Apple, Google, and Samsung have their own wireless earbuds, but only one of them is guaranteed to stay in your ears

• These three pairs of wireless earbuds from three of the biggest tech companies in the world all look completely different from each other, but at the end of the day, they're all pretty similar.
• They all offer similar sound quality, so you're likely to enjoy your music with one pair as you would with the other.
• The Google Pixel Buds edge out a higher recommendation because of their sweat and water resistance — a feature that Samsung's Galaxy Buds Live and Apple AirPods don't have. It's an appealing feature if you plan on working out with your wireless earbuds.
• If you value battery life, however, Samsung's Galaxy Buds Live offer three hours more than the other two.

Turns out Google, Apple, and Samsung have very different takes on what wireless earbuds should look like, but at the end of the day, they're all designed to produce music in your ears, and they all do that well considering their wireless, tiny designs.

Indeed, you'd be happy with either the Google Pixel Buds, Apple AirPods, or Samsung's Galaxy Buds Live, and while they're more-or-less equal in sound, they're not equal in other features like sweat and water resistance, ambient noise reduction, and the way they actually fit in your ear.

Price

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: $170 full retail price.

Google Pixel Buds: $179 full retail price.

Apple AirPods: $159 for standard AirPods. $199 for AirPods with wireless charging case. Deal for AirPods with wireless charging case for $140 from Microcenter.

Design, fit, and comfort

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: The buds themselves look like beans, kidneys, or kidney beans, and have the most unique design of the bunch. Aside from their shiny metallic exterior, they're discreet and don't pop out of the ears. Fit may be polarizing — they don't fit me very well, at least in the way Samsung says they should fit. Included "wing tips" designed to help with fit do absolutely nothing.

Google Pixel Buds: Neutral, safe design that's discreet and doesn't pop out of ears very much. Most secure and more likely to fit a wider range of people with snug in-ear fit with customizable rubber tips. Comfortable but not everyone likes the snug in-ear design.

Apple AirPods: Iconic design, but sticks out the most out of the bunch due to those stems. Polarizing fit — they either fit you or they don't. If they don't fit, don't buy 'em. They'll fall out very easily. Otherwise, they're comfortable and light in the ears.

Sound quality

Sound quality is all comparable among these earbuds. They all sound pretty full for their tiny size, wire-free convenience, and price tags.

One thing to note is that some reviewers, including myself, experience faint hissing with the Google Pixel Buds that's only noticeable in quiet room and/or while playing quiet music. Otherwise, it's not noticeable or distracting.

Noise cancelling and battery life

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: Includes active noise cancelling, but it isn't especially good. Helps remove some ambient noise, especially at lower frequencies. Eight hours of listening time. Charging ase holds up to 29 hours of charge. A five-minute charge provides around an hour of listening time.

Google Pixel Buds: No active noise cancelling, but in-ear design and rubber tips act a little like earplugs and offer some decent ambient noise reduction. Five hours of listening time. Charging case holds 24 hours of charge. 10-minute charge provides up to two hours of listening time.

Apple AirPods: No noise cancelling of any kind — lets in all the noise. Five hours of listening time on a single charge. Charging case holds 24 hours of charge. 15-minute charge provides up to three hours of listening time.

Other features and things to consider

Samsung Galaxy Buds Live: Wireless charging case. Extra rubber "wing tips" to help with fit (that do nothing). Works with Google Assistant or Samsung's Bixby. No water/sweat resistance.

Google Pixel Buds: Wireless charging case. Extra rubber ear tips to help with fit. Works with Google Assistant. Water/sweat resistance.

Apple AirPods: Standard charging case that uses Apple Lightning cable. Wireless charging case optional ($40 extra). No rubber tips or customization for fit. Works with Apple's Siri.

Which one should you get?

The overall winners are Google's Pixel Buds. But, you'll be happy with any of these wireless earbuds should you have a specific preference.

For many iPhone users, the answer is simply "get the AirPods." But for others, it's not quite as simple. Apple AirPods are actually quite limited, at least in certain respects. Google's Pixel Buds, will do more to block ambient noise, if that's one of your considerations. The Galaxy Buds Live have active noise cancellation, and while it does help block out some noise, it's not very good.

Plus, the Pixel Buds are water and sweat resistant, while the AirPods and Buds Live aren't, making the Pixel Buds the best choice out of the three if you plan on working out with wireless earbuds.

As for Android users, Google's Pixel Buds offer a slightly better proposition than the Galaxy Buds Live or the AirPods, mostly because of their water and sweat resistance. The Pixel Buds are also likely to fit better due to the in-ear design.

With that said, if battery life is important to you, Samsung's Galaxy Buds Live are the best option here.

If want something less expensive than any of the wireless earbuds listed above, check out $79 OnePlus Buds — you can read the full OnePlus Buds review here. If want something better than everything else listed here, check out the $250 AirPods Pro, which come with better sound, a better fit, shorter stems, active noise cancellation, sweat and water resistance, and include a wireless charging case. You can read the full AirPods Pro review here, and you can often find them for $30 off from Verizon at the time of writing.

Alternatively, especially for Android users, there's the $180 Sony WF-1000XM3, which have incredible sound and good noise cancellation. They're a little light on other features, but their sound makes up for it — read the full Sony WF-1000XM3 review here.