Best wireless headphones for 2026

Billy Steele for Engadget

Wireless headphones person travel a agelong measurement from nan bulky designs of nan past. Today's models are lighter, smarter and packed pinch features that make them useful for everything from recreation to agelong workdays astatine your desk. Many connection beardown sound cancellation, speedy pairing and reliable artillery life — each of which makes them an easy upgrade if you want much state from your devices.

Of course, not each listener has nan aforesaid needs. Some group want portability, which is why our guideline to nan best earbuds is worthy a look, while others want thing much specialized for illustration nan best gaming headsets aliases nan best fund earbuds. But if you're aft over-ear headphones that attraction connected comfortableness and immersive sound, this roundup of nan champion wireless headphones highlights nan apical choices we've tested.

Billy Steele for Engadget

Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes | Battery life: 30 hours | Weight: 0.55 pounds | Water resistance: None | Assistant support: Bixby, Siri, Google Assistant | Color options: Black, Platinum Silver, and Midnight Blue

Read our afloat Sony WH-1000XM6 review

Sony's 1000X statement has been our apical prime for champion wireless headphone for a agelong clip now. Until different institution tin battalion successful arsenic galore premium features arsenic Sony, and do truthful pinch a operation of fantabulous sound value and effective ANC, nan crown is safe. With nan WH-1000XM6, Sony subtly redesigned its flagship headphones, making them measurement much comfortable to deterioration for agelong periods of time. This is an important facet to see erstwhile purchasing over-ear headphones. We besides noticed successful our tests that nan institution made noticeable improvements to nan progressive sound cancellation, acknowledgment to a caller QN3 chip. There are now 12 full ANC mics arsenic good – nan erstwhile exemplary only had eight. This each combines to amended artifact inheritance sound astatine mean and precocious frequencies, including quality voices.

The M6 besides has improved sound quality, acknowledgment to caller drivers, immoderate thief from mastering engineers and spatial audio upmixing. Its artillery life remains nan aforesaid 30 hours arsenic its predecessor, which is much than capable to get you done respective days of activity aliases agelong world flights. Speak-to-Chat still reduces measurement and activates ambient sound erstwhile you talk and nan M6 tin automatically alteration sound settings based connected your location aliases activity. The only existent downside is that they're $50 much than nan WH-1000XM5 astatine afloat value ($450).

See astatine Amazon

Billy Steele for Engadget

Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes | Battery life: 60 hours | Weight: 0.68 pounds | Water resistance: None | Assistant support: Bixby, Siri, Google Assistant | Color options: Black

Read our full Sennheiser HDB 630 review

Audiophile sound value erstwhile you're connected nan spell typically requires a group of wired headphones and a DAC (digital-to-analog converter). It's not nan astir convenient measurement to perceive to tunes. Sennheiser bridges nan spread betwixt compressed audio connected wireless headphones and those cumbersome setups pinch nan HDB 630. Thanks to a USB-C dongle, you get higher solution sound pinch each nan benefits of wireless ANC headphones.

Sennheiser offers up to 24-bit/96kHz solution wirelessly, and you person nan action for lossless audio complete USB-C arsenic well. There's besides plentifulness of fine-tuning disposable connected a highly elaborate EQ and a Crossfeed characteristic allows you to blend nan near and correct channels for much earthy sound. Plus, nan HDB 630 has a whopping 60 hours of artillery life pinch ANC active, though that fig drops to a still respectable 45 hours erstwhile you alteration those high-quality tracks.

See astatine Sennheiser

Billy Steele for Engadget

Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes | Battery life: 60 hours | Weight: 11.5 ounces | Water resistance: None | Assistant support: Google Assistant, Siri | Color options: Black/Silver

Read our full Noble Audio FoKus Apollo review

Noble Audio utilizes a unsocial driver configuration to supply much elaborate sound than nan competition. Instead of a azygous driver, nan institution uses two: 1 move and 1 planar magnetic. The consequence is nan FoKus Apollo getting nan champion of both, pinch heavy bass, clear highs and utmost clarity.

You won't find a batch of features here. There is decent ANC performance, but it's obscurity adjacent nan best. You'll besides get fantabulous artillery life, which is nan 2nd champion logic to bargain these headphones. Still, you're paying chiefly for nan unthinkable sound quality, which whitethorn not beryllium capable for nan precocious price.

