The Best Wireless Earbuds for 2024 New Zealand Edition: Best Value and Features for the Gym, Calls, and More [Updated]
Wireless earbuds are one of the hottest trending products in 2024, and for good reason. Thanks to leaps forward in battery life, signal strength, and sound quality, the time is right to buy.
Read this article before making a purchase, as the content is updated for the New Zealand market each month with a focus on comfort during long gym or work sessions, sound and call quality, and overall value for your money.
Mifo O5 Plus Gen 3: Editor’s pick for best true wireless earbuds – $149.99 at Mifo.com.au →
Where to buy the Mifo O5 Plus Gen 3 earbuds in Australia
For those constantly on the go, from the gym to the office to social activities, the Mifo O5 Plus Gen 3 earbuds are an unbeatable choice. Released in September 2024, the latest iteration of the O5 brings progressive improvements to sound quality, battery life, and Bluetooth connectivity.
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So what makes Mifo true wireless earbuds the best all around wireless earphones?
- Earbuds That Won’t Fall Out: The Mifo O5 Plus Gen 3 earbuds are purpose built for all day use, in particular transitioning from physical activities like running or the gym to other environments. Mifo claims to have studied over 2,000 ear shapes in creating a product that “won’t fall out, no matter what,” which overall we agree with. It’s a fit you need to experience to understand.
- Outstanding Sound Quality: These earbuds deliver powerful bass and excellent passive noise canceling in a tiny package. Transparency mode lets you hear ambient sounds with a tap, perfect for quick interactions without removing your earbuds. This premium feature at a sub-$200 price is a game-changer.
- Insane Battery Life: Enjoy over 10 hours of continuous playback, with the USB-C charging case adding an insane extra 150 hours. The case doubles as a power bank, capable of fully charging a smartphone—a feature Mifo touts as unique to their tech.
- New Zealand-based customer support. We have been continuously disappointed with true wireless earbuds in the past, even from tech giants like Samsung. Part of that disappointment comes with poor or absent customer service. We tested Mifo on several occasions with questions and every time received proper replies within an hour. That demonstrates commitment to Kiwi market and contributes greatly to our award of Editor’s Pick.
Jabra Elite Active 75t: Solid but pricey earbuds for runners – $249.00 at Amazon.com.au →
Where to buy the Jabra Elite 75t earbuds in New Zealand
If you aren’t price sensitive, Jabra may be the brand for you. These true wireless earbuds come with fewer accessories than the Mifo O5, and offer a more generalist approach to the format for frequent runners.
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Why Jabra makes the list of best earbuds
- Good overall quality for true wireless earbuds. Since true wireless earbuds were invented, we have lamented at poor signal quality, dropped calls, and pairing fiascos. Jabra have included top quality chipsets and firmware, and we were pleased with the overall experience. That may not be of interest to Android users who always have a device close by and aren’t usually on the phone, but is worth noting.
- Excellent marks for sound quality. While bass isn’t as rich as the Mifo O5, the overall high and low tones of the Elite 75t are quite good. In addition, the earbuds controls are straightforward and simple to use, allowing you to easily change tracks or answer calls while on a run. We’ll leave it to you to determine if they sound $180 good.
- Limited sports-specific features. While Jabra does an excellent job with sound quality and calls, they are not designed specifically for runners. The 75t suffer from pairing issues, particularly when they run out of power or undergo a reset. Accessory-wise, earbuds also include fewer ear tips than competitors, which are absolutely critical to ensure a complete fit that will not fall out during runs.
Bose Soundsport Free: Sports earphones that live up to the Bose name – $268.00 at Amazon.com.au →
Where to buy the Bose Soundsport Free earbuds in New Zealand
Bose has delved into the true wireless category by focusing on sports. And while the Soundsport Free is an excellent first product, it suffers from an aging Bluetooth chipset and mediocre battery life, costing Bose a higher position in our list.
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Why Bose gets our approval for the gym
- Great sound that comes at a cost. While Bose has engineered a product that is indeed worthy of the name, it does come at a cost. Reduced battery life and Bluetooth 4.1 instead of 5.0 hurt the product and age it to the first generation of true wireless product.
- Fun, fitness-oriented colours. Of note are the options to pick from a bright, bold, and just plain fun colour scheme. While not strictly to do with features, the Soundsport makes going to the gym just a bit more interesting.
- Built for sports, but may not work for you. While the Soundsport is made for active movement, we found it a bit bulky. If you have smaller ears, you may experience some discomfort or a feeling that the earbuds may fall out. That’s not particularly comfortable when you are trying to focus on your workout.
Sony WF-1000XM3: Great for sitting at home, tough to use on the go – $328.00 at Amazon.com.au →
Where to buy the Sony WF1000-XM3
Sony have spent years of research and development on the WF1000-XM3, but over engineered an expensive and somewhat clumsy product for runners. And while the active noise canceling and sound quality are superb, those little annoyances add up with an otherwise excellent product.
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Why Sony stumbles on features and value
- Sony stumbles when it comes to features. We gave the WF1000-XM3 a higher rating in 2020, but it’s 2024 now and there are new challenger products that outperform the WF1000-XM3 on nearly every front. That includes battery life (more below), charging capabilities, and overall miniaturization of previously large components.
- You’ll get 3 to 4 hours of battery life from the earbuds themselves if you listen at high volume, and the included charging case provides an added 4 charges. That’s fine and good, but not up to par with other earbuds in this price range. In the same vein, the WF1000-XM3 are not water proof and don’t do well with repeated exposure to sweat.
- Larger, heavy design is also a big miss for Sony. The WF1000-XM3 is simply uncomfortable to wear for longer than 10 minutes of movement. The earbuds themselves are too large for small ears, even when using smaller ear tips. They are far too easy to catch with natural arm motion, and tend to fall out when you least expect it.
- We also wish Sony would release an updated model with very important features for sports like complete waterproofing, shock proofing, and a more durable charging case standard.
- While Sony brings a decent result to the table with the WF1000-XM3, they are hurt by an uncomfortable product that should be redesigned or priced far lower than it is today.
Runners-up: Best Wireless Sports Earbuds
There are many, many wireless earbuds in the sports market. And while we attempt to test as many as possible for our readers, some units simply don’t make the cut. Here’s a quick peek at sports earbuds that didn’t make the list.
Jabra Elite Sport – $309.99 at Amazon.com.au →
Jabra is well known for call quality and overall aesthetic, so we were surprised to find the Elite Sport fall a bit flat. While the earbuds are just fine in a number of categories, they fail to excel in any one. What we end up with is a jack of all trades priced at absurd levels.
Jaybird Run XT – $209.99 at Amazon.com.au →
The Jaybird Run XT are designed and named for runners. It’s a shame that these purpose-built true wireless earbuds don’t live up to the moniker. Jaybird has the right idea, but falls short in sound quality and Bluetooth signal strength.
Samsung Galaxy Buds – $191.00 at Amazon.com.au →
The Galaxy smartphone is one of the most popular on the planet, and the pressure to create award-winning accessories is high. But from active movers’ perspectives, the Galaxy Buds don’t quite justify their price tag. Samsung tackled the challenge of an all around true wireless earbud, but failed to address runners and gym goers head on. We look forward to Samsung producing a model made specifically for sports.