The 12 best headphones of 2026 — we tested the top contenders from Sony, Apple, Bose, and Beats

Read our full review of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones (2nd gen).

For anyone who's yet to buy into the Bose QuietComfort Ultra line, but wants noise-cancelling headphones that can easily handle long hours of wear, there's no better choice than the second generation Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones.

The best noise-cancelling headphones aren't much use if they squeeze your head too tight or prevent you from wearing accessories like earrings or glasses comfortably. In other words, comfort is key — we were big fans of Bose's first gen QC Ultra headphones for exactly this reason.

With the second generation of the headphones, Bose makes minor improvements to the soundscape, noise-cancelling, and somehow the wear. They also fixed other bugs that detracted from the otherwise premium experience of using the QC Ultras.

As a first step, Bose upped the battery life from 24 to 30 hours per charge with ANC. They also added options for wired playback with the USB-C cable (which can simultaneously charge the headphones) or the auxiliary cable for passive playback (which wasn't available on the first gen headphones). In tandem with the battery life, these headphones become much stronger contenders for travel.

For day-to-day use, Bose's noise cancelling remains as solid as ever (though Sony's XM6s are ever so slightly more adept at handling high pitched frequencies), while offering an easy adjustment on 10 different levels of ANC via the companion app. As for the listening experience, the immersive audio remains as lackluster as it did on the first gen, but the overall sound profile came through richer and more robust when we compared the headphones side by side. Bose also added quality of life adjustments like better wear detection, and a lay flat mode that puts the headphones into a low power mode when they're placed face down. Overall, it's hard to beat this blend of sound quality, ANC, and comfort, making the second iteration of the QC Ultras one of our top picks for headphones.

Read our full review of the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones.

After three years, Sony's flagship wireless headphones finally got an update. If you love Sony headphones and have an old pair of XM4s, then we can definitely recommend an upgrade. However, if you just purchased a pair of XM5s, then it might be harder to justify an instant upgrade. That said, the active noise cancellation is better than ever, and there are noticeable improvements to audio quality (even if they lose out by a smidge to the latest Technics AZ100 earbuds). Besides music lovers, travelers will also appreciate the new Sony cans, as they fold up and come with an improved travel case.

Mashable's Tech Editor Timothy Beck Werth reviewed the XM6 headphones ahead of their launch, and he was impressed with the overall quality. As Werth wrote in his review, "The new Sony headphones offer impressive audio quality, and they definitely improve on the XM5 models. The active noise cancellation is particularly phenomenal...I really appreciated the overall balance, depth, and quality of the audio. For the XM6, Sony audio engineers worked with music mastering engineers here in the United States, and the results are clear when you listen to music. Like all headphone reviewers, I have a dedicated playlist for testing new audio products, and I found that vocal-heavy tracks sound particularly great, with noticeable improvements over the XM5s."

Sony introduced (or, rather, brought back) a major design change for the XM6 headphones — they fold up for easier storage. They're definitely more compact and easier to travel with compared to the previous-gen model. The overall design looks similar, so if you're a fan of the Sony aesthetic, you'll still appreciate how they look.

We do wish there had been slightly bigger improvements after a three-year wait, and the battery life (30 hours with ANC engaged) is the same as the XM5 model, which we also loved. These headphones did arrive with a higher sticker price, so if you can't quite swing the $448 price tag, look for the excellent XM5 headphones on sale.

If you don't particularly care to have the most premium pair of headphones on the market (or care to spend several hundred dollars on them), the JLab JBuds Lux ANC headphones more than get the job done. They have functional ANC, decent comfort, great sound balance, and a killer battery life, all with a design that doesn't feel overtly budget-friendly.

At their regular sale price of around $50, these are about a ninth the price of the latest Sony headphones, and a seventh of the price of the Bose QuietComfort headphones, which feel like these headphones' premium analogue.

With budget headphones, it's good to understand what you're trading off from the jump. In the case of these JLab headphones, the ANC will dampen a good amount of environmental sound, from talking coworkers to loud fans, but it won't completely silence the world around you. The app can lag some (we had to exit out of it a few times during testing when it froze), and the fit of these headphones might not be for everyone. For one of our testers, these headphones squeezed their head more than usual (though some users on Reddit called these the most comfortable headphones they've tried). Regardless of the fit, you're likely to hear some creaking from time to time when you move your head around.