See astatine Noble Audio

Audio-Technica

Noise cancellation: No | Multipoint: Yes | Battery life: 60 hours | Weight: 1.42 pounds | Water resistance: None | Assistant support: Not specified | Color options: Black, White

Audio-Technica has introduced affordable wireless headphones successful nan past, and while they didn't connection progressive sound cancellation, they're still worthy considering. The company's latest is the M20xBT, a Bluetooth type of nan A-T's celebrated M20x wired cans. For conscionable $79, you tin expect a comfortable fresh and up to 60 hours of artillery life. Bluetooth multipoint connectivity allows you to link to aggregate devices astatine erstwhile and beingness buttons supply reliable on-board control. The creation isn't arsenic refined arsenic nan company's pricer models for illustration nan M50xBT2, but you get nan bulk of what makes Audio-Technica's cheaper options truthful good.

See astatine Amazon

Billy Steele for Engadget

Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes | Battery life: 30 hours | Water resistance: None | Assistant support: Google Assistant, Siri | Color options: Black, White, Desert Gold, Driftwood Sand, Midnight Violet

Read our full Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 review

The second-gen type of nan QuietComfort Ultra Headphones aren't an wholly caller device, but location are impactful upgrades each around. With respect to nan ANC specifically, Bose enhanced its ActiveSense tech to soft immoderate adjustments to abrupt spikes successful ambient sound levels. This bolsters what was already superb ANC performance, an accomplishment that gives nan institution a flimsy separator complete nan competition.

The caller type besides includes important updates to powerfulness guidance and artillery life, pinch astatine slightest 5 much hours of usage successful each listening modes. You'll besides get lossless audio complete USB-C, putting nan QC Ultra Headphones connected nan aforesaid level astatine Apple's AirPods Max and others. A comfy fit, reliable controls and folding creation information retired nan spec expanse for this model.

See astatine Amazon

Technics

Noise cancellation: Yes | Multipoint: Yes | Battery life: 50 hours | Weight: 0.65 pounds | Water resistance: None | Assistant support: Amazon Alexa | Color options: Black, Silver

Back astatine CES 2022, Panasonic announced nan EAH-A800: a caller group of progressive sound canceling headphones nether nan iconic Technics brand. While astir of nan features are what you spot connected immoderate number of wireless headphones, 1 fig stood out. The institution says you tin expect up to 50 hours of artillery life connected nan A800, and that's pinch progressive sound cancellation enabled. While we haven't put them done nan afloat reappraisal analysis, I person already tested them connected a agelong flight. The ANC is awesome and they're comfortable capable to debar becoming a load aft respective hours aliases galore agelong listening sessions. Sound value is besides rather bully (there's LDAC support, too) and location are capable features present to warrant nan premium value tag.

See astatine Amazon

Billy Steele for Engadget

When it comes to shopping for a bully brace of wireless headphones, nan first point you'll request to determine connected is deterioration style. Do you for illustration on-ear aliases over-ear headphones? For nan purposes of our buyer's guide, we attraction connected nan over-ear style arsenic that's what astir noise-canceling headphones are nowadays. Sure, you tin find on-ear models pinch ANC, but over-ear designs are overmuch much effective astatine blocking sound. Speaking of sound cancellation, you'll want to find early connected if you moreover want that. If you often crank up nan thumps successful noisy environments, you'll want to not only make judge it's there, but besides make judge it's good, preferably pinch adaptive ANC. If you scheme to usage your caller headphones successful quieter spaces, skipping ANC tin prevention you immoderate money.

The adjacent area to see is features. We urge trying to get nan astir bang for your buck, but arsenic you're shopping astir you should find which items are must-haves and what you tin unrecorded without. And don't return basal things for illustration automatic pausing and Bluetooth multipoint connectivity for granted, arsenic not each companies see them. We besides propose reference reviews to spot really good a company's much precocious features work. This will thief you determine if those are thing you're consenting to (likely) salary other for. Keep an oculus connected amended artillery life estimates to debar disappointment, arsenic immoderate manufacturers committedness much hours than real-world testing delivers. And don't beryllium easy swayed by lofty promises astir telephone value without verifying them.

Sound tin beryllium subjective, truthful we urge trying earlier you bargain if astatine each possible. We understand this isn't easy astatine a clip erstwhile we're doing astir of our shopping online. But trying connected a group of headphones and listening to them for a fewer minutes tin prevention you from an costly lawsuit of buyer's remorse. We besides urge paying attraction to things for illustration Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos, 360 Reality Audio and different immersive formats. Not each headphones support them, truthful you'll want to make judge a position brace does if that benignant of point excites you. If you scheme to usage your headphones for different media too music, checking for latency is besides a must — immoderate hold tin effect playback for things for illustration movies aliases games, moreover if astir existent wireless headphones now connection minimal lag.

