Surprisingly, many of these wire-free models are durable enough for the gym and can get wet, even though each earpiece has an exposed charging contact. The IP rating tells us what to expect. Some workout-friendly earphones have only an IPX4 rating, which means they can withstand sweat but not exposure to faucet pressure for cleaning. Others have an IPX7 (or higher) rating, which means you can rinse or dunk them with no real consequence.

If durability and a true waterproof design are your top priorities, you may have had to sacrifice some user-friendly features or opt for a traditional neckband-style wireless design in the past, but that's no longer the case. Fully waterproof entries from JBL, for instance, even have ANC.

For more information, see our selection of the best wireless earbuds for running.

No single brand makes the best (or worst) wireless earbuds overall, but if there's one area many models share, it's the on-ear control department. You might often find it's too easy to accidentally pause music, skip a track, or summon a voice assistant when you merely mean to take out or adjust an earpiece slightly. There's not a lot of real estate on most of the earpieces we test, so the outer panel area is often touch-sensitive.

Newer models manage to strike a balance between operability and layout. Some use physical buttons to control playback, call management, track navigation, and volume. Others cleverly divide controls between the two earpieces via touch panels—tapping the left earpiece, for instance, skips a track backward, whereas tapping the right one skips forward. Despite needing to do a little more thinking before you tap, eventually, the division of controls between the two earpieces should become intuitive. Look for earphones that let you customize the on-ear controls to your preference.

Many of the models we test come with companion apps that smooth out the setup process and unlock additional settings. For example, some models allow you to set auto-off timers, turn off voice prompts, and control playback. Others feature an adjustable EQ and let you toggle ambient listening modes that reveal the world around you.

ANC is an increasingly popular feature. The best noise-cancelling models from Apple, Bose, and Sony tend to cost more than others, though they are still relatively affordable compared with top-notch, over-ear ANC headphones.