Wireless Bluetooth headphones have become increasingly popular over the last several years. The best wireless headphones have support for great, high-fidelity sound. That's why the Sony WH-1000XM3 is our best overall pick. It features good sound quality, long battery life, and are comfortable for long-term use — and their noise cancelation is second-to-none.
Best Overall: Sony WH-1000XM3
By far, the most significant feature of the XM3s is its class-leading active noise canceling (ANC). Not only does it make traveling much easier by completely drowning out things such as planes and trains; the XM3 is excellent at blocking out higher-pitched sounds as well. The ANC you get out of the XM3 is legitimate, and it sometimes feels like you're in an empty room. The ANC works seamlessly with how comfortable the headphone is. No matter your head shape or head size, the XM3 will more than likely feel super comfortable on your head and will be comfortable for hours (and we mean hours on end) without fatigue or discomfort.
In terms of sound quality, bass heads will rejoice here. The sound quality of the XM3s lean heavily on the bass giving it a ton of thump and rumble. So much so that it can often sound overbearing and muddy. The midrange and higher frequencies, unfortunately, get drowned out by the bass quite a bit. However, the headphone features a smartphone app for both Android and iOS that lets you adjust the way they sound with a basic 5 band equalizer and a very generic "clear bass" slider.
Battery life is excellent with up to 30 hours of wireless listening time on a single charge. They support fast-charging over USB-C that will get you five hours of listening in a 10-minute charge, which is impressive. One downside to the XM3 when it comes to charging is that you can't use them while wired or wireless. The XM3s will disable all functions until you unplug the USB-C charging cable. This also means you can't plug them in with a USB-C to USB-C cable to your Android phone and use the USB-C connection for audio.
Pros:
- Excellent battery life
- Great comfort
- Class-leading ANC performance
- Great bass-boosted sound
Cons:
- Can't charge and listen simultaneously
- Lacks USB-C audio.
Best Overall
Sony WH-1000XM3
The ANC King, but excellent overall
Most over-ear headphones nowadays feature ANC. The XM3s do everything well: ANC, battery life, sound quality, and reliability.
Value Pick: Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2
Most, if not all, modern over-ear headphones nowadays come with ANC in the box; especially if you're looking for wireless over-ear headphones. The Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2 is our pick for the best value pair of headphones.
First things first: the sound quality on the Backbeat Pro 2 is exceptional, and bass heads will be happy. It features an overemphasized bass that gives the Backbeat Pro 2 an overall bass-heavy sound signature. However, the bass isn't too boosted where everything else is drowned out.
Comfort-wise, the Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2 is super comfortable and shouldn't give you much trouble when it comes to comfort. This is important as they feature up to 24 hours of battery on a single charge. And when the battery is dead, you can charge the Backbeat Pro 2 over with the included Micro-USB cable.
Pros:
- Long battery life
- Great sound quality
- Excellent comfort
Cons:
- Micro-USB for charging
Value Pick
Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2
Great sound, comfort, and battery life
The Backbeat Pro 2 from Plantronics has a lot going for it. Great sound, battery life, comfort, and support for aptX-LL.
Best Budget Headphones: Tribit XFree Tune
If you're looking for ridiculously long battery life, the Tribit XFree Tune are the right headphones for you. They last up to 40 hours on a single charge which will get most people through the week without needing to recharge. While that's great, the XFree Tune still charges over Micro-USB instead of the more modern USB-C connector.
In terms of sound quality, the XFree Tune perform decently well. Both the bass and treble are elevated but the treble is clearly boosted more, making some tracks sound overly bright. This means that cymbals, some female vocals, and "P" and "S"'s from vocals can sound overly sharp and can cause some fatigue for some.
For comfort, the XFree Tune are excellent. In our testing, we're able to wear these for hours on end without any issues. Ears stayed relatively cool, the headband wasn't pushing up against the head, and it didn't feel like the ear cups were squeezing the head at all.
Pros:
- Fun, bass and treble-heavy sound
- Super comfortable
- Ridiculously long battery life
Cons:
- Micro-USB for charging
Best Budget Headphones
Tribit XFree Tune
They last basically forever
You get excellent sound and great comfort for ridiculously long listening sessions at a low price.