Billy Steele for Engadget

The superior measurement we trial wireless headphones is to deterioration them arsenic overmuch arsenic possible. We for illustration to do this complete a one- to two-week period, but sometimes embargoes don't let it. During this time, we perceive to a operation of euphony and podcasts, while besides utilizing nan earbuds to return some sound and video calls. Since artillery life for headphones tin beryllium 30 hours aliases more, we drain nan artillery pinch looping euphony and nan measurement group astatine a comfortable level (usually astir 75 percent). Due to nan longer artillery estimates, we'll typically powerfulness nan headphones disconnected respective times and time off them during a review. This simulates real-world usage and keeps america from having to perpetually show nan process for complete 24 consecutive hours.

To judge nan champion Bluetooth headphones, we attraction connected higher-quality audio by listening to a assortment of genres and paying adjacent attraction to really each style sounds. We besides trial astatine some debased and precocious volumes to cheque for consistency successful nan tuning. To measure nan value of telephone calls, we'll grounds audio samples pinch nan headphones' microphones arsenic good arsenic person 3rd parties telephone us.

When it comes to features, we do a thorough reappraisal of companion apps, testing each characteristic arsenic we activity done nan software. Any holdovers from erstwhile models are double checked for improvements aliases regression. If nan headphones we're testing are an updated type of a erstwhile model, we'll walk clip getting reacquainted pinch nan older set. Ditto for nan closest title for each caller group of headphones that we review.

Billy Steele for Engadget

AirPods Max 2

After a insignificant USB-C update, Apple yet person its priciest headphones a due second-gen type pinch nan AirPods Max 2 successful 2026. The upgrade to nan existent (for now) H2 spot delivered a big of caller features, from Adaptive Audio to Conversation Awareness and Live Translation. The institution improved sound value and ANC capacity arsenic well, but nan creation remains nan aforesaid and truthful does nan $539 price.

Dyson On-Trac

The On-Trac headphones person an almost infinitely customizable design, and that's what's astir unsocial astir them. The sound floor plan offers immoderate bully detail, but lacks move scope overall. ANC is mean astatine champion and location aren't immoderate precocious features that will make your life easier. Well, isolated from for nan proceeding wellness show which is really handy. All told, that's not a batch successful a group of $500 headphones.

Sonos Ace

The Sonos Ace is an fantabulous debut for nan company's first headphones. The operation of refined design, awesome sound value and location theatre tricks creates a unsocial formula. However, ANC capacity is conscionable okay and cardinal functionality is still successful nan useful for galore users.

Sony ULT Wear

If astir headphones don't person nan level of bass you desire, nan ULT Wear is an action to consider. The low-end listen isn't for everyone, but location are besides plentifulness of useful features and a refined look to make nan $200 group much compelling than galore successful this value range.

Sony WH-CH720N

While nan WH-CH720N are a awesome affordable option, we for illustration nan Audio-Technica successful nan fund category. Sony's cans are lightweight pinch bully sound quality, but ANC struggles astatine times and they're made pinch a batch of plastic.

Beats Studio Pro

The Studio Pro lacks basal features for illustration automatic pausing, and multipoint connectivity is only disposable connected Android. Moreover, they're not very comfortable for group pinch larger heads. Overall sound value is improved, though, and sound capacity connected calls is good supra average.

Master & Dynamic MH40 (2nd gen)

The MH40 are a awesome group of headphones if you favour crisp, clear and earthy sound that isn't overly tuned. This brace showcases nan company's affinity for leather and metallic too, but constricted customization and short artillery life for non-ANC cans kept this group from making nan cut.

Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2

Bowers & Wilkins' gave its astir premium headphones a important update successful precocious 2025 pinch nan Px8 S2. The institution improved nan already luxurious creation pinch caller touches and its way grounds for stellar sound value is still intact. However, nan characteristic group remains constricted and nan $799 value tag remains high. 

Bowers & Wilkin Px7 S3

Bowers & Wilkins besides updated its much affordable headphones successful 2025. With nan Px7 S3, nan institution made changes to its sound level alongside humble improvements to ANC. But pinch a higher price, I expected much successful position of caller additions. Plus, nan location of nan onboard controls is awkward and affects nan wide experience. 

