10 Wireless Earbuds That Promise To Never Fall Out While Other Buds Won’t Stay In

Nothing is still a very new brand, having only launched in 2021, but its Ear (Open) earbuds do an excellent job of upstaging their better established competition. At a retail price of $150, they sit in the mid-point of the wireless earbud market, but offer sound quality that more than lives up to expectations in this price bracket. SlashGear’s reviewer also found them very comfortable, even over long periods of wear. Their open ear design also allows for outside sound to filter through unaffected no matter the earbuds’ volume level.

The wraparound design secures the earbuds against your ear without needing to touch your ear canal, making them a solid option for buyers who find the sensation of snug-fitting earbuds an uncomfortable one. Their retro-futuristic design might not be for everyone, but those onboard with their looks will surely find the Ear (Open) earbuds’ performance wins them over too, particularly given their competitive price.

Even though Beats is owned by Apple, the Beats Fit Pro earbuds manage to be equally appealing to both Android and iOS users. SlashGear’s review found the pair’s ANC to be competitive with what else is on the market at their price point, and the sound quality was equally impressive. However, the standout feature was the fit, with the earbuds featuring a wingtip design that ensured the earbuds stayed secure throughout the day without becoming uncomfortable.

The wingtip is offered in one size only, but the earbuds also come with three sizes of ear tip to ensure an optimal in-ear fit. For those wanting a middle ground between sports-oriented wraparound earbuds and sleeker lifestyle-focused that end up falling out during exercise, the Beats Fit Pro might be just right. However, they’re not an insignificant investment, as they retail for $200. There are certainly cheaper options available, but few offer the same combination of sound quality, ANC, and all-day wearability.

The Sony LinkBuds Open are a fresh arrival in the brand’s lineup, having debuted in October 2024. They are the latest iteration of Sony’s line of open earbuds, offering a revised design and additional features. Among those new features is the ability to customize and replace the silicone wingtip that secures the earbuds within your ear. The wingtip helps the earbuds remain in place without the need to ram them into your ear canal, while the donut-shaped design ensures that outside noise is constantly let in.

This open design makes them well suited to all-day wear, particularly for those who spend significant time in cities where ANC earbuds can make you oblivious to the sound of traffic, subway announcements, and suchlike. The earbuds retail for $200, with additional silicone wingtips costing an additional $10 per pair. Anyone looking for a more conventional alternative — without the donut-shaped open design — should also consider the LinkBuds Fit, featured below.

Offering a cheaper alternative to the biggest brand names, the Sport X20 earbuds by Anker sub-brand Soundcore retail for $80. Toughness is a key part of their appeal, with the pair being IP68 rated against dust and water ingress. Combined with their wraparound design, that makes them best suited to buyers looking for all-conditions earbuds for exercise or sports. The wraparound hooks can be adjusted up to 30 degrees for better fit, as well as extended by up to 4mm to fit users with larger ears.

They also feature ANC, with Anker claiming a battery life of up to seven hours on a charge with noise canceling enabled. The earbuds’ rounded set of features make them a competitive option at their price point, both for buyers looking for secure-fitting sports earbuds and those with tricky ears where normal buds just keep falling out. However, with a snug in-ear fit, there are less intrusive options to be found elsewhere.

With a unique design and a high-end asking price, the first pair of open earbuds from American brand Bose are a relatively niche offering. However, by SlashGear’s reckoning, they’re among the best open-ear earbuds you can buy right now.

Their cuff design grips to the side of your ear rather than to the inside like a traditional earbud would, but fits just as securely once it’s on. That way, Bose does away with the invasive process of inserting an earbud into your ear canal, but also doesn’t require the over-ear hooks that most other open earbuds employ. For glasses wearers, that’s a big bonus. It does, however, look more unusual than most other earbuds — prepare for some extra stares while wearing them in public.

At a retail price of $299, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are a significant investment. For that price, there are plenty of traditionally shaped earbuds that will offer richer audio, including multiple options within Bose’s own lineup. That said, the innovative design and the brand’s hard-earned reputation for quality make them worth considering for those who can justify the upfront cost.

