Best student earbuds & headphones 2022

Best overall

Sony's WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds are a cut above so many others, not least of which is their ability to play great audio and produce some of the best active noise cancelation (ANC) you could ask for. As a result, the over-ear WH-1000XM4 are a solid alternative if you want something bigger and your funds can go that high.

Cancel that noise

Bose's 700-series headphones offer up to 11 different stages of ANC, so if you're looking to cancel some of that background noise to concentrate, these over-ear cans can certainly help in that regard. When the tunes start playing, they can also make them sound great, giving you a proper all-around experience.

Getting comfy

Jabra combines so much of what makes it a stellar brand in the wireless earbuds space with these gems. Super comfortable to wear, ANC support, outstanding call quality, and battery life that can last seven hours or more, you learn to appreciate how good they sound on top of all that.

Talk to Alexa

With a renewed sense of fit and comfort, Amazon also packed in new drivers inside to pump out better audio, helping improve upon their predecessors. Capping all that off is the easy and quick access you get to Alexa — hands-free and with little more than just using your voice to get an answer or control a smart home device.

Talk to Google

Google didn't go back to the drawing board with the Pixel Buds A-Series, but it did drop the price without affecting the sound quality and microphones, so you can use Google Assistant without much getting in your way. Unfortunately, battery life won't get you as far, though you may like the minimalist quality these earbuds have.

Talk to Siri

You could be rocking an iPhone or iPad, or maybe even an Android phone. Forget the regular AirPods. Go with the Pro pair, which does everything better, from fit, comfort, sound, and ANC, giving you better value all the way. You won't get Siri on Android, but you still stand to benefit from the other good features.

Pump up the bass

Want as much bass as you can handle? That's exactly what the physical slider on the Crusher Evo does, so if you're looking for a heavier sound, these over-ear headphones will give you plenty of that. Personalize the sound further on Skullcandy's app. While you're at it, download the Tile app to keep tabs on these headphones.

More for less

It's hard to go wrong with the Soundcore Life Q30 headphones for the simple fact they do a lot right at a great price. Solid audio, especially when you play around with the Soundcore app's equalizer, plus ANC to block out a lot of noise. Battery life also lasts you up to 60 hours on a single charge with ANC turned off.

On-ear style

If on-ears work for you, the JBL Tune 660NC are a nice mix of balanced sound, lightweight design, ANC performance, and long battery life. So long, in fact, that they can go for up to 44 hours at default volume levels. While there's no way to customize them by way of an app, these should play various music genres well.

Kinda like AirPods

They're not your standard AirPods, but the Soundcore Life P3 are better, especially when it comes to how they sound. You get more flexibility with the fit, thanks to five different ear tips, and the six-mic array is ideal for when you need to talk on the phone or be part of a remote learning class.

Game on

Lightweight, easy to use, and with an AirPods-like design, the Hammerhead True Wireless are gaming earbuds true to form for Razer. So when you're not doing homework and it's time to play, wearing these earbuds should give you plenty to like. Use them with any Android phone, including Xbox Game Pass, for latency-free action.

Keep ears free

If you'd rather save your ears, or save them from any sensitivity to sound pumping through your ear canal, the OpenRun are bone conduction headphones providing another option. Lightweight and durable, you can wear them pretty much anywhere, so long as you're cool with subdued bass that won't come through as hard.