At $80, these are all cons that may not be ideal, but are fair for the price point. At these headphones' frequent sale prices that hover in the $50 to $55 range, these cons are even easier to swallow, especially when you consider how these headphones actually sound.

To be clear, you'll likely need to play around with the EQ some to find your perfect settings — we found the first preset to be on the bass-heavy end. Once you do, it's impressive the way these headphones can balance a song. Every part of Panic! At The Disco's "Northern Downpour" shone through, from the vocals, lead guitar, bass, and piano. For budget headphones, we might expect some muddying through these elements, but the JLab JBuds held up great. If we're being nitpicky, The Beatles' "In My Life" came through somewhat dimmer sounding than expected, but not necessarily muddy.

Beyond the sound signature, these headphones have a reasonable amount of customization with the app, especially for their price point. You can adjust the button commands on one of the three on-ear buttons, adjust the ANC intensity with a slider in the app, and create your own custom EQ settings. Multipoint pairing is available, as are spatial audio, music, and movie modes.

Check out our full guide to the best Sony headphones.

The new price of entry for flagship noise-cancelling headphones? A cool $450, at least. So, if you're looking for wireless headphones with true active noise cancellation but don't want to spend more than $100, then go with Sony's mid-range noise-cancellers. They have Sony's signature sound (and signature all-plastic design, sadly), and you can almost always find them on sale for under $100 at Amazon and other retailers.

These headphones perform much better than you'd expect a pair of $100 cans to perform. They have surprisingly impressive ANC and multipoint pairing, as well as impressive sound — hardly a surprise with a pair of Sony headphones.

As our reviewer Alex Bracetti wrote, "The WH-CH720 employs 30mm drivers and exclusive brand technologies to broaden sound performance. Expect a vibrant mix of impactful bass with striking mids and highs. Turning on DSEE raises fidelity on poor-quality recordings, which many luxury headphones can’t do. You can tweak the sound to your liking via the EQ, though the headphones sound great on their default setting."

Read our full review of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen).

While they're not the perfect all-around earbuds, the high price of entry for the second-generation Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds is worth it for getting the absolute best combination of comfort and noise cancellation on the market.

They're also an excellent option for anyone who has difficulty finding earbuds that are both comfortable and secure.

Even compared to over-ear headphones, these earbuds provide standout active noise cancellation. Turning them on feels like turning down the volume dial on the world around you, and that's before you start streaming any audio. Whether you're in an office, cafe, at home, or on your commute, these earbuds are sure to impress you with their ANC.

When you do start streaming audio, your equalizer options are limited compared to other premium options, but these buds do have a relatively well-balanced sound profile out of the gate. It's not the best we've ever heard, but it's still fair enough for the price point. If you're a fan of spatial audio that offers plenty of resonance, not unlike live music, you'll likely be pleased with what the Ultras offer.

Even more of a standout than the sound is the way these earbuds fit. The stabilizer band and ear tip work together to keep the earbuds secure, though they never caused us any ear fatigue or soreness. Finding that just-right fit helped boost the passive ANC power on these buds, and makes them a viable option for working out (along with their IPX4 rating).

For all that they do very well, the second-gen Ultra earbuds do have some drawbacks. For one, they're not too different from their predecessors: the ANC and sound improvements are minor, with the most significant changes coming in the form of a wireless charging case, a better transparency mode, and noticeably better voice clarity on calls.

We would've liked to see Bose fine-tune its multipoint pairing some more (which can occasionally be spotty with two devices connected) or improve the battery life, which is starting to lag behind compared to other noise-cancelling earbuds. That said, these still offer the best ANC money can buy on a pair of earbuds.

Read our full review of the Apple AirPods Pro 3.

Whether you're an Apple user looking for earbuds that'll connect easily to your devices and have excellent ANC or you're simply someone who appreciates a pair of well-rounded earbuds, the AirPods Pro 3 have got you covered.

The AirPods Pro 3 may look relatively similar to their previous generations, but with this release, Apple upped the ante.

