Best headphones for iPhone 12
Sennheiser Momentum
The Momentum True Wireless 2 aren’t cheap at $ 270, but they’re better all around than the originals, with a slightly smaller, more comfortable design, active noise canceling that rivals that of the AirPods Pro, improved battery life ( up to seven hours instead of four for the original) and better noise reduction during calls. And they are available in white as well as black. Most important, though, the Momentum True Wireless 2 have the same stellar sound, offering clearly superior sound quality to the AirPods Pro. That makes them arguably the best true wireless earbuds on the market today and earns them a Cnet Editors’ Choice Award. These use Bluetooth 5.1 with support for the AAC and AptX codecs ( for devices that have AptX, such as Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones).
Beats Flex
We didn’t think we’d ever see a version 2.0 of Beats’ oncepopular BeatsX neckbandstyle wireless earphones, but it’s arrived with a new name — the Beats Flex — and a muchcheaper $ 50 price, which is half of what its predecessor had been selling for. The Flex instantly becomes an affordable, Applefriendly wireless alternative to the AirPods, which start around $ 130 for the standard version with a wired charging case ( but expect to see them on sale for $ 99 this holiday season). The Beats Flex sounds better than both the original BeatsX and standard AirPods. It also works well for making calls and has better battery life than the original. But the design is passe in a world dominated by true wireless earbuds. They’re available in black or yellow, with gray and light blue arriving next year.
Sony WH- 1000XM4
Sony’s WH1000XM3 model was great. But if it had a weakness, that was its voicecalling capabilities, particularly in noisier environments. The new WH1000XM4 improves in that area and also adds multipoint Bluetooth pairing so you can connect to two devices — such as your phone and PC — at the same time. This means that if a call comes in while you’re using the headphones with your computer, the audio will switch to your phone when you answer the call. The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 probably still have the edge for voice calls, but the 1000XM4 headphones are a tad more comfortable. They also have some other improvements to noise cancellation and sound, making this model the best allaround choice.
These Cnet staff members contributed to this report: David Carnoy and Jim Hoffman. For more reviews of technology products, visit www. cnet. com.