the case, so a weekend away without the charger is realistic.

It’s also rated IPX5, which means protection from a low-pressure stream of water from any direction. That’s a little more than the IPX4 splash rating on several pairs here, so you can wear these in heavier rain. Belkin says the two microphones in each earbud and its noise-reduction algorithm boost the sounds you want and cut the ones you don’t. Treat that as Belkin’s claim. It isn’t listed as active noise cancelling.

Two hundred owners have scored them, the most of any pick here, and they average 4.37. That’s a solid score from a lot of people, though a step below the Sony. They cost slightly less than the Sony and come with a 2-year warranty.

Our verdict: Buy these if total battery life with the case and rain matter more to you than switching between devices. For anyone who’s often out in the weather, they’re the pair here to get.

4. Best budget wireless earbuds: Belkin SoundForm Bolt 2

Maybe these are for the gym bag, a teenager, or the glovebox, somewhere you’d rather not leave a pricey pair. The Belkin SoundForm Bolt 2 is the cheapest pick here, and it still has multipoint, like the Sony.

Owners give them 4.36 out of 5 from 156 reviews, which is enough reviews to trust the score. Up to 9 hours from the earbuds covers a full working day, and the IPX4 rating means sweat and a light shower won’t hurt them.

You won’t find noise cancelling or extra modes in the listing. That’s fine if you’re buying a spare pair. If these will be your only earbuds, the Sony costs about half as much again but has the better score and more features.

Our verdict: The best spare or budget pair here. If you’d rather have more total battery with the case (38 hours against 28) and a stronger water rating, the SoundForm Play costs about 40 per cent more.

5. Best for travel: JBL Tune Buds 2

A long flight or a two-hour train trip is when noise cancelling earns its price. The JBL Tune Buds 2 costs the same as the Tune Beam 2. The Good Guys’ listing pitches this pair more at travellers and credits it with long battery life and clear calls, though it doesn’t put a number on the battery.

The IP54 rating adds dust protection on top of splash resistance, which helps if they spend time loose in a backpack or a beach bag.

The 4.9 is the second-highest score in this guide. It comes from 16 owners. That’s a promising start, not a verdict, and it’s why the Tune Beam 2, with twice the reviews behind it, sits above it.

Our verdict: If you travel often and want noise cancelling, these are a good buy. If you want the safer choice at the same price, get the Tune Beam 2.

6. Best for Apple and Android households: Beats Studio Buds +

Plenty of homes have an iPhone on one side of the couch and an Android on the other. The Beats Studio Buds + are built for that. Beats says they offer one-touch pairing and native features on both Apple and Android, so you get the same easy setup whichever phone you use.

The feature list is the longest here: personalised noise cancelling, a Transparency mode, spatial audio, and up to 36 hours of listening by Beats’ count. Four sizes of ear tips should help if standard tips never seal properly in your ears. That seal is what makes noise cancelling work. Beats calls its Class 1 Bluetooth “industry-leading”. That’s Beats’ phrase, not ours, but the claim is longer range and fewer dropouts, which is useful if your phone stays on the desk while you walk around.

Now the catch. These are the dearest pick here, more than three times the price of the Sony, and owners give them 4.32 from 102 reviews, the lowest score of the seven. Not bad, but you’re paying for features rather than a better owner score.

Our verdict: Buy these if you want noise cancelling with the most features and you’ll use them across Apple and Android. If you only care about the noise cancelling, the JBLs cost much less.

7. Best open-ear earbuds: Audio-Technica ATH-AC5TW

Some people can’t stand anything inside their ears. They get sore after an hour, feel blocked up, or hear their own voice booming on calls. The Audio-Technica ATH-AC5TW sits outside the ear canal instead. Audio-Technica says that means no sore ears over long sessions, no stuffy feeling, and your voice sounds natural when you talk on a call.

It suits a long workday too. Audio-Technica quotes up to 13 hours from the earphones alone, and multipoint keeps your phone and laptop connected together. The company says its bass enhancement holds the bass up at low volume, which helps if you like to keep the volume down.

The design has a cost. If your ears are open, you’ll hear everything around you, so these are the wrong choice for a loud train or a flight. And that perfect 5.0 comes from just seven owners, so treat it with caution. These cost about one and a half times as much as the Sony.

Our verdict: Buy these if in-ear earbuds have always been uncomfortable for you. If you want quiet on your commute, skip them.

How we chose

We haven’t tested these earbuds ourselves. The picks are based on three things:

• Owner ratings. Scores from customer reviews at JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys, weighted by how many reviews there are. Each product box shows the score, the number of reviews and the retailer.
• Maker specifications. Battery life, water resistance, noise cancelling and connection features come from manufacturer and retailer listings.
• Price and stock checks. A pick has to be in stock at one or more of Amazon Australia, JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys. Prices are checked automatically, and the price strip on each pick shows today’s prices.

Wireless earbuds buying guide

Match the earbuds to your problem

Your commute is loud. Get active noise cancelling. It cuts steady noise like engines and air conditioning, so you can listen at a lower volume. The JBL Tune Beam 2 is our pick for it, with 4.7 from 35 owner reviews. Mid-range noise cancelling covers most commutes, and very few people need the most expensive kind.

You switch between a phone and a laptop. Look for multipoint. It keeps two devices connected at once, so a call on your phone comes through even while your laptop is playing. The Sony WF-C510, the Belkin Bolt 2 and the Audio-Technica all list it.

You run, go to the gym or get caught in the rain. Check the water rating. IPX4 covers sweat and splashes. IPX5 adds protection from a low-pressure stream of water. IP54 adds dust protection to splash resistance. The second digit is the one that covers water.

The battery is always flat. Look at two figures: hours from the earbuds on one charge, and the total with the case. The first decides whether they last your day. The second decides how often the case needs plugging in. A quick-charge feature also helps when you remember too late.

Earbuds always fall out or hurt. A choice of ear tip sizes makes a big difference to fit, and a good seal is also what makes noise cancelling work. If no tip has ever felt right, an open-ear design like the Audio-Technica avoids the problem entirely.

You need to hear what’s around you. An ambient or transparency mode lets outside sound in when you need it, like at a pedestrian crossing or for a station announcement. Open-ear earphones let it in all the time.

Don’t pay for what you won’t use

Most people buy more earbuds than they need. Spatial audio, EQ presets and app features are nice to have, but they don’t fix a dead battery or earbuds that fall out. Decide whether you really need noise cancelling. If you don’t, a well-rated pair without it costs a fraction of the price.

Wireless earbuds FAQs

Do I need noise cancelling earbuds?

Only if you regularly listen somewhere loud, like public transport, flights or a busy office. For walks, the gym and listening at home, a pair without noise cancelling is cheaper and often lighter.

Will these work with both iPhone and Android?

All of these are Bluetooth earbuds, so they’ll pair with either. Some add extras for one platform. Beats says the Studio Buds + have native features on both, and Sony says the WF-C510 works across iPhone, Android, PC and Mac.

What does multipoint mean?

It means the earbuds stay connected to two devices at the same time. You can watch something on a laptop and still take a call on your phone without re-pairing.