For starters, Apple claims these earbuds offer twice the noise-cancellation power of the previous generation. In his review of the buds, Mashable contributor Adam Doud noticed this, writing, "Standing in the middle of a tech conference social mixer, surrounded by the drone of people talking specs, all I had to do was pop in the AirPods, put on some music, and nothing else in the world existed." The earbuds now come with five sizes of foam-infused ear tips ranging from XXS to L, to help with passive ANC and comfort.

As with generations past, Doud also found that these earbuds have an excellent, balanced sound profile. The major drawback is that, also like generations past, there's no custom equalizer, so you can't manually adjust the audio settings. Still, these are earbuds meant for ease, so the plug-and-play nature of them isn't too surprising.

Apple also added improvements in the form of eight hours of battery life with ANC on, a built-in heart rate monitor, and live translation. In his testing, Doud found the latter two features work as advertised. The heart-rate monitoring consistently fell within one to two beats of another fitness tracking device he was testing. Live translation also impressed, leaving only a one to two second lag from the subtitles on a foreign movie.

All together, these features make for an incredibly well-rounded pair of earbuds that are also a great value. At $249, they are firmly priced as premium buds, but they're cheaper than the $299 Bose QC Ultra second-generation earbuds and Technics EAH-AZ1000.

Read our full review of the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.

Do you have a dedicated pump-up playlist for the gym? Then you'll appreciate the rich sound and strong ANC of these colorful Beats wireless earbuds, a Mashable Choice product.

So, if you're looking for the best earbuds for working out, this is our top pick by far. While some people may prefer open earbuds or bone conduction headphones, we think the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 offer the best balance of features for athletes. With strong ANC, an extra-secure fit, heart-rate monitoring, and a long battery life, they're a reliable workout companion.

We're big fans of the best Beats headphones, and we strongly prefer these buds to the just-released Beats Powerbeats Fit earbuds. These sports earbuds offer IPX4 water resistance and a battery life that can outlast any workout. And as our reviewer Alex Bracetti wrote, "We also loved the dynamic sound and real-time health integration."

Whether you're on team iOS or Android, these are workout-ready earbuds with an extra-secure fit. The hook-style buds won't get shaken loose doing your daily run or reps, and while they don't have the best ANC in the business, they're plenty capable.

Read our full review of the Panasonic Technics EAH-AZ100 earbuds.

If you want to hear every note in your music, from brash melodies to the subtle details in production, Panasonic's Technics EAH-AZ100 wireless earbuds get you there. Audiophiles will love these headphones that combine exceptional active noise cancellation with the brand's new magnetic fluid drivers that deliver music with high resolution clarity and less distortion.

Panasonic blew us away with its Technics EAH-AZ100 earbuds. If you've ever thought that earbuds can't deliver the same potent sound quality as over-ear headphones, then let the AZ100s prove you wrong. The buds come with four different earbuds that range from extra small to large, delivering a snug and secure fit suitable for even those with small or narrow ears who struggle to find earbuds that fit. That being said, they aren't the most comfortable headphones we've ever tested (look to the Bose QuietComfort Ultras if that's what you're seeking), as they get uncomfortable after a couple of hours of wear.

However, what you're really after here is the incredible sound quality of the Technics. Music just sounds better on the AZ100 earbuds. The earbuds deliver music as close to the source as possible. While listening to James Brown's "The Boss," the song sounded rich and textured, with layers of horn and deep bass bursting through. Plus, it picks up on the most subtle details, like in "Angel Of My Dreams" by Jade, the soft shuttering of cameras flashing on the backing track rang through in crisp detail.

Plus the active noise cancellation on these headphones is impressive. While testing them on a trip to New York, they blocked out the clatter of the subway and ruckus of noisy streets. With such excellent ANC, it makes sure nothing distracts from the superior audio quality.

If you don't want to pay over $100 for headphones, but still want good ANC and sound quality, the EarFun Air Pro 4 are one of the best value earbuds we've ever tried.

Usually, buying budget means you're willing to compromise. Maybe the earbuds' battery life runs out in just a few hours, the ANC comes with an annoying hiss, or they can't connect to more than one device at a time.

The EarFun Air Pro 4 make it incredibly difficult to find where those compromises exist. Their ANC is easily comparable to earbuds $50, if not $100, more expensive. They paired easily with most devices and offered better battery life than the AirPods Pro.

