Wireless earbuds in 2023: the best launches so far and what’s coming next

You have to admit, it’s getting better…

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Hasn’t 2023 been a bumper year thus far for wireless earbuds and the tech that makes them sing? You betcha it has.

Thanks to notable advancements in Bluetooth wireless technology and the companies able to harness it,Auracast audio sharing,LE AudioandQualcomm’s new dongle(and that’s just for starters) means earbuds boasting Bluetooth 5.2 or later are starting to reap the benefits of better connectivity and unmuting their worlds.

And we’ve even seen thefirst ever fireworks display with wireless audio for your headphones! Exciting times for thebest true wireless earbudsas we head into the second half of 2023.

But before we gaze ahead at what’s coming up later this year, here’s a quick roundup of all of our favorite new wireless earbud arrivals during the last six months.

Wireless earbuds in 2023: what have been the biggest launches so far this year?

It’s not just about seamless connectivity to two devices any more –Technics' EAH-AZ80and the slightly cheaperEAH-AZ60M2launched in May, offering Bluetooth multipoint tothreedevices simultaneously. Hurrah!

Nothing’s new earbuds, theNothing Ear (2)landed in March, featuring personalized hearing tests which wowed us and then some. And these kinds of otoacoustic tests and tailoring are surely the future, as seen inDenon’s incoming PerL and PerL Prooffering, which will harness know-how from Nura and the splendid olderNuraTrue Prosound personalization.

What of heavy hittersSony? It’s good news again. Sony’s made real strides this year is in its affordable earbuds offering. The product is theSony WF-C700N, they launched in April, and this inexpensive proposition quickly shot right to the top of my3 best sets of earbuds to pack in hand-luggage this yearroundup.

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

What didn’t quite make it into that list? TheBeats Studio Buds Plus. Yes, the May-release earbuds are an upgrade on Beats' middling-to-fair ouevre to date (and they certainly look the part), but the new Beats Studio Buds Plus' average noise cancellation, below average sound and a higher price-point means they’ll likely struggle to make serious impact in the market.

That’s what we loved or didn’t – now here’s what’s coming in the rest of 2023

Continuing with Sony for a minute, we’re still waiting on the hotly anticipatedSony WF-1000XM5, an update on the excellent June 2021-issueSony WF-1000XM4, but the steady stream of leaks means we can’t be too far from an official announcement and (hopefully) some shiny new earpieces. These really are the earbuds to look out for in 2023; Sony has considerable form in this area and we’ll be utterly aghast if its flagship new offering isn’t a winner.

What ofApple? Well,Tim Cook’s Beats-branded earbuds output is detailed above – and in the over-ear sphere you should keep an eye out for theBeats Studio Provery soon (possibly not long after this roundup goes live, in fact). In terms of the Cupertino giant’s AirPods, though,WWDC 2023came and went without so much as a sniff of anAirPods Max 2proposition – andwe don’t think any second-gen. AirPods over-ears will come in 2023.

Why might this be? My personal theory is thatApple Musicremains a thorn in Apple’s side. What I mean is, this streaming service is so good (thanks to that free Lossless and Hi-Res Lossless rollout two years ago, at no extra cost to subscribers) that if Apple can’t unveil wireless headphones to support it without resorting to wires and a one of thebest portable DACs, it may as well hold off entirely.

And because Apple Music is gettingsix excellent new featureswheniOS 17lands (probably in September 2023) even Apple’s most loyal AirPods devotees will start to talk if the listening gear Apple sells still can’t support its own streaming platform to the fullest.

Ah, but that bandwidth support just doesn’t exist yet, right? Can’t do it if the tech hasn’t been invented. Well, take a quick look atHED Unity, launched in April and to very little fanfare – far less coverage than befits this noteworthy innovation.

So you see, the world’s first wireless lossless audio wi-fi enabled headphones are here. They just weren’t made bySonos(whosesecret headphoneswere long rumored to come bearing wi-fi, but never arrived) or Apple…

Becky became Audio Editor at TechRadar in 2024, but joined the team in 2022 as Senior Staff Writer, focusing on all things hi-fi. Before this, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.

Our favorite budget audio brand just launched super-cheap planar earbuds with a lovely wood finish

OnePlus Buds Pro 3 vs OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro

Lego will let you build Sir Ernest Shackleton’s iconic lost ship, the Endurance, in its next Icons set