Just like your swimsuit, the best waterproof earbuds are vital component of your regular swim session. Gone are the days when earbuds maxed out at IPX-7 ratings and being sweat proof. The best waterproof earbuds for swimming are fully waterproof, not just water resistant, and specifically designed to last in continuous submersion

In general, you shouldn’t let your gadgets near water, but there are earbuds that’ll let you jam to a workout playlist while submerged in water without sacrificing audio quality. It is also paramount that they fit well and keep a keep a watertight seal. No one likes swimming laps while having to worry about a stray earbud sinking to the bottom of the pool, now, do they?

3 Best Waterproof Earphones for Swimming

1. JBL Endurance DIVE

The most amazing feature of these true wireless Bluetooth earbuds is perhaps the fact that you can store and access more than 200 music tracks on the earbuds itself. Technology!

The JBL Endurance DIVE also has a secure fit while swimming, without compromising on great sound after being submerged. You can listen to your favorite tracks for 8 hours straight and then just need to charge the buds for 10 minutes and get an hour's more worth of playback. Amazing, isn’t it?

The ear hook and twisted locking design means you won’t have to fiddle with controls or messy wires, either. The waterproof earbuds also help you go handsfree with intuitive touch controls that let you take calls, play, or pause music, use volume, and switch track order from the buds themselves.

2. Pyle Flextreme MP3 Earbuds

The Pyle Flextreme MP3 Earbuds come come hard at the game of waterproof earbuds for swimming with its 8GB flash memory. You can listen to about 10 of music without charging the buds. With an IPX8 rating, the wireless earbuds are listed as “fully submersible” in water up to 10 feet deep. However, we recommend that you only use these for lengthy swim sessions rather than deep diving.

The physical touch controls make it simple to adjust your music when you’re in the water. The earbuds come with a bendable, adjustable headband that will keep them secure, but other than that, the design is fairly streamlined as to not distract while you’re working out or swimming. Overall, they are a top notch affordable option that will give you all the music you need to power through your laps.

3. Swimbuds MP3 Audio Player

You can store more than 2000 songs on this bad boy that has a memory of 8GB. Even though the design of these earbuds isn't that stylish, you get a lot of fit options. The earbuds come with 11 different tips in four different styles and a grippy ear hook design. Rest assured, for these buds are sure to stay in place through the most intensive swim sessions.

The IPX8 rating means the earbuds are fully waterproof too and will stay powered on for up to seven hours of battery life. All the time that it remains operational, the swimming earphones will provide audio that is surprisingly well-balanced, with a full range of sound and detail even when you’re in the water!

Also, did we mention that the bigger buttons on the earphones make it so very easy to use the controls while underwater? There’s a lot to love about Swimbuds MP3 Audio Player and it is a great affordable option for anyone in the market for earbuds for swimming.  

Expert Buying Tips for Waterproof Earbuds

Equipped with our expert buying tips, you are sure to enjoy a more relaxed purchase journey when in the market for earbuds for swimming.

Water-Resistance & IP Ratings

The best waterproof earbuds got through rigorous testing to determine what its level of protection against liquids is. The resulting score is called an ingress protection (or IP) rating. The IP system also includes dust protection, which can make things a little confusing.

For instance, let’s say one pair of headphones has an IP57 rating and another has an IPX7 rating: Which pair is more waterproof, and what’s with the X?

First off, they're actually the same level of waterproof—only the second digit in an IP rating corresponds to water resistance, so in this case, they both earn a 7 rating. The first digit corresponds to dust resistance, so the IP57 model has level 5 dust resistance.

The X is used as a placeholder rather than a 0, as it is unlikely that the product has absolutely no dust protection. More often than not, the IP ratings we see for headphones have an X in them—manufacturers tend to test more for liquid protection than dust. 

So now that you understand what the numbers represent, what kind of IP ratings should you be looking for? To keep things simple, we’re just going to refer to everything as an IPX rating. It's rare for a manufacturer to even advertise a rating below IPX3, which is too weak to take anywhere near pools. Once you get to IPX4 status, it means the product can withstand water sprayed from any direction, and that's the bare minimum rating you'll find on the headphones we've chosen here.

IPX5 means a product can withstand water jetting from a 6.3mm nozzle, and IPX6 means it can handle water jets from a 12.5mm nozzle. Both of these levels should be good enough for a sweaty workout or exercising/walking in light rain. These headphones probably shouldn’t be exposed to heavy faucet pressure, however, and they definitely shouldn’t be submerged.

IPX7 gear can be submerged, up to a meter, for up to 30 minutes. An IPX7 rating is where a product makes the leap from water resistant to waterproof. IPX8 devices exist, but they tend to be more for pro-level gear and less for everyday consumer use.

Battery Life

Most wireless earbud manufacturers will quote a playing time of between three and five hours. In real-life use, you can count on knocking about 20% off the quoted figure. Once the power is used up, you must pop the earbuds back in their charging case to top up their charge by using power from a battery built into the charging case.

The charging case has a battery that can hold a charge sufficient to top up the earbuds between three and four times before the charging case needs recharging itself. Beware that some makers of wireless earbuds may quote the combined playing time of the three or four top-ups available from the charging case, instead of quoting the playing time for the earbuds.

If you see a quoted figure of 12-15 hours playing time, that’s not for continuous listening on one charge. Ideally, you need to know how long you can listen to the earbuds before they need to go back in their case for a recharge.

Bone Conduction

Using the same principle of sound transfer using vibrations, bone conduction in waterproof earphones use our cheekbones to transfer sound to our ears. Pretty darn amazing, no?

While some debate the compromise of sound quality going through your skull instead of directly into your ear canal, bone conduction earphones are great for when you are underwater because you aren’t relying on your ear cavity to transfer sounds anymore.

With that, we'll take our leave. We hope our list of the best waterproof earbuds for swimming proved to be helpful. Do check out our online store for some amazing deals on earbuds of all kinds and find affordable ones that will suit your tastes and preferences.

Happy Shopping!