In the app, you can adjust how they sound with the equalizer controls, but they sound balanced and clear right out of the box. Unlike more expensive options, they also allow you to customize the level of noise cancelling, a feature that's been difficult to find since Bose discontinued their noise-cancelling 700 headphones. As for the fit, we could wear them all day without issue in a variety of settings, from working on a desk to running on a treadmill.

The main area where they showed their price point was their touch controls. Though they're customizable, they're also on the finnicky side, not always correctly distinguishing between a single and a double press. That said, you can toggle the settings off entirely if they really start to annoy you.

While inconvenient, it's certainly not the worst con — especially when you factor in that these earbuds regularly on sale for $60 to $70.

For anyone who's become a little too familiar with their headphone's low battery sound, the Sennheiser Momentum 4s offer more insurance with 60 hours of battery life on a full charge.

We're as guilty as the next person of not charging our headphones as regularly as we should. (As headphone testers, we are in the unique position of often being able to swap to another pair in an emergency, but not everyone is so lucky.)

With that in mind, we couldn't believe how long the battery life lasted on these headphones — wearing their battery down took work. Considering the only other headphones we've seen with this kind of battery life are Sennheisers and the Dyson OnTrac headphones, which cost $120 more at full price, we were especially impressed at how the Momentum 4s delivered.

And then, there's the matter of them sounding excellent right out of the box. The bass of Magdalena Bay's "Killshot" came through strong and clear but never overpowering, balancing the song expertly without a single EQ adjustment. While the ANC felt less adept at blocking out noise generally than the Sony WH-1000XM5s, it still did a fair job for its price point, never feeling like an obvious con to the listening experience.

Our biggest performance issue came down to the touch controls, which, while extensive, ultimately were a little too sensitive to feel truly convenient. We found we were happiest with these headphones when we toggled them off.

Read our original review of the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, or see how they compare to the new XM6 headphones.

If you want a premium pair of Sony noise-cancelling headphones but refuse to pay more than $400 for a pair of headphones, we feel you. We also have good news: The XM5 headphones hold up well in 2026, and they're still worth the investment, especially when they're on sale.

Originally released in 2022, the Sony XM5 headphones are still legendary. They had unbeatable ANC and sound for the money, and even in 2026, they sound shockingly good. That's because the new flagship XM6 model only made iterative improvements over these cans. So, now that they go on sale for as little as $248, you just can't write off the older XM5s.

This Mashable Choice product received a 4.7 out of 5 stars in our original review, and even when we recently compared them head-to-head with their successors, they performed incredibly well.

Read our full review of the Sony WF-1000XM6 earbuds.

While there are plenty of options for great ANC earbuds that don't cost several hundred dollars, if you're committed to getting the best all-around pair of earbuds currently available, there's no need to look any further than the Sony WF-1000XM6.

Excellent sound quality meets customizability, some of the best ANC in the market, and battery life that can take you through a work day of wear without a hitch.

Bose's latest earbuds release wasn't going to make it easy for other brands to upstage them, but the Sony XM6 earbuds managed the task.

Though we maintain that the QC 2 earbuds are ultimately the most comfortable earbuds money can buy, the Sony buds beat Bose in nearly every other category.

Let's start with the numbers. Both earbuds feature eight microphones total (with four in each bud) to contribute to the noise cancellation. However, Sony's ANC wasn't just as great as Bose's — it didn't fall prey to any slight hissing that is present on the Bose buds when music isn't playing. In her testing, Mashable's Bethany Allard said the ANC worked so well that it was hard to hear a train pulling up some 100 feet away from where she was sitting on a café patio. Then, there's the other number — the Sony earbuds feature eight hours of battery life compared to the Bose's six hours. Considering many earbuds are offering at least seven hours or more of battery life with ANC these days, we expect premium buds to do better than Bose.

Then, of course, there's the sound quality, which Sony has always knocked out of the park. Whether you favor classical music or live EDM performances, the Sony buds perform just as deftly. The 10-band equalizer lets you fine tune your sound preferences until they're just right (and the find your equalizer feature also helps if you're less familiar with the effect of each band).

Yes, these earbuds are undeniably expensive, sitting nearly $100 over the AirPods Pro 3 and $30 over the Bose QC 2 buds. Still, they justify their price point by offering the best all-around experience you can currently find on a pair of wireless noise-cancelling earbuds.