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Headphones

From traveling to commuting to bedtime, the many different ways people use headphones has created a strong market for a variety of headphone products. In such an overwhelming market, we’ve got everything you need to help decide which headphone brand and style is best for you with top headphone guides including best headphones, best earbuds, best noise-cancelling headphones for flying, and more. Explore headphone reviews and deals from popular brands like Bose, Beats, and Sony, and keep up with all the latest headphone news and releases.

Table of Contents

sony xm5 and xm6 headphones held in hand
The 12 best headphones of 2026 — we tested the top contenders from Sony, Apple, Bose, and Beats
Mashable Readers' Choice Award logo against background of audio products
Ending soon: Rate your favorite audio brands for a chance to win a $250 Amazon gift card
sony xm6 earbuds in case with red light shining on them
The 11 best wireless earbuds we've ever tested
back view of woman with dark hair wearing Bose over-ear headphones
The 11 best noise-cancelling headphones we use, love, and recommend
sony ult wear headphones against a yellow, pink, and green patterned background
Sony ULT Wear headphones have dropped below $150 at Amazon. Don't miss out on over $100 off.
a person wearing the soundcore sport x10 workout hedphones stretches
Up your summer workouts with the Soundscore Sport X10 headphones while they're half off
Mashable 101

Meet Our Experts

Mashable Image
Bethany Allard
Lead Shopping Reporter

Bethany Allard is a Los Angeles-based shopping reporter at Mashable covering beauty tech, dating, sex and relationships, and headphones. That basically means she puts her hair through a lot, scrolls through a lot of dating apps, and rotates through a lot of different headphones. In addition to testing out and rounding up the best products, she also covers deals for Mashable, paying an especially obsessive amount of attention to Apple deals and prices. That knowledge comes in handy when she's covering shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday, which she's now done for three years at Mashable.

portrait of a woman wearing glasses
Samantha Mangino
Senior Shopping Reporter

Boston-based Senior Shopping Reporter, Samantha Mangino, is an e-reader expert. She's tested all the Kindle and Kobo e-readers, diving into the buzziest models. Her love of reading extends beyond the e-reader beat, covering books and authors, too. In the tech space, she also covers tablets, smart rings, and headphones. She thoroughly vets products and internet trends, willing to dig into what everyone is currently talking about.

woman with short blonde hair smilling
Miller Kern
Deputy Shopping Editor

Miller Kern is the Deputy Editor of Shopping and Reviews at Mashable, where she writes and edits reviews, roundups, deals, and news stories about tech products, including headphones, skincare devices, laptops, sex toys, e-readers, robot vacuums, and more. She's been covering all things shopping and tech, including shopping holidays like Prime Day and Black Friday, for Mashable since 2019. Miller can tell you which products are actually worth your money. She also explores trends in the shopping sphere, such as dupes and viral TikTok moments.

Headphones

Sony WH-CH520 wireless headphones against a colorful background.
Sony's WH-CH520 headphones are only $38 at Amazon right now
Save $40 on the stylish Apple AirPods Max 2 headphones
Hands-on with Baseus Bowie MC2 open earbuds: Find out how to get them for $50
Grab Marshall Monitor III headphones at their lowest-ever price at Amazon. Save $150 now.
The 6 best open earbuds stay put, sound great, and keep us aware of the world
JLab JBuds Lux ANC in sage green laying on desktop Our favorite budget headphones with noise cancellation are back under $50
soundcore aerofit 2 pro by anker earbuds against a green patterned background Why wait for Prime Day? The Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro by Anker earbuds are $30 off right now at Amazon.
Beats Solo Buds on purple and blue abstract background Snag a pair of transparent red Beats Solo Buds for $10 off
Person holding the Sony WH-CH720N Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones outside Snag a pair of Sony WH-CH720N headphones for their lowest price yet
airpods pro 3 against a pink and purple patterned background Score AirPods Pro 3 for under $200 at Amazon before Prime Day even begins

Best Products

three pairs of headphones around airpods max on tile outside I've tested dozens of earbuds. I like these 3 AirPods alternatives.
Earbuds on a blue background Go back to basics with the best wired earbuds of 2026
A person holding a pair of Beats Fit Pro against a lawn We tested the 9 best headphones and earbuds for working out
sonos, bose, beats, bowers and wilkins, and anker headphones on a bed The most comfortable headphones we've ever tested will take care of your ears
four pairs of earbuds on a table The 5 best noise-cancelling earbuds include the most comfortable buds we've ever tested
A pair of Bose QuietComfort earbuds Don't break the bank: The best budget earbuds, tested by our audio experts
the bose quietcomfort ultra headphones on airplane tray table The best noise-cancelling headphones for flying: 8 picks to improve your travel experience
pairs of headphones piled up on each other The 9 best budget headphones we've tested under $100
Sony XM5 earbuds on record player, sony xm5 headphones on red mat I tested the best Sony headphones and earbuds for ANC, sound, and cool factor: See my top 7 picks
bose open earbuds with charging case on sidewalk We tested every pair of Bose headphones and earbuds. We found 5 we love, and 1 to buy on sale.