Best Budget Earbuds: Anker SoundBuds Slim
The Anker SoundBuds Slim are a great set of earbuds for a stupidly low price. They feature IPX7 water resistance, which means you'll be covered in most scenarios. No, you can't go swimming or shower with them on. But, if you drop them in a puddle by accident, or are doing an intense workout, the SoundBuds Slim should survive just fine.
Battery life wise, the SoundBuds Slim are good. They last up to 10 hours on a single charge and can be recharged using the included Micro-USB cable. Unfortunately, there's no fast charging here so to charge from 0% to full battery; you're looking at around three hours.
In terms of sound, they are decent. The bass lacks thump and rumble but is very detailed. The treble is boosted a good amount meaning the earbuds can be overly sharp and piercing at times. However, this isn't always the case and depends on how a song is mastered.
Fortunately, that's made up in the comfort department. In our testing, we've noticed zero ear fatigue or pain when having them on for long periods. They come with various tip sizes and should cover most people's ears.
Pros:
- Bluetooth 5.0
- IPX7 water-resistant
- Good battery life
Cons:
- Micro-USB for charging
- Treble can be piercing and sharp at times
Best Budget Earbuds
Anker SoundBuds Slim
Cost-effective in-ear buds
The Anker SoundBuds Slim are great for those who workout. They're futureproofed and last about 10 hours on a charge.
Best Over-Ear: Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 3
Sennheiser is known for its stellar sound quality and the Momentum Wireless 3 is no exception. The sound signature could be described as smooth and flat all around with a minor bump in the bass. The dynamic range is excellent, and soundstage is above average for active noise-canceling headphones.
Speaking of, ANC performance on the Momentum Wireless 3 is superb. While it isn't as good as what you would find on the Sony WH-1000XM3, it's super close. The Momentum Wireless 3 can block out most low-end and midrange noise, only struggling to block out higher-pitched noises, which is typical of ANC headphones. It also features an ambient sound mode, which allows you to hear the environment around you without taking off the headphone. Fortunately, the ambient sound mode of the Moment Wireless 3 are some of the best we've heard. It sounds very true to life, and in most cases feels like you don't have headphones on at all. If we had to rank the top three ANC headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM3 would be the top dog, with the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700 in second, and the Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 3 as a close third.
Battery life is below average for an ANC headphone coming in at 17 hours of battery life. Ideally, you'd want 20+ hours of battery life on a single charge, especially at this price. Fortunately, they charge over USB-C and you can charge and listen at the same time. Unfortunately, the Momentum Wireless 3 do not support fast charging.
Comfort is excellent for the most part with the Momentum Wireless 3, with no issues with ear fatigue, heaviness on the crown, or pain. The ear cups and headband are super soft and comfortable; however, the earpads do get warm after several hours of usage. This means that you may need to take a break every few hours to let both the ear pads and your ears breathe.
Pros:
- Excellent sound quality
- Great ANC performance
- Superb ambient sounds mode that sounds natural
- USB-C for charging
Cons:
- Battery life could be better
- Ear cups get warm after listening for a while
Best Over-Ear
Sennheiser Momentum Wireless 3
High-quality wireless sound
If you're looking for over-ear headphones with the absolute best sound, the Momentum Wireless 3 won't disappoint.
Best On-Ear: Beats Solo Pro
While many will skip on-ear headphones entirely, they still do a few key things great. For example, they offer a great combination of portability and sound quality, especially if you need to hear what's going on around you. Enter the Beats Solo Pro, some of the best on-ear headphones on the market.
First, let's talk about sound quality. While Beats has a reputation of bass-heavy sound to the point where everything else gets drowned out, the Solo Pros are a major departure. The bass is still boosted, but the boost has been toned down quite a bit. The midrange and treble are flat overall and blend well with the boosted bass. Even if you're not a huge bass fan, the Solo Pros should still have a satisfying sound.
For battery life, the Solo Pro performs excellently. The headphone can net you 22 hours of listening time with ANC enabled, and nearly double that (40 hours) with ANC disabled. ANC performance on the Solo Pro is decent. The on-ear design prevents the headphone from getting a complete seal, and the ANC can only do so much to help. It gets the job done, but don't expect it to compete with other ANC headphones on the market. The Solo Pro can block out most low-end noise but struggles quite a bit when it comes to everything else.
