Wireless earbuds are – not to put too fine a point on it – the bomb.
Going cord-free lets you enjoy your music, podcasts, phone calls, etc without the hassle of tangles, breakages, or catching your buds on door handles.
But the market for wireless earbuds is more complex than it might seem at first glance – especially if you have small ears.
In fact, finding the best wireless earbuds for small ears is very much like looking for a smaller-than-average tree in a very big forest.
So what are you going to do? Check out every Wal-Mart and website for any markings that say “suitable for small ears”? Go through the forest, one by one?
Who has the time to do that?
I do, that’s who.
I’ve gone through the earbud forest and picked the best handful for use by people with smaller ears. All you have to do is pick the one that suits you best.
In a hurry? Here’s my top pick.
Top 5 Best Wireless Earbuds For Small Ears
OUR TOP PICK
Wireless earbuds tend to cost you more than wired ones anyway. As yet, the wireless function is seen as special enough to charge extra for.
If you need them to do anything extra-special, like fit smaller ears or, for instance, charge while in a holder, the prices tend to go up again.
That’s why you need to see the Tozo T6 buds.
They’re a pair of buds with three different flexible ear caps, to help you find a perfect fit for your smaller ears, and give you a comfortable in-ear fit and a great seal, around the clock.
A great seal means less sound leakage, and less sound leakage means you get the benefit of all their sound yourself.
And all this is delivered for a price that won’t even wake your bank, let alone break it.
Sure, the main thing we need them to do is to fit smaller ears. But once they’ve done that, what other elements separate the great from the good?
The price is one big factor – the Tozo T6 buds fit small ears well, but they’re priced very much within the region of chunkier wired earbuds, so there’s no premium to pay.
They also come with a charging carry case – so while they’re not in your ears, they’re replenishing their battery life.
Admittedly, that battery life is less extensive than you’ll find on significantly more expensive earbuds.
You can get a solid five hours of listening out of them between charges, and there are more than 22 hours of charge stored in the carry case.
That means you can charge the buds four times between case-charges. Not too shabby for a pair of buds on a budget.
In terms of the sound reproduction, they’re crisp, clear and mostly well-balanced – a little bass-heavy sometimes, maybe, but at their price-point, you’re not going to mind that.
The price point is also why, for instance, they come without a specially-build companion app, so you can’t do some things more expensive earbuds will let you do – like equalize or profile their sound from your phone.
But in terms of great sound and a great fit for small ears, these are minor niggles, which is why the Tozo T6 buds make the top of our league.
Pros
- A range of ear-caps mean you can fit them snugly however small your ears are
- You get 5 active hours between charges, and over 20 hours of replacement charge in their carrying case – good enough for a day trip
- They deliver crisp sound reproduction with most material
- They’re priced to be budget-friendly
Cons
- No companion app to help equalize the sound as you’d like it means what you hear is what you get
EDITORS CHOICE
The Samsung Galaxy Buds take the wireless earbud market up to the next level, with their ability to fit smaller ears, their companion app, and their technological compactness.
On many levels, they beat the T6 earbuds, but the Tozo’s price point takes on all-comers and pushes the Galaxy Buds into second place overall.
The Galaxy Buds have small pegs and come with three sizes of ear-caps and wing tips, so you can get the fitting right for yourself.
Lasting a full six hours between charging, the Galaxy Buds can give you a full outing with no worries about sudden battery failure.
It’s worth noting though that their charging case has only seven hours of charge in it.
It will surprise no-one that Samsung delivers clarity, crispness, and enough rib-rumbling bass when needed. The Buds also come with a phone app that lets you choose equalizer profiles, like bass boost, treble boost, etc.
The app also lets you choose the levels of ambient sound you want to hear through the Buds, so you won’t be in a world of your own unless you want to be.
The microphone in the Galaxy Buds is exceptional, making phone calls a breeze.
The Tozo T6 buds have to take our top slot because they do far more than you’d imagine for far less money than most real contenders.
