Best True Wireless Sports Earbuds Review

In this best true wireless sports earbuds review, we have the critical design features for running. It is advised not to assume that any earbud is suitable for sports based on the price tag. It would be good for you if you could find a perfectly fitting, non-sports earbud that can last a marathon without falling off.

Quiz: What is the difference between wireless and true wireless?

All true wireless sports earbuds must have the following critical design specs:

• It must have ear wings or fins for optimal fit for all possible ear sizes to prevent falling off.
• IP Rating of at least IP57 for dust protection and waterproofing up to 1 meter deep.

The above are minimum, and if they are not met, I recommend trying another model, or you can try your luck.

Even if the product’s name comes with the word “sports”, it does not imply that they suit your type of sport. For example, I have been told by Oakley that their “sports” sunglasses cannot endure the sun and sweat, which makes us wonder what kind of “sports” they are referring to. Do they mean indoor ice skating, so there is no sun and sweat?

Secondly, if you use sports earbuds for running and jogging only, then the quality of sound is not very important because there will be other noises during the exercise. Regardless of the noise cancellation, you will hear pounding from your feet when you run due to sound conduction through the bones. I keep separate high-quality earbuds for routine, non-sports activities.

JBL Reflect Flow Pro

So far, we opine the new JBL Reflect Flow Pro has the best specifications for a sports earbud in this review. It has the highest IP68 rating and 8 hours of battery life with ANC on. There are four sizes of ear wings, so we are confident that we can find a good fit for running.

Having said that, it is still recommended to perform two tests in the store regardless of what you hear from us, YouTube or any sites with a long review page.

Firstly, we recommend you try out a sample before buying, especially if you plan to use it for sports. None of those reviews knows the size of your ear concha or canal and whether they will fit the earbud.

Secondly, it is essential to test the charging case like this:

• Place the earbud into the charging case and close it tight.
• Shake it hard for 10 seconds.
• Open and check if the earbuds are still charging, i.e. in contact with the electrodes in the charging case.

As the JBL Reflect Flow is just launched, there is no user feedback about charging or any other issues.

Read also: JBL Reflect Flow Pro vs Jabra Elite 7 Active

Jabra Elite 7 Active

The Jabra Elite 7 Active is the successor to the Jabra Elite Active 75t, which we have been using for almost a year. The Jabra Elite 7 Active will be released soon, so there is no user feedback yet. We do not have any issue with the Jabra Elite Active 75t for running, so we expect the same for the Elite 7 Active.

The IP57 is the bare minimum we expect from sports earbuds, and the Jabra Elite 7 Active just made the mark. The main problem is that it does not come with any ear wings, which means they failed our criteria for sports earbuds.

Unless you have tried Jabra before, we recommend looking for earbuds with ear wings for running or jogging. If you insist on buying the Jabra 7 Active, please try them out in the stores when they are released. Some users purchased the Jabra Elite 7 Pro for running, only to find that they keep falling off during a run. If an earbud drops out during a run, you might lose it (or $100) forever.

Sony WF-SP800N

The Sony WF-SP800N is beautiful based on the specifications, with solid 9 hours battery life proven by some Amazon user feedback. It passed all our criteria, or rather, it passed marginally with an IP57 and 2 ear wings, which we hope could be more.

Sure enough, some users complained of ear fitting issues (see link below) even with the two 2 earwings and several ear gels to swap around. Moreover, we found some users who have problems with the charging case like so:

This is the problem with the electrical contacts not being appropriately aligned between the earbuds and charging case, which is why we recommended this test:

• Place the earbud into the charging case and close it tight.
• Shake it hard for 10 seconds.
• Open and check if the earbuds are still charging, i.e. in contact with the electrodes in the charging case.

After reading the user’s feedback, our final rating for the earbud dropped to 3/5.

Read also: Compare JBL Reflect Flow Pro Vs Sony WF-SP800N Sports Earbuds

Klipsch T5 II True Wireless Sports

We have used this earbud for almost a year now. The sound is definitely great, and the earbuds never fell out of our ears after thousands of kilometres jogged on the road. There is no question that the Klipsch T5 II TW Sports is a good jogging earbud with IP67 and a secure fitting with up to 3 ear wings and 5 sets of ear gels for a custom fit.

However, there are always points for improvement as covered in our Klipsch T5 II TW Sports Earbuds Review After One Year.

Among the minor issues, we find the charging problem most irritating as it prevents us from using the charging case to its fullest potential. We have to charge the earbuds with an open case because whenever we close the lid, the earbuds might get misaligned and not appropriately charged.

The photo below shows the same issue as the Sony WF-SP800N above.

Conclusion

We foresee that the future sports earbuds will have at least the following design specification as an essential requirement:

• IP68 for dust-tight and waterproof beyond 1 meter depth.
• At least 4 sizes of ear wings and 5 sizes of ear gel for the best custom fit.

For future sports earbuds, we are looking forward to military-grade MIL-STD 810F certifications, including:

• Drop test certification.
  True Wireless Earbuds tend to drop on the floor, regardless of how good is the ear wings.
• Salt and mud water test.
  Assuming you can recover your earbuds from the sea or muddy water, they should work perfectly.

There is always so much room for improvement.