In terms of comfort, the Solo Pro is also decent. The headband has a good amount of adjustment, however, it may not fit those who have bigger heads. The ear cups also have a strong clamping force, which means that they will force themselves onto your head more than other headphones might. This can cause major discomfort on the ears, especially over longer periods of time. Those with smaller heads and ears should have no issues with the Solo Pro.
Pros:
- Long battery life
- Great sound quality
- Good ANC performance
- On-ear design great for portability
Cons:
- Lighting for charging
- Not the best ANC on the market
- Comfort could be better, especially for larger heads
Best On-Ear
Beats Solo Pro
Awesome-sounding on-ear headphones
The Solo Pros are a fantastic on-ear headphone that feature great sound, long battery life, and good ANC.
Best True Wireless Earbuds: Jabra Elite 75t
The Jabra Elite 75t bring a lot to the table with only a few downsides. For one, the sound is great. The bass is booming and may sound overwhelming to some. They're a tad treble boosted as well, which means that things such as high pitched female vocals, cymbals, "P" and "S" sounds may sound piercing. Fortunately, the earbuds feature a smartphone app on both Android and iOS that allows you to customize its sound signature with a fairly basic equalizer.
They're comfortable, too, and come with multiple ear tip sizes in the box to help with comfort, fit, and stability. From our experience, it's unlikely that you'll feel any sort of discomfort or fatigue, even after long listening sessions. In terms of battery, you likely won't get the advertised 7.5 hours as we found in our testing, but the case includes an extra three charges.
There are still a couple of downsides. First and foremost, the left earbud can't be used on its own. This is thanks to how the earbuds fundamentally work. The right earbud handles the communication to your device and relays all that information back to the left earbuds. This also means that if you ever lose the right earbud, the left one effectively becomes a paperweight. The second downside is that the charging case doesn't support wireless charging in any form. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things but is a nice to have, especially considering most other true wireless earbuds feature it.
Pros:
- USB-C charging
- Great battery life
- Superb, customizable sound
- Excellent comfort
Cons:
- Lacks wireless charging case
- Only right earbud works independently
Best True Wireless Earbuds
Jabra Elite 75t
No cords
The Elite 75t from Jabra are super comfortable, sound great, and feature long battery life.
Best Neckbud: Bose QC30
For those looking for neck earbuds, look no further than the Bose QC30. They offer the three most important things that people have come to love with neckbuds. They're comfortable around your neck and stay firmly in place so that you don't have to worry about them falling from your neck. When it comes to the earbuds themselves, they're comfortable there as well. The QC30 comes with a few different bud sizes in the box so you can choose which fits you best.
In terms of phone calls, the QC30 are excellent. In our testing, we didn't have any issues with being able to hear people on the other end, nor did they have any issues hearing us. For the most part, the person on the other end says they didn't even know we were using earbuds at all. The sound quality is also excellent. The sound is very smooth overall with a bump in the treble. While this can make the earbuds sound slightly more spacious, it can also make them fatiguing across the board.
When it comes to controlling your earbuds, the QC30 work tremendously. They have physical controls that mimic the classic iPod controls. Single tap them to play/pause, double-tap to skip forward, triple tap to skip back, and tap and hold for your phone's assistant.
One major downside with the QC30 is latency. While this isn't a big issue when listening to music or taking a phone call, it can be a problem if you're watching live TV or playing games with them.
Pros:
- Great comfort
- Superb call quality
- Physical media controls
Cons:
- High latency
- Expensive
Best Neckbud
Bose QC30
Comfy phone calls
They're on your neck all the time, ready to take phone calls. They're also pretty good for music playback.
Best Noise Canceling True Wireless: AirPods Pro
Apple essentially started the true wireless revolution, and the AirPods are the best selling wireless earbuds on the market. Now, with the introduction of AirPods Pro, Apple is aiming to have the best true wireless earbuds on the market.
