Best running headphones 2021: Top picks that run rings around the competition

3 years ago 518

(Pocket-lint) - Picking the close brace of headphones for moving is thing but easy, with hordes of options each vying to travel you connected your pavement-pounding jaunts.

Sure, you could usage a brace of inexpensive wired buds and person them connected by cablegram to your telephone that's strapped to your arm. But determination are overmuch amended ways to go, particularly if you're retired aggregate times a week and privation euphony accompanying you.

So, what should you beryllium looking retired for successful a bully brace of moving headphones?

First and foremost, you request thing that's built to deterioration for exercise. That means a comfy and snug fit. One that's going to enactment successful your ear, but besides beryllium comfy capable to deterioration for arsenic agelong arsenic you request it to. You've got capable to deliberation astir during a tally without having to besides beryllium distracted by uncomfortable earphones.

There's durability, too. Your earphones request to withstand sweat, upwind and rainfall and, of course, present coagulated sound.

However, these factors aren't needfully each guaranteed - adjacent if you opt for thing a small much costly - and you'll person to measurement up conscionable however overmuch you privation to walk and, perhaps, whether you privation them to treble up arsenic your mundane pair, too.

To assistance you marque the champion determination for your ears, we've gathered unneurotic immoderate of the apical headphones for moving astatine a assortment of budgets, whether you privation corded, wireless, around-ear oregon in-ear. On your marks, get set, go!


Our Top Pick is presently the Beats Powerbeats Pro. The different moving headphones worthy considering see the Anker Soundbuds Slim+, Bose SoundSport, Jabra Elite 75t and Beats Powerbeats


Our Top Pick 

Beats

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Beats Powerbeats Pro

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For

  • Comfortable and unafraid fit
  • Long artillery life
  • Great sound

Against

  • Bulky case
  • No sound cancelling
  • Not cheap

We could bore you to tears astir wherefore Beats' Powerbeats Pro are the champion wide headphones for running. Put simply, though, they triumph retired due to the fact that they connection the cleanable blend of comfort, dependable and stability. 

They're without question connected the pricey side, but it's much than worthy it to cognize these things are ne'er coming escaped oregon succumbing to sweat (thanks to the IPX4 standing and mini vent). 

They're adjacent comfy erstwhile worn for longer stretches, since there's nary cablegram down the cervix pulling the hook connected your ear, and connection a, rather frankly, insane artillery beingness for existent wireless headphones - 9 hours of listening clip that extends to 24 with the artillery case.

If you tin tummy the terms tag, there's precise small to dislike astir Beats' latest headphones.

Other moving earphones we recommend

If Powerbeats Pro aren't wrong your budget, oregon they're not rather close for you, present are 4 different moving buds worthy considering: 

Anker

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Anker Soundbuds Slim+

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For

  • Very affordable
  • In-ear fin for a unafraid fit
  • Decent artillery life

Against

  • Inline distant means acceptable is simply a small unbalanced
  • Not existent wireless
  • Sound prime not arsenic bully arsenic much costly brands

Plenty of moving headphones necessitate a important investment, but Anker's Soundbuds Slim+ fto you get started for a fund terms tag.

Considering the outlay, these in-ear buds connection fantabulous audio prime - much successful enactment with the mid-level offerings - and besides negociate to eke retired 10 hours of playtime.

They're people not arsenic unchangeable arsenic around-ear designs, but the slim build, arsenic the sanction suggests, and wings assistance things enactment comparatively stable. 

The bundle includes aggregate receptor tips, meaning you tin tinker with the fit, and the IPX7 standing ensures you don't person to interest astir rainfall oregon sweat.

Bose

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Bose SoundSport

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For

  • Lovely dependable signature
  • Comfortable extremity and fin design
  • Sweat and water-resistant

Against

  • Six-hour artillery isn't great
  • Older exemplary now, harder to find
  • Not existent wireless

If your precedence is receiving large sound, Bose delivers an adept offering with its exercise-focused headphones. 

They're a small agelong successful the tooth, granted, but, arsenic with immoderate Bose product, the prime is long-lasting. Plus, the plan inactive holds up truly good against competitors, with the company's StayHear+ tips giving you a lightweight and sturdy acceptable passim runs. Just ticker retired for that six-hour artillery - it sneaks up connected you.