But the Galaxy Buds are kings of precision, seal, app-usefulness and microphone quality, so while they cost significantly more than the Tozo buds, if you can get them, you’re likely to elevate your experience a lot.
Pros
- Three sizes of ear-cap and wing tip allow for easy fitting in smaller ears
- The microphones here are exceptional, allowing comfortable phone calls
- The app gives you easy equalization and sound profiling
- Samsung delivers crisp sound quality and enough bass when you need it
- These buds are comfortable for the full six hours of life between charges
Cons
- The charging case only holds an additional seven hours of charge
BEST VALUE
The JLab Audio JBuds Air are like the Tozo T6, priced at a level to put truly wireless earbuds into the hands of everyone on a budget.
They come with eartips and cush fins in several sizes, so again, you can get a comfortable fit and a good sound-seal with them. Small ears for the win!
You can control the equalizer by simple touch, and with Bluetooth 5 connectivity, you can get a good distance from the sound-source while still maintaining connection.
The joy about the JLabs is that they deliver features like the small ear fit and the equalizer functionality without having the expense of building a companion app – so they can offer a kicking pair of wireless earbuds at a budget-friendly price.
Everything’s controlled from the earbud itself – which it’s arguable is actually cooler and more forward-thinking than slaving the buds to a phone app.
Battery life? Around 6 hours between charges, and with around 18 hours of stored charge in the charging case, so these are buds for the longer haul.
One thing though – be sure when you put the buds back in their case that they have disconnected – if they stay connected, the next time you pull them out, you might find they’ve died on you rather than recharging by connection to the case.
Overall, the JLabs earbuds give you a heck of a lot of bud for your money, and are especially useful to those with smaller ears.
Pros
- Reliable for small ears, they come with a range of eartips and cush fins
- The in-built equalizer gives you control of your sound profile from the buds themselves
- Rugged construction means you’re not likely to break the buds in a hurry
- Six hours of listening between recharges and an 18-hour charge reservoir in the case means you can rely on them for longer than many other earbuds
Cons
- Make sure they disconnect when you put them in their case, or you could end up with dead earbuds the next time you need them
RUNNER UP
Shure is one of the most trusted names in the audio equipment market, and the SE215-K ‘earphones’ are buds that extend that reputation, especially for those with smaller ears.
Shure calls them earphones because they’re designed to sit deeper in the outer ear than most buds can.
That gives you better noise isolation and much better sound transference, so you won’t need to play any sound as loud through the SE215-Ks as you would through most buds.
Does that mean you have to make do with a one size fits all solution? No, that’s not the Shure way of doing things.
The earphones come with a FitKit in three sizes (S, M, L), so you can get the same rich, warm soundscape whether you have large ears or small.
The battery life on the SE215-Ks gives you a solid 10 hours of playback between charges – but unlike most of our other selections, you must remember this, a case is just a case.
At least it is in this…erm…instance. The Shure case is just for carrying the buds, not for charging them, which is worth knowing if you’re intending to take them on camping trips or the like.
As well as delivering rich sound right into your ear canal, the SE215-Ks block out up to 37 dB of ambient noise, so they serve a particular niche of users who want that isolation from the world while listening.
The SE215-K earphones are worth investigating if you have small ears because of the FitKit that allows you to get a great sound-seal and the isolation from ambient noise.
Be extra aware while crossing busy roads, but the Shure phones will put you right in the soundscape you want, any time you want.
Pros
- The FitKit allows people with smaller ears the sound-seal they need to get great sound reproduction, deeper in the ear canal
- The phones isolate up to 37 dB of ambient noise for that feeling of complete immersion in the soundscape
- 10 hours of playback between charges gives you a long day’s isolated comfort
Cons
- There’s no charging facility in the carrying case, which means you could be stranded without buds if you’re away from a wall charger for too long
RUNNER UP
Beats, by Dr. Dre, meets Apple.
You know that’s going to be cool.
