The best wireless headphones for every budget
Even though wired headphones have “It” girl status with Gen Z, some of us prefer our headphones to be wireless with Bluetooth connectivity. Plenty of devices don’t even have headphone jacks anymore, so going wireless is honestly the easier choice. You don’t have to carry around any extra dongles to plug your headphones into your phone.
If you prefer over-ear and on-ear style headphones to earbuds, this is for you. You don’t have to worry about headphones being true wireless, because unlike earbuds, headphones don’t need to be attached by any unnecessary cords — they’re true wireless by nature.
Headphones create a natural seal over your ears to block out exterior noise, so even if they aren’t noise canceling, they will still do a decent job preventing unwanted sound from interfering with your music or podcast.
We rounded up our favorite wireless headphones based on our own reviews and customer reviews. They range in quality, features, and price, so there’s a little something for everyone.
Best overall: Sony WH-1000XM4
Who it’s for:
If you have the budget, Sony’s XM line offers the best mix of stellar noise-cancellation, comfort, and all-day battery life. Keep in mind there is a newer model available, the XM5 headphones. However, these offer only small improvements, so we recommend saving $ 50 on the XM4 generation.
Why we picked this:
The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones have superior sound quality and noise cancellation. They’re comparable to the Sennheiser PXC 550-II headphones, but have a more stylish look in our opinion — the ear cups are less bulky.
One stand-out feature these Sony headphones have is that they can pick up when you speak or someone is speaking to you and they automatically pause your music. To be honest, this can get a little annoying if you’re somewhere surrounded by people talking or you just talk to yourself a lot. But luckily you can turn this feature off in the app.
Battery life: 30 hours | Colors: Black, navy, white | Noise cancellation: Yes
Best for Apple users: Apple AirPods Max
Read our full review of the AirPods Max headphones.
Who it’s for:
Price may be a deterrent, but the AirPods Max are a great pair of headphones for Apple fanatics. Your music has never sounded better, and the immersive spatial audio is incredible for movie buffs.
Why we picked this:
AirPods Pro do a decent job blocking out noise, but they can’t compete with the noise cancellation or comfort of the AirPods Max. The sound quality of AirPods Max also outshines the earbuds. The audio is immersive, bass is thumpy, and music won’t flatten at high volumes.
Aesthetically, the AirPods Max look cool, but they’re massive if you have a smaller head, and they are heavy and uncomfortable for people who wear with glasses. Controls are housed in a Digital Crown, which is like the little wheel on the side of an Apple Watch. You can raise/lower volume, play/pause/answer calls, skip and rewind tracks, and trigger Siri.
We don’t love the price, however. Even when they’re on sale, they cost well over $ 450, but you’re paying a premium for sound quality and the ineffable Apple cool factor.
Battery life: 20 hours | Colors: Black, navy, silver, mint, red | Noise cancellation: Yes
Best for style: Beats Studio3
Read our full review of the Beats Studio3 headphones.
Who it’s for:
These Beats have smooth Bluetooth connection and Apple’s powerful W1 chip. For the price, they also have a very impressive battery, with enough juice for listening to your music all day long even with ANC engaged.
Why we picked this:
A few years ago, the Beats Studio3 headphones got an upgrade with Apple’s W1 chip, which boosts the Studio3’s Bluetooth and battery performance. The Bluetooth improvements allow for a smoother connection (for Android and iOS), so there shouldn’t be any signal drops.
Adaptive noice cancellation technology helps quiet the outside world, while audio calibration keeps things clear. The battery will last you about 22 hours with noise cancellation turned on, and up to 40 hours with ANC turned off.
Battery life: 40 hours | Colors: Black, navy, silver, red | Noise cancellation: Yes
Budget pick: Sony WH-CH510
Who it’s for:
There’s no noise cancellation, but for the price, these are quality headphones with a strong battery.
Why we picked this:
If you’re OK with forgoing noise cancellation, the Sony WH-CH510 wireless headphones can save you some serious cash. These affordable headphones are best for casual listening and won’t blow you away with ultra-impressive sound quality, but they are still Sony, so the sound quality isn’t bad by any means.
The headphones can get a little uncomfortable after extended wear, and they’re on-ear headphones, so your ears may get sore. Even as on-ear wireless headphones, they do create a decent seal for your music.
Battery life: 35 hours | Colors: Black | Noise cancellation: No