In a change from past video formats, testing has shifted toward a new Holiday Office Hours from the Labs video series for 2026. Rather than simply listing favorites, recent tests evaluated the voice-calling performance of top-tier earbuds alongside a budget option, accompanied by holiday headphone and earbud recommendations from colleagues Jada Jones at ZDNET and Eric Zeman at PCMag.
Top Earbuds Put to the Test
The premium models selected for the evaluation all hold CNET Editors’ Choice awards, featuring Apple’s AirPods Pro 3, Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 5, and Anker’s Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro. A budget alternative, the $27 JLab Go Pods ANC, was also included to see how highly affordable wireless earbuds would measure up against high-end competitors. While the budget pair did not excel, their performance exceeded expectations.
The Winning Pair for Voice Calls
The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro secured top honors in the voice-calling evaluation, building on the high marks received in initial reviews. According to the test results, the earbuds provided the most effective noise reduction while ensuring the speaker’s voice sounded clear and natural.
