Great earphones can be the perfect companion for your sports or exercise routine, but choosing the right pair can be a tough task. We reveal what you need to know, and click through to our reviews to find best pairs to buy.
Dedicated sports and running headphones often don’t come cheap, and many runners instead swear by a simple wired pair to minimise risk of them falling out.
There’s no perfect design of headphones – below our experts give the pros and cons so you can find the best pair for you.
Best running headphones – our experts reveal the best headphones for sports and headphones, and the ones to avoid. And are bone conduction headphones worth it? We give the lowdown.
Things to look for in sports and running headphones
In-ear headphones are usually best for headphones. There are three main designs:
- Truly wireless sports headphones – these take an Apple AirPods-style design, adding in sports features such as earfins to help keep them in position. Being free from wires makes these great for some forms of fitness, but many find these headphones will slowly work their way loose with vigorous exercise such as running.
- Corded wireless headphones – these still avoid a cable to your audio device, but the cable between the two earpieces often means the earpieces are lighter and so less likely to fall out, so can be a great compromise.
- Traditional wired headphones – these are cheapest and least likely to fall out, but wires tangle easily, can get in the way and can get damaged over time. You’ll need an adaptor with most pairs if your device lacks a headphones socket.
Consider what’s most important for the exercise you’ll be performing:
- Price: Do you need a feature-rich premium pair, or will a cheap basic pair you don’t mind if you damage do?
- Water and sweat resistance: This is a must for expensive pairs, for added confidence they’ll last. Note that even for many water-resistant pairs, the charging case is not water resistant.
- Dedicated sports pairs: If you’re considering truly wireless earbuds in particular, you’ll need to get a dedicated sports pair. This is to ensure they’re designed to give you the extra stability you need to make them less likely to fall out.
- Sound quality: You won’t need hi-fi sound quality for exercise, but a motivation-sapping weedy pair with weak bass won’t do either. You might find the stronger beat from enhanced bass pairs, like Beats or Sony Extra Bass, help with motivation.
- Features: Don’t pay for features you don’t need – for example, it’s unlikely you’ll need noise-cancelling for running. Also unless you’re planning to run a marathon, long battery life is unlikely to be a priority either. A secure fit, as well as comfort and durability, are what’s most important for sports.
Truly wireless sports headphones
These completely free you from wires. They’re great for some sports and exercise routines, although with vigorous exercise such as running, the risk rises that they’ll fall out. Spending time to get a great fit is essential.
Beats Fit Pro, £199
Beats say the Fit Pro offer ‘secure-fit’ wingtips to keep them firmly in position and ‘comfortably lock in place’ during your routine.
While expensive, they’re also designed for more casual use, with active noise-cancelling, and Beats claims ‘high-quality’ phone call performance.
But are they worth their price, and are there crucial things to watch out for? Find out in our expert Beats Fit Pro review.
Be sure to also check out a key rival in our Shure Aonic Free review (£179).
Bose Sport Earbuds, £149
Bose is a long-time well-respected audio brand, and enticingly their sports earphones are £50 cheaper than Beats’ pair.
They offer three sizes of Bose’s ‘StayHear Max’ eartips designed to give you a highly secure fit for sports and exercise, and also offer IPX4 water resistance so they’re not bothered by sweat or if you get caught out in a shower.
See if they’re the real deal in our comprehensive Bose Sport Earbuds review.
Jabra Elite 4 Active, £120
Jabra offers this cheaper pair than top-brand rivals, which claims to have a ‘secure active fit designed to stay in while you work out’.
Jabra also says they’re ‘water and sweat proof’, ‘incredibly durable’ and are comfortable to wear.
We reveal if they live up to the promise in our Jabra Elite 4 Active review.
Worth spending more? Jabra Elite 7 Active review.
Skullcandy Push Active True Wireless, £69
Skullcandy are well known for their attractively-priced headphones that undercut the competition, and for sports headphones are no exception.
They’re IP55 rated, meaning they even offer protection from jets of water and dust – great if you like to work out on the beach. Skullcandy also claims an impressive 44 hours’ battery life from the earbuds and case.
See if this is the ideal pair for you in our Skullcandy Push Active True Wireless review.
Wired headphones
These are cheaper, and can be fully wired to your device, or wired only between the earpieces, which minimises the amount of daily untangling. Wireless corded pairs are also a bonus for those with devices that lack a headphones socket.
Most wired pairs aren’t dedicated for sports nor offer water resistance, but considering their low prices many don’t worry too much about it.
Beats Flex, £45
With these wireless headphones, the two earpieces are connected by a wire and semi-flexible collar that you wear round the back of your neck.
This means the earpieces are lighter since the battery is integrated in the collar, and you don’t need to fear and earpiece falling out. Like most wired pairs, they’re not specifically designed for exercise, but the signature Beats bass should help keep you motivated during your routine.
Our experts give their verdict on if these headphones are a winner in our Beats Flex review.
Sony WI-C310, £29
These incredibly popular headphones are similar to the Beats pair above, except that there’s no neckband, with the wire being completely flexible.
This pair is getting down to the kind of price where you wouldn’t worry too much about taking care of them, so it’s not too much of a concern they don’t really offer any dedicated sports features.
So are they up to the task? Find out if their popularity is deserved in our Sony WI-C310 review.
Looking for a pair slightly cheaper? Check out our Sony WI-C200 review (£25).
For those that want extra oomph in the bass, Sony also offers this Extra Bass variant – see our Sony WI-XB400 review (£40).
Apple EarPods with Remote and Mic (Lightning or 3.5mm socket), £20
Apple’s classic EarPods continue to be a favourite for budding runners and while they don’t offer any specific running headphones credentials, their attractive price and solid construction continue their long-running popularity.
But are there better alternatives available? We give the lowdown in our Apple EarPods with Remote and Mic (Lightning) review. For non-Apple device owners and those with a headphones socket, check our Apple EarPods with Remote and Mic (3.5mm) review.
Sony MDR-EX15AP, £8
Sports and running headphones will take quite a beating, and looking after your headphones probably isn’t high on the priority list. So for some there’s no better chose than one you won’t mind too much if it accidentally gets damaged.
Few headphones cost less than this, and especially if you’re looking for a well-known brand. They’re an utterly basic pair, but for your daily routine perhaps that’s all you need.
See if they deliver in our definitive Sony MDR-EX15AP review.
This rival popular pair on Amazon has 18,128 five-star reviews. See if it’s a worthy alternative in our Betron B25 (without microphone and remote) review (£10).
Want a traditional wired pair but think £8 is too cheap? See whether it’s worth spending more with our Sony MDR-XB55AP Extra Bass review (£25).
To see all the sports headphones we’ve tested, select the ‘Sports headphones’ filter on our headphones reviews page.
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