Sure, there’s a lot of style in the combination, but both brands are also known for the excellence of their technology and sound reproduction, so the Powerbeats Pro earphones – here meaning ‘buds with bits on’ – are exciting on several levels.
Dealing with the business of fitting smaller ears, the Powerbeats Pro have had their ear tip angles adjusted, so even on smaller ears, they sit comfortably and give you a great seal.
This is design, but design with a practical purpose underlying it, to the benefit of people with smaller ears. We’ll take that, thank you very much.
Nine hours of charge in the earbuds will give you a good day’s listening, and the charging case gives you 18 hours of juice, which amounts to two full charges.
That extends the life of the earbuds for the best part of a weekend before everything needs replenishing from a wall socket. So, these would be good buds for a festival or a camping trip.
An extra feature that will appeal to those who wear their buds down to exhaustion is Apple “Fast Fuel.” When used, this will give you 90 minutes of extra playtime from just five minutes of charging.
Just so you’re clear – these are not your average AirPods. These are far more comfortable – especially for people with smaller ears – and quite a bit cleverer too.
They come with four different ear-tip sizes, the smallest of which is suitable for children above six years old, so there’ll be a size that’s right for you.
There’s also an in-built light sensor in each ear tip. That means the headphones themselves have control over playback. Smartbuds, anybody?
All in all, the Powerbeats Pro are an excellent mid-price option with special care taken to cater to those with smaller ears.
They also look like nothing else on our list, so if you want to stand out in a crowd, these are the buds for you.
Pros
- Nine hours of battery life and 18 hours of stored charge mean these buds can last longer than many on the market
- Apple “Fast Fuel” gives you an extra 90 minutes of power from five minutes of charging
- These earbuds come with four ear tip sizes, including one small enough for six-year-old children, so you should be able to find an ear tip that fits you perfectly
Cons
- The look is stylish but can seem ungainly because of its size
Best Wireless Earbuds for Small Ears Buying Guide
When it comes to wireless earbuds for smaller ears, take a few things into account before you click the ‘buy’ button.
Don’t assume, always check
Unless we’ve told you specifically what provision the buds make for smaller ears, don’t assume a set of buds are necessarily suitable for you.
Always check that they either mention specifically what the buds do that makes them suitable, or that you can infer what they do from their technical specifications (for instance, if they include small ear-caps, you can probably find some to fit you).
Charge!
Once you’re sure the earbuds are going to be suitable for your size of ears, look at the other elements of their offering, to make sure you’re getting the best value overall.
Go with those that offer longer listening time between charges, and larger amounts of replenishment charge in their cases, so your smaller ears are treated to the sounds of your choice for longer.
Take control
Ideally, make sure there’s some sort of intuitive control mechanism to equalize the sound you hear, be it on the buds themselves or via a companion app.
You should still be able to control the volume of the sound you get through whatever is your sound-source – your phone, for instance.
But if you can get earbuds with an equalization function, you have far greater control of your listening experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Earbuds are just earbuds, aren’t they?
Yes and no. Most of the earbuds we’ve chosen here for smaller ears would work equally well for ears of other sizes.
But it doesn’t necessarily work the other way around. There are lots of earbuds on the market that don’t work for smaller ears, and don’t make provision for those with smaller ears to use them.
How do smaller ear-caps work?
In the simplest sense, the quality of sound you get from a set of earbuds depends on the sound-seal – the closeness of the buds to the entrance to the ear canal.
Smaller ear-caps naturally fit in smaller holes, where larger ones would sit outside. By fitting more snugly, they provide a better sound-seal, and so better sound reproduction for people with smaller ears.
Is ambient noise good or bad when using smaller earbuds?
That depends on what you’re using them for.
If you’re all about the noise cancellation, then you’ll choose a set that cancels as much ambient noise as possible.
But this can be dangerous in urban environments, where you need to take audio cues from your environment.
In those circumstances, the opportunity to choose the level of ambient noise bleed-through in the earbuds becomes very useful.