Let's tackle the elephant in the room: sound quality. Just like previous AirPods, it's not going to blow your mind away. While the sound signature is vastly improved over the previous generation AirPods, it still has a long way to go. The sound signature overall is pretty great with a slight boost in the midrange pushes most vocals and instruments such as guitars, horns, and pianos forward.
Active noise cancelation (ANC) performance on the AirPods Pro is excellent. It compares favorably to the Sony WF-1000XM3, which is one of the other true wireless ANC earbuds on the market. Both are equally as good, but the AirPods Pro's ANC is more consistent.
AirPods Pro also have decent battery life with 4.5 hours of listening time with ANC enabled, three hours when on a phone call, and five hours of listening time with ANC disabled. The included charging case gets you an additional 18-19 hours of listening time. The case itself is still impressively small and charges via Lightning (wired) and supports Qi wireless charging. Battery life is by far the "worst" thing about the AirPods Pro as many true wireless earbuds are now getting 6-10 hours of listening time before needing to be put back in the case to recharge.
Comfort is excellent and this is mostly thanks to the proprietary snapping mechanism for the ear tip. Instead of having a plastic stem that protrudes, the ear tips on AirPods Pro snap right onto the bud itself. This means the portion that gets stuffed into your ear is purely the silicone ear tip and has an easier time adjusting to your ear.
Pros:
- Excellent ANC performance
- Great sound quality
- Superb comfort
- Wireless charging case
Cons:
- Bud battery life is short
- Lightning for charging
Best Noise Canceling True Wireless
AirPods Pro
No wires, seriously
The AirPods Pro packs a ton of features while still being super convenient. The battery life is good but could be better.
Best Noise Canceling: Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700
Being the successor to the Bose QC35 IIs, the Noise Canceling 700 does an outstanding job at canceling out noise. Not only does the headphone block out low-end noise, the Noise Canceling 700 make improvements in the midrange and treble. As with most ANC headphones, the NCH 700 still struggle with non-consistent noises such as talking. Where Bose takes it a step further with the Noise Canceling 700s is that it now offers up to 11 different steps of ANC that can be toggled within their companion smartphone app. This allows you to control the amount of ANC you want on a more intricate level.
In terms of sound quality, Bose has once again made significant improvements in this area. The headphone sound very flat overall however the treble is still boosted decent amount. Fortunately, the treble isn't pushed too forward where they sound fatiguing or piercing to the ear.
The Noise Canceling 700s and the QC35 Ils share a lot in common. For example, they both still have the great 20 hours of battery life, support for hands-free Alexa and Google Assistant, and are both super comfortable for long-term use.
The only real downside of the Noise Canceling 700s is that it doesn't feature a folding design. This means that when you pack the headphone away in your bag, the carrying case is quite large as it has to accommodate the entire un-folded headphone.
Pros:
- Good battery life
- Support for 11 levels of ANC
- Support for hands-free Alexa and Google Assistant
- Excellent comfort
Cons:
- Non-foldable design
Best Noise Canceling
Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700
What? I can't hear you
The NCH 700 sound great, with good battery life and superb ANC performance.
Best For Sport: JBL UA True Wireless Flash
The JBL UA True Wireless Flash are fantastic for working out. First and foremost, they feature IPX7 water resistance, which means they'll be able to withstand sweat, rain, puddles, and practically anything else. Just don't swim with them since they're not rated to take while swimming.
Sound quality is excellent on the UA True Wireless Flash. The sound signature is very smooth and flat across the board. With little to no boosts in the sound signature.
They're comfortable and we've experienced no issues with ear fatigue or discomfort. The buds don't enter the ear canal at all, which is always a bonus as long as it doesn't compromise on sound quality. It uses a wing and bud combination, which helps with comfort and fit.
When it comes to battery life, the UA True Wireless Flash are decent. The buds get up to five hours of audio playback before you have to recharge. The charging case adds an additional 20 hours of listening, totaling 25 hours of battery life. Unfortunately, they charge over the aging Micro-USB connector instead of the more modern USB-C connector. They also don't feature wireless charging of any sort. Not a dealbreaker but true wireless earbuds in this price range typically include it.