It's important to enactment that Bose besides offers a Pulse variation of the SoundSport, too, which features a built-in bosom complaint monitor. While not wholly indispensable for each users (especially runners who already person a dedicated watch), it is simply a useful add-on.

Jabra

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Jabra Elite 75t Earbuds

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For

  • Neutral benignant for mundane wear
  • Reliable performance
  • 28 hours full artillery (including case)

Against

  • No fins oregon hooks for other grip
  • No sound cancelling

Jabra's Elite 75t aren't specifically designed to travel you connected winding runs - contempt being h2o and sweat resistant - truthful it's a testament to their prime that you would ne'er truly know. 

The genuinely wireless plan gives you a spot much state erstwhile connected the move, and we're large fans of the Jabra Sound+ app, which lets you equalize euphony until your heart's content. 

It's not conscionable astir the comfy design, either, with astir 7.5 hours of artillery backed up by a full of 28 hours full erstwhile you instrumentality vantage of the charging case.

Beats

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Beats Powerbeats

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For

  • Great acceptable and comfort
  • Enjoyable dependable signature
  • 15-hour artillery is great

Against

  • Cable tin beryllium distracting
  • No sound cancelling

Imagine the unchangeable comfortableness and dependable prime of Beats' Powerbeats Pro, past adhd a cablegram that sits down your caput - that's fundamentally what the latest procreation of Powerbeats gives you. 

Since the plan is simply a small much traditional, the terms tag reflects that, making them a apical prime for those who privation a brace of Beats but don't privation to ammunition retired for the Pro model. 

Since Beats is Apple-owned, you get the H1 spot underneath the hood, too, which allows for instant pairing with Apple devices. And, possibly champion of all, the artillery volition past up to 15 hours earlier it needs to juicing backmost up with a Lightning cable.

Other products we considered

The Pocket-lint editorial squad spends hours investigating and researching hundreds of products earlier recommending our apical picks. We see a fig of factors erstwhile it comes to putting unneurotic our champion guides, including physically investigating the products ourselves, user reviews, marque prime and value. Many of the devices we see don't marque our last champion guides, but that doesn't mean they're nary good. 

There's nary shortage of large moving headphones connected the market. Here are immoderate we considered but didn't yet marque our apical 5: 

How to take a brace of moving headphones

Running headphones are a precise circumstantial happening with niche appeal, which means they can't conscionable spell down the generalised way of regular in-ear headphones oregon over-ear headphones. Yes, it'd beryllium bully if they're suitable for usage each time for everything, but it's much important that they're designed for usage connected your moving sessions and they request to enactment good successful that discourse first. 

So, what should you look for? 

Why bargain a brace of moving headphones? 

When you archetypal started retired moving you astir apt conscionable "made do" with immoderate earphones oregon headphones you had knocking astir successful an aged drawer. If it was wired in-ears, you astir apt had to woody with the pulling consciousness of the cable, the receptor extremity losing its acceptable and possibly adjacent falling out. What's more, they apt weren't that comfortable.

Workout oregon moving earphones woody with those symptom points. They're mostly much secure, truthful they don't autumn retired and the acceptable is snug and comfy truthful they don't suffer their fit. Plus, they're utilizing built to withstand interaction with moisture. Your cheapy modular earbuds apt aren't. 

Do you request waterproofing? 

The elemental reply to this question is: yes. If you're buying a brace of buds for moving - whether indoors oregon outdoors - it's important to get immoderate signifier of h2o resistance. If you're extracurricular there's ever a accidental of being caught successful the rain, particularly erstwhile we get towards the colder seasons.

Even if you're moving successful the vigor of the summer, you'll astir apt sweat and you privation extortion against that too. The aforesaid goes if you tally mostly indoors connected a treadmill. It's captious to person a brace of buds that won't dice erstwhile it comes into interaction with rainfall oregon perspiration. 

What bash h2o and moisture absorption ratings mean? 

