Best True Wireless (TWS) earphones of 2024

With the best smartphones of 2024 crowned, we now look at the best true wireless (TWS) earphones that launched in India this year across various price brackets. Other than sound quality, which was obviously given top weightage, we have also factored in features like active noise cancellation, battery backup, call quality and value for money. Of course, we couldn’t test everything that hit the market in the past twelve months, but we had access to a sizable chunk of them, and these are the select few that impressed us the most in 2024.

Best TWS earbuds of 2024 under Rs 20,000

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4

The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 is easily the best in this price bracket. The performance was a cut above anything we came across south of Rs 20,000 this year. The performance is comparable to the more expensive Sony WF-1000XM5, if not better, in terms of sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC), but does a little better in the battery department and throws in a couple of extra features like support for Auracast and aptX Lossless audio.

You get hybrid adaptive noise cancellation here which adjusts the intensity depending on the quantum of ambient noise. It works very well and is easily among the best in the segment. After a bit of tuning in the companion app, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 sounds warm, detailed and enjoyable in various genres of music with a good balance between the key frequency ranges. With impressive battery backup and fast as well as wireless charging support, this pair of earbuds ticks a lot of boxes.

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Best TWS earbuds of 2024 under Rs 15,000

OnePlus Buds Pro 3

OnePlus hit it out of the park with its flagship Buds Pro 3. Despite its near 12K price point, we believe it is the best value-for-money product in the semi-premium category of TWS earbuds that can take on anything priced under 20K in 2024. Needless to say, it is the best under Rs 15,000 by a distance. There is a marked improvement in performance as compared to its predecessor. Be it sound quality, call quality, ANC, battery life or user experience, the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 is better on all counts. It supports wireless charging too.

The dual-driver setup and Dynaudio’s tuning is a great combination that handles the three major frequency ranges quite well and produces tight and punchy bass, detailed midrange and sharp highs. There are ample sound tweaks available though the companion app to fine-tune it further. The slide gestures in addition to pinch controls on the earbuds give great control over its various functions. Add to that a robust battery backup of up to 30 hours, very good call quality and we have a solid well-rounded product that’s hard to beat in this budget.

Best TWS earbuds of 2024 under Rs 10,000

Nothing Ear

The Nothing Ear which is the successor to Nothing Ear (2) – ignore the numbing system – launched at Rs 11,999 but has been selling under 10K for the better part of 2024. For that price, it’s a great option in this segment for its trademark transparent design, sound quality and feature set. Though it looks exactly like its predecessor, there are a bunch of minor enhancements and a major one - support for the more popular LDAC codec in addition to LHDC for higher throughput.  

The sound quality is quite impressive with tight and punchy bass, good midrange response, crisp vocals and perfectly tempered highs that retain ample sparkle without sounding sibilant. There is a good amount of detail in the sound, and the fairly broad soundstage accentuates the overall experience. And you also get a ton of sound tweaks in the companion app – in fact, the most we have seen across brands – that let you adjust minute details in the sound.

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There are improvements across the board, be it sound quality, codec support, battery backup or ANC. The Nothing Ear supports wireless charging as well as fast wired charging. There’s ChatGPT integration too, and one can use their voice to access it after setting it up through the Nothing X app. With such a stacked feature set and impressive sound quality, it is hard to look beyond Nothing Ear if you have a budget of Rs 10,000.

Best TWS earbuds of 2024 under Rs 7,500

EarFun Air Pro 4

Speaking of feature-rich products, the EarFun Air Pro 4 is right up there with the very best at a much more competitive price. It also packs a punch when it comes to performance. These earbuds are Hi-Res Audio and Snapdragon Sound certified and support LDAC as well as aptX Lossless and aptX Adaptive codecs. The sound quality is very good for the segment, and if you do not like the default sound, the companion app lets you tweak it further using a multi-band equaliser or a bunch of presets.

Even better, the company shares the EQ config of its audio presets, and you can make minor adjustments to a particular preset that you like using the equaliser, rather than starting from scratch with a lot of trial-and-error to recreate a similar sound profile, as is the case with most audio products. The company has also added wear detection sensors that were missing on their previous products. ANC and call quality see a significant improvement as compared to its predecessor.

The battery life is commendable too, ranging between 30 to 45 hours with the charging case with and without ANC respectively. This product also supports wireless charging, dual pairing and Auracast. All of the above make the Earfun Air Pro 4 the most feature-rich product even in two segments higher, and with a solid all-round performance and sound quality, the joint best in the price range of Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,500 in 2024.  

OnePlus Buds 3

The OnePlus Buds 3 is another fantastic option in this budget range. It ticks a lot of boxes - be it sound quality, battery backup or call quality. While its Pro variant takes care of the competition above Rs 10,000, this one ably holds fort around the 5K mark. The earbuds are extremely comfortable in the ears and you get smart touch controls that include slide gestures to change the volume or skip tracks. The companion app lets you customise the sound to your liking using a 6-band equaliser and other features like Audio ID 2.0.

The dual-drivers in each earbud deliver a crisp and punchy sound output that is enjoyable across various genres of music. The ANC does its job reasonably well. The call quality is quite impressive with good voice clarity and the background noise kept well in check; you get dual pairing support too. Lastly, the battery backup is quite strong with the buds going on for 5.5 hours and 7 hours with and without ANC respectively, and 24 to 30 hours with the charging case. The OnePlus Buds 3 is a great package at Rs 5,499.

Best TWS earbuds of 2024 under Rs 5,000

CMF (by Nothing) Buds Pro 2

The CMF Buds Pro 2 are easily the best budget TWS earbuds of 2024 under Rs 5,000. Some of its features like dual-drivers and LDAC codec support are hard to expect in this price bracket, let alone actually get them. Add to that dual pairing, functional ANC, wear detection and a unique Smart Dial on the charging case to control certain functions of the product. Most importantly, they sound good and the battery backup is quite solid.

Features like Spacial Audio available in the companion app broadens the soundstage and enhance the overall aural experience. You get more audio presets and an equaliser in the app to create your own. Often spotted selling for close to Rs 3,500, these earbuds from the Nothing sub-brand offer exceptional value for money and raise the bar in the budget TWS earbuds category and deserve a spot in this list.

That completes our list of top TWS earbuds of 2024. We will keep our ears out for some of their successors and competitors in 2025.