Over the course of 2025 I tested a pleasingly-round 30 pairs of headphones and earbuds for TechRadar — the site’s esteemed audio editor is apparently responsible for keeping my rent paid — but of that bunch, there are four that I still really want to use.
During that trip around the sun I’ve used plenty of over-ear headphones, in-ear earbuds and open-ear exercise buds, and loads of other audio gadgets which don’t count towards that grand total (because you don’t put them on your face). The best Bluetooth speakers are something for another article.
But these four are the ones which I’ll remember as the highlights of the year, some of which I’ve used almost daily since the review period ended, and others which I’ve yearned for after returning them to TechRadar towers.
Okay: they’re not the only four I’ve enjoyed. Honourable mentions go to the Huawei FreeArc for having great audio for open-ears, the JLab Go Pods ANC for showing just what you can get on a super-low budget, the OnePlus Buds 4 for bringing fantastic ANC to a non-Bose product and the Skullcandy Method 360 for offering fun audio and a runner design. But enough with the runner-ups.
Shokz OpenDots One: the best of a new trend
I began the year testing a load of sports hook-style open earbuds, and quickly became a naysayer with the form factor owing to just how many audio compromises were made in the interests of allowing in surrounding sounds.
That all changed when I started reviewing clipping open earbuds later in the year; the Shokz OpenDots One were the first and best, although I’ve never tested a bad pair and continue to use a cheaper alternative every time I exercise.
The OpenDots clip into your ear easily and comfortably; I found them easy to forget, and didn’t have wear issues. That was pretty lovely coming off a run of sports-hook buds, which flap and flail when you run or go prone. Like other open-ears, they let in surrounding sound so I felt safe on a run somewhere busy, but because clip-ones put the earbud right in your ear, music still sounded great.
Of all the earbuds I’ve tested this year, the Shokz would be the ones I’d pick up any time I needed to work out – if I hadn’t handed them in after testing. I’ve tried to explain the perks of clipping open earbuds to people although I understand how bizarre they can look initially: they’re a hard sell (unless you love the ear cuff look, which I fully support). But if you can get past the aesthetic, I’d really recommend testing a pair with this novel form factor, because I bet you’ll be won over.
AKG N9: my go-to entertainment headphones
I’ve waxed lyrical on the pleasures of the AKG N9 on this site already, but this might be my last chance, so I’m going to do it one last time.
These are premium over-ear headphones, with a svelte design and great audio quality, but the real winning feature comes in the form of a USB dongle hidden away in one of the cans. Plugging this in automatically connects the headphones to the device for wireless music-listening; no more time spent setting up a Bluetooth connection, fiddling with multi-point connection and having random drop-outs when your headphones decide to connect to a different device.
It may sound like an exaggeration to say I’ve used them daily since writing the review, and it is, but only by a little bit. They’ve become the cans I use with my PC (sorry, desktop speakers I’ve been neglecting) and I frequently use them to watch shows in bed with my iPad too.
Sadly, one thing makes the AKG N9 hard to recommend: they’re quite tricky to buy. I’ve tried to cover them over multiple deals seasons but they’re often sold out in multiple countries. But if you can find a pair, they’re fantastic jack-of-all-trades (jacks of all trade? Jacks of all trades? You see what I’m getting at).
Fairphone FairBuds XL 2025: the headphones I’m still using
I find headphones quite hard to review compellingly because, quite frankly, they’re all quite similar. It’s why I liked the AKG so much, because the novel feature made for an interesting angle, and that’s the case with the Fairphone FairBuds XL 2025. These are the most recent picks on this list, and so recency bias may be a factor, but I still use them all the time – I’m writing this article while listening on them.
The selling point of the FairBuds XL is that, like other Fairphone tech, they’re really environmentally friendly. Recycled materials, ethically-sourced components, green production. And while I love all that, it’s not why I’ve kept using the headphones.
Partly, that’s because of the design. I love the green fabric look, as it makes them distinctive against the tide of black plastic shells that everyone else seem to wear. But mainly, it’s because of the joystick. Perhaps that’s the gamer in me: joysticks mean I can play games, right? It doesn’t in this case, but I like them anyway.
This joystick is on the right ear cup, and it’s a very simple way of controlling your music by touch. Pause, play, change volume, skip a track, all by pressing or flicking the joystick. It’s incredibly simple.
Anyone who’s used multiple pairs of earbuds or headphones knows that touch or gesture controls are seemingly very hard to get right: many companies try to do it in different ways, and most are horrendous to control. Not the FairBuds though, and their ease of use is one of the main reasons they’re on my head right now.
Soundpeats H3: the mid-range earbuds I couldn’t get enough of
I tested quite a few really, really good pairs of mid-range earbuds in 2025. It feels like the year that audio tech got cheap enough, that manufacturers could start using multiple drivers and fancy tech to offer competitive audio quality. So right up until the writing of this article, I was split between two top-tier buds, and in the end it went to Soundpeats.
The Soundpeats H3 have three drivers, so they’ve got bespoke speakers to cover bass, mids and trebles, and that’s something you don’t often see in buds that don’t break the bank. I really liked the neutral sound they offered; too many budget bud brands slant bassy and so the Soundpeats were a breath of fresh air.
The audio quality overall was great for what you’re paying, and the fit was surprisingly sturdy for buds without stems to anchor them. I called the design “stylish” in my review, though some might be put off by gauche case which says “hear the difference” in a weirdly inconsistent font. Huh.
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