• The EarFun Air Pro 4 supports Bluetooth 5.4 and a boatload of codecs, including LE Audio, LC3, aptX Lossless, and Snapdragon Sound.
• The new model includes Adaptive Hybrid ANC, promising up to 50dB in noise reduction.
• The Ear Fun Air Pro 4 are available today for $89.99, but you can get up to 25% off using our coupon code.

EarFun has announced the launch of its latest wireless earbuds, the Air Pro 4, which will be available starting August 5th. Priced at $89.99, these earbuds are one of the first Auracast-supported models for less than $100. For those who don’t know, Auracast lets users quickly tune in and out of local audio broadcasts, potentially enhancing public and private audio-sharing capabilities.

We got an early look at the Air Pro 4, and first impressions are pretty good. They are relatively comfortable, come with four sets of ear tips to help you find your fit, and have responsive touch controls with a slight indent that makes them easy to use. But what’s really impressive is what’s under the hood.

The Air Pro 4 brings several notable improvements over its predecessor, the Air Pro 3. The earbuds house 10mm dynamic drivers and the Qualcomm QCC3091 chipset, which enables aptX Lossless audio and Snapdragon Sound support. This is important because aptX Lossless is currently the first Bluetooth audio codec that can reportedly provide bit-exact CD-quality sound.

Listening to a few songs out of the box, the Air Pro 4 sounds a bit bass and treble-heavy, which should be a crowd-pleaser. They also appear to have ameliorated the excessive distortion of the previous model, at least by ear, but I will have to wait for our lab results to confirm that.

The new model also boasts hybrid active noise canceling, which uses feedforward and feedback microphones and processing to attenuate noise. EarFun promises up to 50dB attenuation, which would be a big improvement over the Air Pro 3’s 37dB of max attenuation if true. The new model also promises improved battery life, claiming 7.5 hours of playtime with ANC on, nearly an hour more than the Air Pro 3’s 6 hours and 26 minutes of playtime.

EarFun also aims to improve call quality by including a 6-mic array and an AI algorithm to modulate noise reduction. I haven’t tested the microphone yet, but we will see what our lab samples return.

The EarFun Air Pro 4 boast a ton of features for earbuds under $100

While the EarFun Air Pro 4 are bursting at the seams with codecs, they will be available in two color options: black and white. For those interested in trying the Air Pro 4, EarFun is offering a significant discount at launch. By applying the 20% coupon available on the product page and using our discount code AP425OFF at checkout, customers can purchase the earbuds for only $67.49 (25% off).

Stay tuned for our full review of the EarFun Air Pro 4. We’ll test these earbuds in our testing lab and report on how they perform in the real world.

Did you miss out on the Prime Day deals? Don’t worry; deals keep popping up from time to time, and here are a couple of great ones some of you may be able to take advantage of. The reason we say “some of you” is because these deals are exclusive to My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total subscribers, and we know not all of you pay for these expensive yearly subscriptions. If you do, though, you can get $70 off the Sony WH-1000XM5, or $100 off the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones.

Get the Sony WH-1000XM5 for $330

Get the Sony WH-1000XM4 for $250

These deals are available from Best Buy. They are exclusive to My Best Buy Plus and My Best Buy Total members. These are paid yearly subscriptions. You can learn more about My Best Buy plans here. Additionally, the offers are part of Best Buy’s 48-hour flash sale, which ends this Saturday, August 3rd.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are widely recognized as some of the best headphones in the market. They come with great active noise canceling, excellent audio quality, an outstanding microphone, and great features like Bluetooth multipoint and Find My Device support. Our battery tests also showed the headphones can last over 31 hours on a single charge, with ANC on, or over 53 hours with ANC disabled.

While all that is great, not everyone needs the latest and greatest. In fact, we usually recommend saving more on the Sony WH-1000XM4, the previous-generation headset. These are still amazing headphones, and you can save $80 in this case. Sound and ANC quality is nearly as good. In fact, many of you might have a hard time distinguishing the difference. You still get Bluetooth multipoint and other great features. Battery life is nearly as good, too, yielding about 30 hours with ANC on. We’d honestly say this is the better deal, both because it is normally cheaper, and because the discount this time around is also more significant.

Again, this 48-hour flash sale from Best Buy ends tomorrow, so make sure to make up your mind sooner rather than later. Both of these headphones are a treat, so go get them!

Did you miss out on the Amazon Prime Day deals? Best Buy is giving you a second chance to get an Amazon Echo speaker at the same super-low prices we saw earlier in July. The Amazon Acho Popt, Echo Dot, and Echo are all on sale from the popular brick-and-mortar retailer!

You can pick up an Amazon Echo Pop for just $18, down $22 from its regular $40 price. You can also get the Amazon Echo Dot half off, bringing the price tag down to $25. Meanwhile, the larger Amazon Echo is going for $55, which is a $45 discount.