Pros:
- Great battery life
- Excellent comfort
- Superb sound
- IPX7 water resistance
Cons:
- Micro-USB for charging
- Lacks wireless charging case
Best Sport
JBL UA True Wireless Flash
Fantastic workout buds
The UA True Wireless Flash feature IPX7 water resistance, excellent sound, and good battery life.
Bottom line
Everyone deserves to have a solid pair of wireless headphones, but if you've never purchased a pair before, you may be lost on where to start your shopping. Thankfully, we have a few tips to make your buying decision a little easier. Above all else, you'll need to decide what style of headphones you want — in-ear, on-ear, or over-ear. Each one has a unique style/fit, meaning one isn't necessarily better than the other.
Once you've decided which of these is right for you, there are three other features that you should be thinking about: sound quality, noise cancelation, and battery life. Some headphones will kick out more bass, while others are more balanced. Most headphones will block out sound to some degree with the way they rest on your head, but others have a feature called "active noise cancellation" that uses microphones to actively block out ambient sound. Lastly, battery life is pretty self-explanatory. The longer the battery life headphones have, the longer they last before needing to be charged up.
Bluetooth headphones will continue to evolve as more devices come out without a headphone jack. Smartphones were the first device to ditch the jack, and now tablets and even some computers are removing them entirely.
Great wireless headphones should be comfortable, be out of your way, have excellent battery life, and sound great. That's why you should consider the Sony WH-1000XM3 when buying a pair of wireless headphones.
They're not cheap but the additional price gets you some of the best active noise cancelation in the business, along with incredible sound quality, USB-C charging, ultra-long comfort, and unmatched battery life — all in a package that can fold down small for traveling.
How to choose the best wireless headphones
There are three things to look out for when buying headphones: sound quality, battery life, and comfort. You won't enjoy your purchase if you can't hear what you want to listen to for as long as you want.
Sound Quality
Sound quality should be your top priority for potential headphone buyers. It doesn't matter if they're super comfortable or look pretty if they sound terrible.
The Bose NCH 700s are, unsurprisingly, our top pick. They provide excellent sound in their own regard, on top of having excellent ANC performance. Usually, ANC degrades sound quality quite a bit, but Bose managed to have great sound and ANC.
Both the Beats Solo Pro and Jabra Elite 75t are interesting that they give users a warmer sound signature. They both boost the bass a considerable amount but not overwhelmingly so. At least for the Elite 75t, you can adjust that with their companion smartphone app for Android and iOS.
Best wireless headphones, ranked by sound quality
- Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700
- Beats Solo Pro
- Jabra Elite 75t
- Skullcandy Grind
- JBL UA True Wireless Flash
Comfort
Comfort can sometimes be overlooked by some headphone manufacturers. Some manufacturers have a better track record for comfort than others.
Our top three picks are the Sony WH-1000XM3, Bose NCH 700s, and the AirPods Pro. All three headphones are active noise canceling (ANC) headphones and that's no surprise. Usually, when it comes to ANC, the number one objective is comfort since many will be taking these on long trips.
However, ANC headphones don't typically have the greatest sound quality, so be wary of that.
Best wireless headphones, ranked by comfort
- Sony WH-1000XM3
- Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700
- AirPods Pro
- Jabra Elite 75t
- JBL UA True Wireless Flash
Battery Life
Battery life is super important when it comes to wireless headphones, especially when certain manufacturers restrict you from listening to your headphones while charging. You'll want to look for USB-C to make sure you futureproof your device, and for truly wireless earbuds, wireless charging is a bonus.
All five of these headphones have at least 20 hours of battery life, which should be more than enough to cover at least one full workday or a long flight without needing to recharge.
The Tribit XFree Tune takes the number one spot with a whopping 40 hours of battery life on a single charge. This is followed up by the Sony WH-1000XM3, which net you up to 30 hours of battery life on a single charge, and the Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2, which get you 24 hours.
Best wireless headphones, ranked by battery life
- Tribit XFree Tune
- Sony WH-1000XM3
- Plantronics Backbeat Pro 2
- Beats Solo Pro
- Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Peter Cao loves his headphones. He constantly cycles through and tests many headphones throughout the year. In his downtime, he likes to listen and analyze music with said headphones.
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