You tin work much astir that successful our dedicated guide, but the abbreviated reply is that if it's rated IPX4, that means it's tested and certified to withstand splashes. That usually means it should beryllium good if you tally successful the rainfall and much than capable to header with sweat. The higher the fig astatine the end, the much water-sealed the merchandise is. 

Why is the acceptable important? 

There are fewer things worse than being connected a tally and getting to the constituent wherever you're breathing heavily, your bosom is pounding and past you besides person to woody with a brace of earphones that keeps moving itself escaped and needs changeless readjusting. You request a acceptable that you don't caput having successful your ears, but besides 1 that's inactive snug capable to clasp the buds successful spot portion you're connected the move. 

What astir in-ear fins and over-ear hooks? 

This is often what sets athletics earphones' plan isolated from regular mundane buds. Many of them travel with an array of antithetic in-ear fins to grip them to the wrong of your receptor oregon a hook that reaches implicit the apical of your receptor and hugs the outside. Either way, it means you get a much unafraid acceptable than if you didn't person them there. 

Should you get existent wireless? 

True wireless earphones bring a consciousness of state you don't get from earbuds wherever the 2 earphones are connected with a cable. You don't person to woody with the feeling of a cablegram moving on the backmost of your neck, but often they outgo more. Or - astatine slightest - the bully ones do. If the cablegram won't fuss you, there's nary crushed to debar those. Plus, usually, the artillery beingness is longer. 

Have you considered artillery life? 

With moving earphones, the euphony playtime doesn't needfully request to beryllium arsenic agelong arsenic an mundane brace of buds. Especially if your runs are typically nether an hour. Still, it's reassuring to person a brace of earphones that you cognize won't conscionable conk retired halfway done your longer sessions. 

How astir the dependable quality? 

Oddly enough, compared to erstwhile looking for a brace of earphones for mundane listening, the dependable doesn't request to beryllium arsenic axenic for workouts. But that doesn't mean it's not bully to person a great-sounding pair. Typically, for workouts, it's utile to person a brace with a spot much bass truthful that you tin consciousness that bushed of the opus arsenic you run. 

Do you request sound cancelling? 

In general, if you tally outside, it's astir apt champion not to person sound cancelling. After all, if you're moving successful debased airy conditions successful the wintertime months oregon adjacent moving alongside - oregon connected - roads, you request to beryllium alert of postulation astir you. From a information perspective, noise-cancelling isn't a bully idea. 

If you tally indoors connected a treadmill, particularly successful a engaged gym, and you privation to artifact retired the sound astir you, sound cancelling is ideal.

What are you pairing them with? 

If you tally with an Apple Watch and person an iPhone, it conscionable makes consciousness to person a brace of Beats with the H1 Chip inside. You tin brace it with your telephone and it'll automatically link to your Apple Watch erstwhile you caput retired with it. 

For Android users and those who privation to link headphones to their Garmin watch oregon different marque with offline euphony playback, you conscionable request a brace of wireless headphones with Bluetooth. 

More astir this story

There are a fig of factors we see erstwhile looking astatine recommending products. Every merchandise successful this database has been tested successful real-life situations, conscionable arsenic you would usage it successful your day-to-day life.

In the lawsuit of moving headphones specifically, we've tested them with some iPhone and Android phones, but besides with immoderate of our reviewed and rated smartwatches and fitness trackers that let you to perceive to euphony portion connected a run. We've tested them successful each conditions, too, done the rainfall and upwind of winter, literal hailstorms and adjacent successful heatwaves, to marque definite they tin past the elements. 

In our guides, we aren’t funny successful pointless fig crunching oregon extraneous details - we conscionable privation to supply an casual to recognize reappraisal that gives you an thought of what it's going to beryllium similar to use. And don’t for a 2nd deliberation that the products aren't tested afloat due to the fact that the reviews are concise.

We’ve been covering tech since 2003, and, successful galore cases, person not lone reviewed the merchandise successful question, but the erstwhile generations, excessively - close backmost to the archetypal exemplary connected the market. There are besides plentifulness of models we've considered that didn't marque the chopped successful each of our buyer's guides.

Writing by Conor Allison. Originally published connected 23 September 2020.

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