Fender Mix

Fender Audio, a collaboration betwixt nan Fender Corporation and Riffsound, dropped its first headphones successful early 2026. Despite immoderate fantabulous creation choices, nan deficiency of an app astatine motorboat meant you had to contend pinch nan banal tuning connected nan Fender Mix, which wasn't awesome unless you employed lossless mode.

JBL Live 680NC and 780NC

JBL has a monolithic lineup of headphones, including some on-ear and over-ear models. The JBL Live 680NC and 780NC are some decent options, but neither really near a lasting belief pinch their sound quality. Voice capacity connected calls was besides lacking, and you person to usage an app to disable ANC and ambient sound modes.

Sony 1000X The Collexion

To observe nan 10th day of its highly-regarded 1000X headphone line, Sony built a much luxurious exemplary dubbed 1000X The Collexion. While nan creation (and higher price) were surely much premium, nan wide capacity was not. You're amended disconnected sticking pinch nan WH-1000XM6 successful position of some ANC and sound quality.  

Sennheiser Momentum 5

Sennheiser made america hold almost 4 years for an update to its workhorse Momentum Wireless Headphones. With nan Momentum 5, nan institution offers fantabulous audio and improved ANC capacity alongside agelong artillery life and a fewer mini but meaningful creation tweaks. This exemplary is much costly than its predecessor though, and nan Dolby Atmos integration is simply a activity successful progress.

Marshall Milton ANC

Marshall's Major headphones person been astir arsenic agelong arsenic nan iPad, but until now, nan company's on-ear headphones lacked ANC. The Milton exemplary fixes that, and nan noise-canceling capacity is respectable for nan deterioration style. Long artillery life and a comfy fresh are besides benefits, but location are caveats excessively — for illustration nan deficiency of aptX support.

Skullcandy Crusher 1080 ANC

Skullcandy's Crusher statement is known for its haptic bass that you tin virtually feel. The Crusher 1080 ANC gets immoderate audio and sound canceling thief from Bose, which makes for an improved wide package. The Crusher creation remains mostly nan aforesaid though, and these headphones commencement to consciousness dense during agelong listening sessions. 

Billy Steele for Engadget

How tin you show nan value of wireless headphones?

I typically look astatine 3 factors: design, sound value and features. In position of design, I'm usually looking to spot if nan build value of nan headphones feels inexpensive and plasticky. Plenty of companies usage plastic, but they tin do truthful successful a measurement that doesn't look aliases consciousness for illustration fund models. For sound quality, I want to perceive a nice, moreover tuning wherever highs, mids and lows are each good represented. No overly boomy bass aliases scooped retired mids. I besides want bully clarity wherever you tin prime up good specifications and an open, immersive soundstage. Features is typically a distant third, but if a institution doesn't screen basal functionality (automatic pausing, transparency mode, multipoint Bluetooth, etc.) it tin beryllium an denotation of wide quality.

How do I take nan champion value wireless headphones?

"Best" tin beryllium beautiful subjective, but I ever urge going to a spot wherever you tin perceive to nan headphones you're reasoning astir buying earlier you commit. Sometimes this isn't possible, truthful you'll want to cheque return policies. I besides urge doing immoderate investigation to find what your priorities are successful a caller set. Are you an audiophile who wants nan champion sound quality? Is powerful progressive sound cancellation (ANC) nan astir important? Would you alternatively person conveniences for illustration automatic pausing?

Which marque has nan champion wireless headphones?

Sony consistently tops our database pinch its 1000X line. This is mostly owed to nan operation of sound quality, ANC capacity and nan truckload of features these headphones battalion in. I'll beryllium nan first to show you that location are amended sounding options and different companies, like Bose, connection much effective sound cancellation. But erstwhile you adhd everything up, nary 1 comes adjacent to nan afloat slate of devices Sony puts successful its premium headphone line.

Do costly wireless headphones sound better?

Exorbitant value tags don't mean amended audio quality. Bowers & Wilkins' headphones are connected nan precocious extremity for wireless noise-canceling models and they sound amazing. However, Audio-Technica's M50xBT2 is overmuch much affordable and doesn't person ANC, but these headphones person a warm, earthy sound floor plan that I find very inviting. At nan extremity of nan day, it will travel down to individual preference, but you don't request to walk a batch to find awesome headphones.