Five best Apple AirPods-style true wireless earphones for travel 2020
Compact, cable-free and with long battery life and noise-canceling, these are the best true wireless Bluetooth earphones and in-ear headphones for travel
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If you’re now making your own in-flight entertainment, you need to listen, and listen good; get some decent wireless earphones. Tethered via Bluetooth to a phone or tablet, and also to each other, so-called true wireless in-ear headphones recharge by slipping them into a small battery-powered case. Most don’t last more than about five hours before they need a recharge from their battery cases, but for those who watch movies and listen to music in short bursts when flying, true wireless earphones are the best choice because they’re much easier to travel light with than any other kind of earphones.
Here’s TravGear’s selection of the best true wireless earphones and in-ear earphones for travel:
1 – Padmate PaMu Slide Mini: best value true wireless earphones
A fraction of the price of a pair of Apple AirPods Pro, the compact and cute PaMu Slide Mini impress on design and boast just enough bass. Available in black, white, green, or pink, they look very similar to Apple AirPods and come with six pairs of silicone ear-tips for the best fit possible. Rated IPX6 splash-proof, the earphones weigh just 7g each and last for eight hours, with the USB-C-recharged battery case adding 20+ hours. They’re the ideal price-conscious choice.
2 – Apple AirPods Pro: best all-round true wireless earphones
As well as being the most high profile product available, Apple AirPods Pro are also among the best true wireless earphones for frequent flyers thanks to their built-in active noise cancelation (not something the Apple AirPods offer). An outward-facing microphone detects the engine noise in an aircraft cabin and produces the opposite soundwaves. Each weighs 5.4g and lasts for 4.5 hours, with the battery case adding 24 hours. Ships with three pairs of silicone ear-tips.
3 – Sony WF-1000XM3: best true wireless earphones for aircraft
Also with noise canceling are these follows-ups to the Sony WF-1000X. An expensive choice, they’re particularly adept with music offering an expansive soundstage and incredible detail. Weighing 8.5g each, the Sony WF-1000XM3 manage 6 hours between charges and get a further 18 hours from the battery case.
4 – Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2: best sounding wireless earphones
Another pair of pricey true wireless earphones with noise canceling, this souped-up version of the original Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless earphones are notable for their richly rounded soundscape and plenty of bass. Weighing just 6.2g each, those earphones manage 7 hours before needing a recharge from a USB-C-powered battery case that stores another 21 hours. They’re also IPX4-rated, so splash-proof.
5 – Jabra Elite 75t: best true wireless earphones for running and the gym
Like the original and discounted Jabra Elite 65t these IP55-rated true wireless earphones are splash resistant so ideal for exercise, but they also represent a huge advance in battery life. Boasting 7.5 hours, the 5.5g earphones get a further 28 hours from a USB-C recharged battery case. However, there’s no noise canceling.