JBL is best known for its affordable wireless speakers, but the brand also makes a range of earbuds that are offered at the same competitive prices the brand is renowned for. Some of its earbuds are targeted more towards everyday wearers and some more towards exercise and workouts, and the Endurance Peak 3 earbuds are pitched more towards the latter camp. However, their wraparound design also makes them an option for buyers looking for an ultra-secure pair of earbuds for everyday use.

The earbuds’ combination of impressive design, construction, and battery life make their $100 retail price all the more attractive, but they’re not without their flaws. The over-ear hooks might be cumbersome for some users, and their design means that they can’t be worn with glasses. There’s also the question of whether they’re too sports-oriented for everyday users — the IP68 dust and water resistance might come in handy for all-weather exercise and workouts, but it will be of limited use to those who plan to wear them mostly indoors. Still, there’s a lot to like about the JBL earbuds, especially given their price.

A relatively recent entrant into the rapidly evolving open earbud market is 1MORE, with SlashGear checking out the brand’s Fit Open Earbuds S50 at CES 2024. The earbuds feature a wraparound design that promises additional security compared to a traditional in-ear pair, and without the need to push a plastic and silicone lump into your ear canal. That in itself will make them appealing to some buyers, but there’s more to like.

At a retail price of $120, the 1MORE Fit Open Earbuds S50 lean towards the affordable end of the open earbud market, undercutting rivals like the Nothing Ear (Open). Their IPX7 water resistance makes them suitable for sports and working out, but since they offer up to 11 hours of listening per charge and weigh just 10 grams each, they’re just as good for all-day wear too.

Like most leading earbuds, the output of the pair can be tweaked using 1MORE’s companion app, with 12 EQ presets available. There are presets for a range of popular genres including hip-hop, classical, and pop, as well as a podcast preset to prioritize vocal clarity.

Most earbuds come with multiple ear tips, but in general, their range only covers the most common ear sizes. Wearers with particularly small ear canals might find that, even with the smallest ear tip size fitted, the earbuds still fall out. To combat this, the Beats Studio Buds+ include four ear tip sizes instead of the typical three, with an XS size that promises to provide a more secure fit across a wider range of ears.

The Studio Buds+ sit in the middle of Beats’ range, and retail for $170. They actually boast a longer battery life than their pricier lineup siblings, although they’re missing a few features like automatic music pausing and wireless case charging. That’s understandable given the price, and aside from those limitations, there isn’t a lot to dislike. Our reviewer found their sound quality to be competitive with their rivals, and noted that the support for both Apple and Android systems made them a more versatile choice than the likes of the AirPods Pro.

Many Bose products come with a price that puts them out of reach of budget conscious buyers, but the latest iteration of its Bose QuietComfort earbuds are more attainable. For the first time, Bose is offering earbuds under the $200 mark, putting them in direct competition with popular offerings from the likes of Beats and Sony.

The QuietComfort earbuds feature silicone stabilizer bars for a more secure fit than traditional wireless earbuds, but without the need for protruding wingtips or wraparound hooks. It’s a more subtle look, and will suit users who aren’t keen on the sportier appearance of some of the other earbuds on this list.

Nonetheless, the earbuds themselves are relatively hefty, and so will be more noticeable over long periods of wear, particularly for anyone not used to the sensation of in-ear wireless earbuds. In most other regards, these are a typical pair of Bose earbuds — expect high sound quality, decent ANC, and a battery life that’s on par with the best in the segment, just at a lower price than Bose buyers are typically used to.

Unveiled alongside the LinkBuds Open, the LinkBuds Fit lack the distinctive donut design of their open counterparts. They offer a more conventional look, complete with ANC to block out background noise, and so will be the clear choice of the two for buyers who frequently use their earbuds to work in noisy offices or coffee shops. To ensure a more secure fit than a traditional earbud, the LinkBuds Fit feature silicone wingtips, albeit smaller and more subtle ones than many rivals.

A retail price of $200 puts them exactly on par with the LinkBuds Open, and the LinkBuds Fit aren’t short of competition from other brands either. Both Bose and Beats offer earbuds with similarly customizable fits and a similar range of features, and that’s without taking into account the challenger brands that undercut the main players in a bid to claw away their own slice of market share. There are plenty of options then, but Sony’s secure-fitting earbuds still manage to offer a broad appeal for existing fans and newcomers to the brand alike.