Yes, they look like some unfortunate jewellery, and at a whopping 25mm in diameter, there’ll be no ‘are they? Aren’t they?’ about whether you’re wearing earbuds. But that extensive, well, surface means the capacitive area is large and responsive, and the fit is both secure and noninvasive. In fact, the Microsofts fit quite similarly to Apple’s AirPods inasmuch as they feel a little loose and vulnerable at first but in fact prove to be very stable - and without clogging the wearer’s ear canal.

This uses a 18x11mm driver with a special carbon fibre diaphragm and an algorithm that boosts low-frequencies. The effect is pretty remarkable. Music, podcasts and phone calls all sound as clear as they do with in-ear buds. It’s far better than bone-conduction, but you can still hear everything around you, making these a very safe choice for runners or cyclists in traffic. And we think they're brilliant options that more than justify their price tag. The buds are impressively small, and their lightweight design helps make them even more comfortable than Sony's XM4. Battery life is competitive at seven and a half hours. With ANC on you’re looking at roughly four and a half hours of in-ear battery life, which is below average, but despite this, the FreeBuds Pro 2 remain a great-sounding choice with plenty of well-implemented features. The NeoBuds Pro also feature good battery life with 24 hours matching more expensive options such as WF-1000XM4. The small caveat is that in standby mode the battery drains, so if you leave them unattended you’ll have less battery than you might expect. A battery saver mode or auto turn off after a certain amount of time had elapsed wouldn’t have gone amiss here. The fit of these buds also meant we could use them for HIIT workouts without fear of them falling out. Touch controls did prove to be fiddly, but generally speaking they’re never going to be as precise or reliable as physical buttons.They’re comprised from recycled plastic materials, in a similar vein to the more expensive Sony LinkBuds. The composition here is 91% recycled plastic, but they’re lightweight and feel comfortable enough to wear according to our reviewer, although they are fit a little on the loose side, which meant that their noise isolation wasn’t always the best during testing.

Battery life is total of 30 hours with the case, with 4.5 hours per bud, and because of that long overall stamina we didn’t need to charge the case as often as we thought we would. You don’t get fast charging or any form of wireless option that you can get with similarly priced EarFun Free Pro 2 or Creative Outlier Air V3 but to emphasise their eco-outlook the charge can be limited to 80% to help prolong use.

Design: When buying a new pair of wireless earbuds, it can be helpful to think about where you want to wear them. If you're going to use them on a run, for example, you may want a pair that offers the most secure fit and a high water resistance rating like all the models in our best sports headphones.

Bose has never been one to stuff the headphones full of features, and QuietComfort Earbuds II follow the same path. There is a three-band EQ to change the sound profile of the buds within the app, and the wireless performance is excellent, with barely a hint of a dropout noted. Transparency mode, where you dial out the noise-cancellation to filter in sounds from the outside world, is less successful but still pretty serviceable. Pretty much every product the reborn Technics brand has launched since it rose, phoenix-like, in 2014 has come with a few small caveats. Generally, they’re about price relative to performance, but sometimes they’re just about performance.

You think aptX is the pinnacle of wireless sound quality: Sony doesn’t agree. LDAC is a good alternative and is supported by most newer Android phones (sorry, iPhone). Yes, they’re big and a bit gawky-looking in situ. Yes, in relative terms the charging case is massive. And yes, an all-in total of 18 hours of battery life is nothing to brag about. But as we said, if you want a specialist you’re going to have to compromise. The sound quality on these Sony earbuds is so incredible that they almost belong in a category of their own. These can compete with over-the-head headphones when it comes to delivering plentiful bass and detailed sound when listening to music - I found myself hearing parts of tunes that I had forgotten existed while wearing these.

You want top quality sound and have a stretchier budget: If sound quality is top of your list and you can spend a little more, do that. But this is not audiophile-grade. The Edifier NeoBuds Pro are a fantastic choice if you’re after the powers of ANC at a more affordable price. There are two distinct styles of true wireless earbuds. One-size-fits-all buds like the Apple AirPods give you no flexibility in terms of fit – their earpieces either sit snuggly in your ears or feel loose when worn. They’re the best choice if you want to leave your ear canals free but they provide little, if any, sound isolation. Elsewhere, the AZ80 – along with their AZ60M2 stablemates – are the first earbuds to support Bluetooth Multipoint across three devices, which is a big bonus if you find yourself frequently switching between input sources. Touch controls are well-implemented and customisable, while the engaging default audio tuning can also be easily altered via the accompanying Technics Audio Connect app. Samsung owners can enjoy extremely sharp-sounding music via a Samsung-only codec, Samsung Seamless – everyone else is downgraded to the worse-sounding SBC or AAC codecs (although Apple fans won’t notice, as this is all they get anyway).

The good? These new Samsung earbuds match the non-Pro AirPods – both the original and the similar second iteration – for their convenience. Popping the Galaxy Buds 2 in your ear, getting connected and getting listening is seamless. They even top Apple for under-the-radar looks and simplicity – sitting comfortably and stealthily in your ear with nary a stem in sight.