Buy the Amazon Echo Pop for $18

Buy the Amazon Echo Dot for $25

Buy the Amazon Echo for $55

These deals are available from Best Buy, and they apply to all the color versions available for all the listed speakers. There’s no sign of how long the offers will last, though.

Which Amazon Echo speaker should you get?

Figuring out which Amazon Echo speaker to get can be a bit confusing. Should you go for the cheapest, the Echo Pop, or are you better off investing in one of the higher-end versions? Of course, all can handle Alexa questions and commands and control your smart home. So, why would you pay more? Let’s go over which users should get each speaker.

The Echo Pop is obviously the most basic speaker, but it isn’t bad. It is very small and good-looking. There’s still has a small notification light, and the 1.95-inch speaker will sound great if you’re close enough to it. It will find a great home in a small room, a desk, or a small kitchen corner. And if you use an eero router, it can even turn into Wi-Fi mesh extender, just like all the other speakers here.

If you want a bit of an upgrade, the Amazon Echo Dot has a smaller 1.73-inch speaker, but it still sounds great in a small room or desk. The notification light goes all around the bottom of the device, and the look is a bit more unique, as it’s nearly a full sphere. You’ll also get some extra features, such as a motion detector and a temperature sensor. This will allow you to do things like automate lights to turn on when you walk into a room, or program the thermostat when the device detects certain temperatures.

If you want to go all out and get good sound, there’s the Amazon Echo. It has a larger 3-inch neodymium woofer and two 0.8-inch tweeters. This speaker also comes with all the features you get from the Echo Dot, including the temperature and motion detection sensors. It even looks like it, with the only difference being that it’s significantly more prominent. There is one upgrade, though: it comes with a 3.5mm jack, which can work as an input or output.

By the way, if you’re looking for a good smart display, you might also want to consider the Amazon Echo Show 5 and Amazon Echo Show 8. They are also discounted at Best Buy.

Are you getting yourself one of these? Go ahead and get it as soon as possible, as we don’t know how long these offers will stick around. If you miss this second chance, you might have to wait a bit until the prices drop again. Likely around Black Friday.

It’s been a while since Google dropped the Pixel Buds Pro, and it looks like the wait for a new pair of wireless earbuds is almost over. With the Pixel 9 series set to debut at Google’s August 13 launch event, rumor mills are churning about the possibility of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 making an appearance. Now we even have a fresh leak about how much Google’s next flagship earbuds could cost.

The good folks over at Dealabs have managed to snag not just the EU price but also the US and UK prices for the Pixel Buds Pro 2. If their info is on the money, the Buds Pro 2 will set you back $229 in the US, €249 in the EU, and £219 in the UK. Compared to the first-gen Buds Pro, that’s a bit of a price hike — $30 more in the US, €20 more in the EU, and £20 more in the UK.

Today’s leak also suggests that the official color names for the Buds Pro 2 will be Hazel, Porcelain, Wintergreen, and Peony.

Earlier this week, we got a glimpse of the Pixel Buds Pro 2’s design and color options, courtesy of Android Headlines. From the looks of it, the new earbuds will sport the same case design as the original Buds Pro, with a few tweaks to the earbuds themselves, including a winged design.

The last Pixel Buds Pro were always getting discounts, so we were hoping these new ones would be a good deal right out of the gate. But it looks like Google has gone in the opposite direction. Let’s hope that the buds come packed with some serious upgrades in sound quality and ANC to make that price bump worth it.

In terms of what else we know, a regulatory listing from UL Demko and Safety Korea suggests that the charging case’s battery capacity could jump to 650mAh, compared to the original’s 620mAh. We’re still in the dark about other specs, but given the steady flow of leaks, more details are probably just around the corner.

Amazon Prime Day was full of amazing deals, but we know most of us have pretty busy lives. If you missed the shopping holiday, you might be wondering if you’re too late to the party. Deals are always popping up, and today we found a bunch of really hot ones. Let’s go over them together and see if you can catch a good deal on a pair of headphones or earbuds. Just don’t miss these!

A bit of context about the deal, related deals on variants, colors available, other promotions like free stuff or trade-ins, etc

Today’s hottest deals on headphones and earbuds

• Get the Sony WH-1000XM5 for $315 ($83 off)
• Get the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones for $300 ($100 off)
• Get the EarFun Wave Pro headphones for $56 ($34 off)
• Get the EarFun Air Pro 3 earbuds for $50 ($33 off)
• Get the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II for $179 ($100 off)
• Get the Google Pixel Buds Pro (Coral) for $137 ($63 off)

Not sure which to get? Let’s help you choose

Not sure which headphones or earbuds to get? Let’s get you some reviews to help you out a bit.

