Best workout headphones for iPhone and Apple Watch 2024 (2024)

A workout isn't complete without music that pumps you up. You need headphones that move with you. Whether you like pop, heavy metal, or dance music in your ears when you pump iron, a good pair of iPhone workout headphones you can trust in the gym is essential. The Jaybird Vista 2 features a fantastic sound that can be made great with the in-app equalizer, and its customizable fit is superb. While a great pair of iPhone workout headphones aren't designed to compete with the best noise-canceling headphones, that doesn't mean you can't have a great listening experience when you're sweating at the gym.

Great workout headphones need to be durable, sound great, and be comfortable — the Jaybird Vista 2 checks all the boxes.

With eight hours of battery life on the buds themselves and another 16 hours of battery in the portable charging case, you can get multiple workouts in before you need to stick the Jaybird Vista 2 in its charger. Plus, a mere five minutes will give you about an hour of playback when you do charge.

They come with a few sizes of ear tips, as well as three fin sizes, so you can mix and match to find what works best for you. Some people may not like the rubber, sort of suction cup-ish ear tips, which is justifiable since if you don't find the perfect fit, they can feel like they've completely dammed up your ears.

The icing on the cake for these 'buds is how quickly they connect and the great playback controls. As soon as I turn them on, they connect instantly and immediately give you the remaining battery percentage, which is just dynamite. I also love the control sounds that let you know when you're skipping a track, going back, or turning them off. It all comes together perfectly.

Lastly, rain or shine, sweat or not, the Jaybird Vista 2 has an IP68 rating, meaning you don't have to worry about getting them wet. Even the charging case is a little water-resistant and carries an IP54 rating. Plus, they even offer Active Noise Cancelation (ANC) for when you want to drown the world out and focus on your workout.

The Jaybird Vista 2 are comfortable, have an incredible IP68 water-resistance rating, and offer ANC.

The Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 focuses on being a pair of earbuds that you can take to the gym. Still, Anker included some other great features that help the Spirit Dot 2 excel at being an everyday set of earbuds, too, making it one of the best value options for iPhone workout headphones.

The IPX7 rating means the Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 can handle the toughest workouts, as it can handle both sweat and rain. I wouldn't take them into the shower or pool with you, but splashes of water haven't stopped my pair from working.

Bluetooth 5.0 means that the Spirit Dot 2 are equipped with the latest Bluetooth technology, offering sound and battery improvements over its predecessor. It has two microphones that allow you to take phone calls or video calls with ease, which I tested in my Anker SoundCore Spirit Dot 2 review and was pleasantly surprised with.

Each earbud has touch controls, allowing you to play or pause music with the right earbud and skip tracks with the left. The controls can also activate Siri (or other voice assistants) and answer calls.

These are an excellent and affordable pair of truly wireless earbuds you can take to the gym.

The AirPods 3 offer better battery life, better sound, an IPX4 water-resistance rating, and a better in-ear fit for many people. Add the ability to use Spatial Audio, and these are the best the basic AirPods have ever been, but without ANC or a more customizable fit, some people just won't like them.

The bass performance on the AirPods 3 is probably where you'll notice the most difference right out of the gate. It's much more present than in the previous models and makes listening to heavy rock, EDM, and other bass-heavy genres much more enjoyable. The mids and the highs always come through clear and crisp, so I have not noticed any clipping, and since Apple threw in its Adaptive EQ technology into the AirPods 3, the sound should always be pretty consistent.

Lastly, let's talk about all that Apple-specific magic that's baked into the AirPods 3. Much like all AirPods, pairing, and switching between Apple devices is like magic. Open up the AirPods 3 case, press connect, and boom, you're off to the races. It's just as much a joy as it was on the very first pair of AirPods introduced five years ago. It makes switching between your iPhone and your Apple Watch a breeze, which is nice for working out at the gym or at home.

If you're looking for earbuds for lighter workouts, the AirPods 3 gives you a ton of great features, including Spatial Audio.

The Jabra Elite 75t earbuds feature onboard playback/call/Siri controls, and there are no annoying wires to get in your way while you work out. These are made to stay in your ears, no matter what, and with 7.5 hours of battery life in each earbud, which isn't the longest battery life, but the charging case has an extra 21 hours of battery. Plus, it has a fast-charge feature, which gives you an hour of battery after charging for just 15 minutes, so it's easy to top up when you need it.

The Jabra Sound+ app is one of the best companion apps I have ever used with any headphones. The ability to use Jabra's Hear Through feature (basically Transparency mode) to let some of the sounds from around you penetrate through your music is fantastic for commuting!

It's important to note that there's a newer version of these headphones — the Jabra Elite 85t —, but in our opinion, the 75t is the better version for a pair of workout headphones. A big part of that is because the 75t has a better IP rating and longer battery life than the newer model, so when it comes to the Jabra Elite 85t vs. Jabra Elite 75t, we think it's worth it to save the money.

Lastly, the sound quality is superb. The bass performance is far better than you might think a pair of earbuds can offer, but it's not too powerful that it drowns out the mids and highs. Plus, the build quality and design allow you to get a very good seal in your ears, which helps with sound quality immensely.

If you have the money, get the Jabra Elite 75t. They're truly wireless, have a great app, and have fantastic sound.

Best for Apple lovers: Powerbeats Pro

Powerbeats Pro is Apple's newest set of Beats-branded earphones. They're the first of their kind from the Beats line in that they are the first truly wireless headphones from the department.

They're incredibly comfortable (though for some, canal buds are painful), have rich and well-balanced EQ for a fantastic listening experience, and stay put in your ears.

Their only real flaw is in the charging case, which is bigger than it needs to be and isn't particularly convenient. There is also no way, at this time, to purchase a second charging case, so you can't have one at home and an extra sitting at work.

Want a pair of truly wireless earbuds that have the H1 chip that isn't AirPods? You're going to love Powerbeats Pro.

Bottom line

Nothing kills a workout faster than not having the perfect earbuds for the job, and if you don't get a pair of earbuds that are up to the task of handling your workouts, you'll be disappointed. An excellent pair of workout headphones have to have the essentials; great sound, a good IP rating to prevent your sweat from damaging them, and battery life to get you through multiple workouts.

That's why if you want the best of what's around for wireless workout earbuds, you want the Jaybird Vista 2, which combines a great, durable design with exceptional sound, an excellent app, and an intuitive experience that works exactly the way you need it to in the gym. They're the perfect pair for any workout session.