Versus

purple sony linkbuds clip next to blue bose ultra open earbuds on wooden table next to purple and green plant Comparing the Sony LinkBuds Clip to Bose Ultra Open Earbuds: Which open earbud is for you?
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Gen 2) and Sony WH-1000xM6 headphones on a colorful background Bose QuietComfort Ultra (Gen 2) vs. Sony WH-1000xM6: Which headphones should you buy?
The Apple AirPods Pro 3 and the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 on a colorful background AirPods Pro 3 vs. Beats Powerbeats Pro 2: Which wireless earbuds should you buy?
bose quietcomfort ultra gen 2 and gen 1 headphones Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones: How the first and second generations compare
A photo of the Apple AirPods Pro 3 sitting on an orange table next to the Sony WF-1000XM5, both in their case Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs. Sony WF-1000xM5: Which noise-canceling earbuds are better?
airpods pro 3 and bose qc ultra earbuds on abstract background that says "vs" Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2
apple airpods pro 2 vs powerbeats pro 2 AirPods Pro 2 vs. Beats Powerbeats Pro 2: Which is better?
the sony xm5 headphones next to the sony xm6 headphones Sony WH-1000XM6 vs. Sony WH-1000XM5: Is it worth the upgrade?
sony xm6 headphones next to apple airpods max Apple AirPods Max vs. Sony XM6: Which noise-canceling headphones should you buy?
skullcandy earbuds on banner versus bose earbuds Skullcandy Method 360 ANC vs. Bose QuietComfort: Comparing Bose-powered earbuds

Deals

Beats Solo 4 On-Ear Headphones - Warm White (Open Box) Beats Solo 4 are $88 open box — and the 50-hour battery is no joke
sony wh-ch720n headphones against a pink and purple patterned background SonyWH-CH720N headphones are over $80 off right now at Amazon — buy now for under $100
Apple AirPods 4 on purple and red abstract background Take your music on the go with $30 off a pair of Apple AirPods 4
soundcore aerofit 2 by anker open-ear earbuds against a purple patterned background I found Soundcore AeroFit earbuds for under $80 — save over $50 at Amazon
Sony XM5 headphones on purple and blue abstract background Dive into your favorite songs with 38% off the Sony XM5 headphones
sony linkbuds clip open-ear earbuds against a pink and purple patterned background Score the Sony LinkBuds Clip open-ear earbuds for their best-ever price at Amazon — save over $30
woman outside wearing JBL Sense Lite open earbuds JBL's new open earbuds just got their first discount ever for Memorial Day
Anker Soundcore P20i earbuds and case Our favorite budget earbuds are down to under $20 for Memorial Day
Mashable's Timothy Beck Werth wearing the Sony WH-100Xm6 headphones Snag Sony's XM6 noise-cancelling headphones while they're back at their best price ever
Nothing headphones ahead of grass The new Nothing Headphone (a) is already on sale at Amazon — act fast to save $30

News

two pairs of soundcore earbuds on wooden tabletop Soundcore announces 2 earbuds that lean into AI for better call quality and smart feature performance
person standing in front of sea wearing black sony 1000x the collexion headphones Sony celebrates the 10th anniversary of the 1000X series with a new pair of headphones
person wearing marshall milton a.n.c. in a train station Marshall introduces noise cancellation in a new pair of on-ear headphones
blue soundcore space 2 headphones Soundcore's latest budget headphones are finally here and impressively affordable
actor Damson Idris is seen wearing unknown Sony headphones in new york city on May 3, 2026 Mystery Sony headphones with metal headband and steep price appear in new photos and leaks
three pairs of samsung galaxy buds on display table Samsung leak shows open earbuds are likely in the pipeline
jlab open headphones going into bag What are open-back headphones? Here's what you need to know about the latest headphone trend.
sony h6 air open-back gaming headset on a pile of science fiction books Hands on: The new Sony Inzone H6 Air open gaming headset isn't like anything I've tested before
quadrant collage of new sony inzone headphones, monitor, gaming mouse, and earbuds Sony expands Inzone gaming lineup with H6 Air open-back headset, OLED gaming monitor
On the left, a pair of Soundcore Space One headphones and on the right, a pair of Space One Pro headphones. Sometimes cheaper is better: Reviewing the Soundcore Space One and Space One Pro headphones