• Our Sony WH-1000XM5 review
• Our Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones review
• Our EarFun Wave Pro review
• Our EarFun Air Pro 3 review
• Our Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II review
• Our Google Pixel Buds Pro review

If you need some help reducing your choices, we’d say which are your best choices depends on your needs. For over-the-ear headphones with high quality audio and ANC, the best options are the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless Headphones. If you prefer high-quality earbuds, your best bets are the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II or Google Pixel Buds Pro. Now, if you’re looking to maximize your bang per buck, the EarFun Wave Pro headphones and EarFun Air Pro 3 earbuds will offer the most bang per buck, and both cost well under $60!

If you’ve made up your mind, make sure to act quickly. We’re not sure how long these deals will last.

If you need other options, we also have our main lists of the best headphones and best earbuds.

It’s been a couple of months since Sonos released the big update to its app, which launched shortly before the Sonos Ace. Not long after its rollout, users quickly pointed out issues ranging from missing features to general bugginess. Although the company begrudgingly acknowledged the issues initially, it is now coming forward to apologize for the mess.

The CEO of Sonos, Patrick Spence, has published an apology letter to customers in regard to the Sonos app. In the blog, Spence states:

We know that too many of you have experienced significant problems with our new app which rolled out on May 7, and I want to begin by personally apologizing for disappointing you. There isn’t an employee at Sonos who isn’t pained by having let you down, and I assure you that fixing the app for all of our customers and partners has been and continues to be our number one priority.

When users started noticing the problems with the app, the Sonos subreddit quickly became a place to vent frustrations. Some of the issues included an inability to search for your local music library, no volume level details, no mute button on Android, and so on.

Since the rocky release, the company has fixed a lot of these issues, jotting down every change on the official release notes page. In addition, the apology letter includes a roadmap for fixes to come.

Here’s the roadmap Spence attached to his blog:

July and August:

• Improving the stability when adding new products
• Implementing Music Library configuration, browse, search, and play

August and September:

• Improving Volume responsiveness
• User interface improvements based on customer feedback
• Improving overall system stability and error handling

September:

• Improving Alarm consistency and reliability

September and October:

• Restoring edit mode for Playlists and the Queue
• Improving functionality in settings

According to the CEO, Sonos plans to “continue releasing new software updates on a bi-weekly cadence.” As it did before, it will keep a record of these fixes in its release notes.

• Today xMEMS announced a new dual-driver headphone solution that promises to bring a wider soundstage and improved sound clarity to open-back, closed-back, wired, and wireless headphones.
• The design uses xMEMS Cowell, the world’s smallest solid-state microspeaker, along with an AMPACS dynamic driver for low-end reproduction.
• Pre-production prototypes are currently available, with production-ready models available starting in September.

Silicon-based driver technology is perhaps the most significant innovation in speaker technology in years. We’ve praised the dual-driver xMEMS technology in products such as the Creative Aurvana Ace 2 for delivering unparalleled sound quality among wireless earbuds. Last month, we reported that more xMEMS earbuds were coming soon. Today, xMEMS is bringing that same technology to over-ear headphones, with its announcement of a MEMS headphone reference design.

The dual-driver system uses the silicon-based xMEMS Cowell solid-state microspeaker for precise mids and highs. The microspeaker pairs with an AMPACS 40mm dynamic driver for deep low-end extension. You can plug the resulting modular solution into virtually any headphone design, including open-back, closed-back, wired, and wireless.

The solid-state driver is paired with a dynamic driver.

Taking inspiration from the traditional woofer and tweeter speaker design, the dual-driver system promises improved separation between the lows, mids, and highs compared to the current single-driver headphone technology. In addition to improved clarity and spatial imaging, the new driver system can also reduce headphone weight with a simpler back-volume acoustic design. Moreover, xMEMS claims that the design will not increase costs for manufacturers, and in some cases could reduce costs from graphene, carbon fiber, or other exotic dynamic driver diaphragm materials.

Manufacturers can access pre-production prototypes now, with production-ready solutions available starting in September. While you may not see xMEMS headphones on the shelf at your local retailer this holiday season, today’s announcement bodes well for the future of headphones in 2025 and beyond.

The Apple AirPods Max are excellent, and likely the best option for iPhone users. They’re also expensive, though, and deals can be hard to come by. You have to take advantage of sales when they show up, and right now, there is a very nice discount on the Green Apple AirPods Max, which are $120 off, bringing the price down to $430.

Get the Apple AirPods Max for just $430

This Amazon deal is only available for the Green variant of the Apple AirPods Max. The Pink version is currently unavailable from Amazon. The Silver, Space Gray, and Sky Blue models are $450.

If you are invested in the Apple ecosystem, the AirPods Max headphones are the best Apple headphones you can get, and we can attest to the fact that they compete only against the best. In our Apple AirPods Max review, we praised the headset for its gorgeous design, solid build quality made with quality materials, and comfortable earpads.

The AirPods Max sound as good as they look, too. They have amazing active noise canceling, and sound quality is amazing, as well. Not to mention, spatial audio makes sound very immersive. And while Apple estimates battery life should be about 20 hours, in our tests the headphones exceeded our expectations, reaching about 21 hours on a single charge.

Again, this deal only applies to the Green variant of the Apple AirPods Max. Go get it while the deal is around, as there is nothing giving us any signs of how long the sale will last. Of course, you can also check out our list of the best headphones if you want to consider worthy contenders.

After initial indications that shipments of the Galaxy Buds Pro 3 were being suspended due to a quality control issue, Samsung has now confirmed the delay in a statement to our sister site, Android Authority.

Following the unveiling of the wireless earbuds at the Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris last week, shipments were due to begin on July 24. However, early owners have reported several issues, the most common of which was that the ear tips were easily torn when removed from the earbuds.

The manufacturer initially recommended a method to remove the ear tips safely, but the Samsung online store then started showing a delay of shipments until August 28. Other retailers also reacted to the problem, with Best Buy stating that the product is “coming soon” and Amazon pulling its listing of the earbuds altogether.

The shipping date of the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro from Samsung now shows as August 28.

After being contacted for comment by Android Authority, Samsung’s statement confirmed that “to ensure all products meet our quality standards, we have temporarily suspended deliveries of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro devices.” This development built on an earlier statement from Samsung Korea, in which it issued an apology and indicated that further checks would take place before the 24 July release date.

The Samsung statement to our sister site referenced “reports relating to a limited number of early production Galaxy Buds 3 Pro devices,” indicating that it may not be an inherent problem in the design of the buds. There is also no sign yet that the company intends to recall any models that have already been sent to retailers or customers.

A further statement from a Samsung spokesperson made to SoundGuys largely repeated the same position:

“There have been reports relating to a limited number of early production Galaxy Buds3 Pro devices. We are taking this matter very seriously and remain committed to meeting the highest quality standards of our products. We are urgently assessing and enhancing our quality control processes. To ensure all products meet our quality standards, we have temporarily suspended deliveries of Galaxy Buds3 Pro devices to distribution channels to conduct a full quality control evaluation before shipments to consumers take place. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”

• Dyson’s OnTrac wireless headphones are set to launch soon.
• They cost $500 and come with customizable ear cushions and cups that can be purchased for $50 per set.
• The company claims the OnTrac headphones have been designed to deliver best-in-class noise cancellation.

Dyson is one of the few companies that has consistently disrupted the market with its products, from powerful vacuum cleaners to cutting-edge hair styling tools. Now, it appears that the firm has set its sights on the wireless headphone market with a new product launch — the OnTrac headphones.

Unlike other headphones available on the market today, Dyson’s OnTrac headphones allow you to switch up the ear cushions and ear cups. This means you can completely customize their appearance to suit your personal style and preferences. In terms of its appearance, it’s rather similar to the company’s Zone headphones.

No stranger to launching innovative products, Dyson claims that the OnTrac headphones offer best-in-class active noise cancelation. The company notes that these headphones can reduce unwanted noise by up to 40dB, thanks to them being fitted with eight sound-sampling microphones.

The headphones also feature 40-millimeter drivers, which offer sound coverage with a frequency range of 6Hz to up to 21,000Hz, ensuring that you can enjoy deep bass, clear mids, and crisp highs. The 55-hour battery life that can deliver up to two weeks of listening with active noise cancellation turned on is another impressive feature that users are sure to appreciate.

Although these headphones are wireless by design, you can use a 3.5mm-to-USB-C adapter for wired listening when needed. In terms of Bluetooth codecs, the OnTrac will support SBC, AAC, and LDAC. However, there’s no support for aptX Lossless or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound audio codecs.

Dyson has designed these headphones to fit in a collapsible carrying case, which makes them pretty compact. However, they don’t offer much in the way of protection from the elements, so you might want to consider purchasing an additional protective case if you intend to carry these headphones when you’re outdoors.

Only time will tell if Dyson’s second entry into the headphone market will prove successful. However, this time around, the company seems to have taken a less bizarre approach in designing these headphones compared to the Zone headphones, which combined noise canceling capabilities with an air purification visor.

The OnTrac wireless headphones will be available on Dyson’s website and will be priced at $500. The headphones are certainly not cheap, but they’re less expensive than the Zone, and Dyson’s claims regarding the headphones’ noise-cancellation capabilities are impressive. Caps and cushions for the headphones are available on Dyson’s website as well and will cost $50 per set.