More Headphones

Sony The Collexion review: Bad name, fantastic headphones
By Mashable Video
Headphones, sony, collexion
Sony XM5 headphones are under $250 in Amazon's huge Memorial Day sale
By Hannah Hoolihan
sony wh-1000xm5 headphones against a pink and purple patterned background
Bose QuietComfort earbuds are below $150 at Amazon — act fast to save $30
By Hannah Hoolihan
bose quietcomfort earbuds against a yellow, pink, and green patterned background
Review: The Nothing Headphone (a) are the best headphones from the brand yet
By Bethany Allard
woman wearing nothing headphones (a) sitting in chair in front of bookshelf working on a laptop
Nothing’s retro-inspired headphones are impressive, but not in the ways you expect
By Alex Bracetti
white squared nothing headphones and nothing phone against yellow background
The Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro are ANC and open earbuds — and they're at one of their lowest prices ever
By Bethany Allard
lilac soundcore aerofit 2 pro earbuds on wooden tabletop
Review: Bowers & Wilkins PX8 S2 are the best headphones you (probably) can't afford
By Timothy Beck Werth
bowers & wilkins px8 s2 headphones stand up in front of purple background
Snag a pair of Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones for $50 off
By Brittany Vincent
Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones
The Apple AirPods Max 2 have dropped to their best price yet
By Christina Buff
close up of man wearing apple airpods max 2
Bose QuietComfort headphones are on sale for under $200 at Amazon — save over $100 this weekend
By Hannah Hoolihan
bose quietcomfort headphones against a green patterned background
AirPods Pro 3 are back under $200 at Amazon — order now in time for Mother's Day
By Hannah Hoolihan
airpods pro 3 against a red, purple, and blue patterned background
The Skullcandy Crusher Evo headphones are over half off at Amazon — save $110
By Lauren Allain
a person wears the white skullcandy crusher evo headphones
AirPods Max 2 vs. Sony WH-1000XM6: Which headphones win?
By Mashable Video
headphones, airpod max 2, sony
These limited-edition Desert Gold Bose headphones are super sexy (and at their lowest price ever)
By Tabitha Britt
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Bluetooth Headphones (2nd Gen) in desert gold.
The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay Eleven earbuds have hit their best-ever price at Amazon — save $150
By Hannah Hoolihan
bang & olufsen beoplay eleven earbuds against a pink and purple patterned background
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are $50 off at Amazon — buy now for $249
By Hannah Hoolihan
bose quietcomfort ultra earbuds against a yellow, pink, and green patterned background
Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones are over $200 off at Amazon — buy now for $222
By Hannah Hoolihan
sennheiser momentum 4 headphones against a purple patterned background
Apple's excellent AirPods Pro 3 are back on sale for just $200 — a $50 savings
By Haley Henschel
a woman working out while wearing a pair of the apple airpods pro 3
The Soundcore Sport X20 by Anker earbuds have dropped to $69.99 at Amazon — save $30
By Hannah Hoolihan
soundcore sport x20 by anker earbuds against a pink and purple patterned background
The Soundcore Space 2 headphones prove why Soundcore is the budget brand to beat
By Bethany Allard
person sitting outside wearing soundcore space 2 headphones
The Sony XM6 earbuds are the best audio product I've tested this year — and they're back at their lowest price ever
By Bethany Allard
black sony xm6 earbuds on picnic table in front of plants
$99 Apple AirPods 4 are back at Amazon — save $30 right now
By Hannah Hoolihan
airpods 4 against a pink and purple patterned background
Apple AirPods Max 2 review: Same great style with the tiniest of upgrades
By Stan Schroeder
journalist stan schroeder wearing apple AirPods Max 2
Soundcore AeroFit 2 by Anker earbuds are over $50 off right now at Amazon
By Hannah Hoolihan
soundcore aerofit 2 by anker earbuds against a yellow, pink, and green patterned background
Sony's WH-CH720N headphones are under $100 at Amazon — save over $80
By Hannah Hoolihan
sony wh-ch720n headphones against a green patterned background
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