Everyone's talking about wireless headphones. Sprint, work, commute, relax - many of the best headphones are becoming wireless, giving keen listeners uncompromisingly brilliant sound without the tangle of wires that need a sort every time you care to listen. A huge amount of modern phones are dropping the AUX port too, making it even more of a challenge to enjoy proper headphones, but with massive Bluetooth audio improvements over the past recent years, Bluetooth audio is nearing perfection.
Headphones are sizeable, over-ear devices that focus on delivering a high-quality audio experience, allowing listeners to hear their favourite tunes in full, unimpeded glory. The larger build of headphones means that there's room for a larger speaker, capable of offering up a wider frequency spectrum and sound quality than their smaller, in-ear rivals.
Better build quality, staggeringly good sound, and plenty of power for the long journey home - gone is the faff of adapters and the meddlesome three-metre ball of wires - get straight into your music with a click, and you'll thank us later.
The best Wireless Headphones at a glance:
• Best overall: Sony WH-1000XM5 - View offer on Amazon UK
• Best budget: Sony WH-CH720N - View offer on Amazon UK
• Best under £100: 1MORE SonoFlow - View offer on Amazon UK
If you're looking for a pair of wireless headphones, you're spoilt for choice; at every price point, there are countless cans from the likes of Sony, Marshall, Audio-Technica and others – but that can make buying a pair fairly daunting. To make your decision easier, we've handpicked our favourite wireless headphones from various price points so you can get the set that most suits you. It's not just headphones that have gone wireless now, true wireless earphones are taking the market by storm. Not only that, but Bluetooth home speakers are leading to truly wireless home life.
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Best wireless headphones of 2024
Merging style with sound, this latest iteration of the Sony headphone range has really delivered the goods. With new drivers providing improved audio clarity and a suite of features that, one, all work, and two, all improve the user experience, these are the headphones to beat on the wireless market right now.
Light, stylish and durable - the Sony WH-1000XM5s are perfect at satisfying that powerful craving for great sound on the go. Perfect to wear for hours at a time, not only due to their comfortability (which is next level) but also their whopping 30 hours of playback - so you can forget about losing battery life any time soon. You can learn more about these wonderful headphones by checking out our Sony WH-1000XM5 hands-on review.
Excellent noise cancellation, an unbeatable range that's perfect for the eclectic music lover, so whether you're switching between classical or heavy metal, you're not missing a moment of great sound.
Read our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review
Pros
- Comfortable - easy to wear for hours
- Fantastic sound quality
- Great noise cancelling
Cons
- Some users have complained about button functionality, which can be a little awkward
| Battery Life: | Up to 30 hours |
| Charging: | USB-C, 3.5 hours to full |
| Connection: | Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C, AUX |
| Weight: | 250g |
Best noise-cancelling
Among the best Bose headphones, without fail - the QuietComfort is bound to show up. Immensely powerful, gorgeously designed for instant bass-filled sound, and ideal for minimising any and all background noise for some anti-social peace.
Excellent battery life, compact and durable - the QuietComfort headphones are perfect for convenient listening without the worry of taking damage in your backpack. As for noise-cancelling, there are few headphones that can outmatch the truly isolating audio of the QuietComforts, giving you a much cleaner and more immersive soundstage than ever before.
As for sound, there is just so much balance in the QuietComfort headphones, and it's simply impossible not to be moved entirely - heaving bass, punchy treble, and mesmerising mid-tones, the QuietComfort is a culmination of great sound engineering and breathtaking design, and it's more than worth the price.
Pros
- Great design
- Ultra comfortable
- Excellent bassy sound
- Powerful noise-cancelling technology
Cons
- Some microphone problems
| Battery Life: | Up to 24 hours |
| Charging: | USB-C, up to 2.5 hours to fully charge |
| Connection: | AUX cable, Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Weight: | 240g |
- Customer review: "I've been searching for a decent pair of headphones for months, pondering on different makes. Settled on these and have to say they are perfect, sound is amazing."
Best Marshall
Some of our favourite headphones of the year so far, as illustrated in our hands-on Marshall Monitor II review, we simply cannot believe quite how excellent these headphones are at their price.
Dramatic, awe-inspiring, yet subtle, there's nothing that you can throw at the Marshall Monitor IIs that it can't handle, dance, classical and rock - all of it feels as though Marshall has designed them perfectly for that precise genre. Comfortable, tough and versatile with some wired optionality, there's really no truly scathing criticism you can make of the Monitor IIs, they're just plain brilliant.
From the wearer's perspective, the Monitor II's active noise cancelling is nothing short of brilliant. Forget trying to hear the person next to you, there's no chance they'll get a word in. For others, however, there is certainly some leakage (in no small part thanks to the Monitor II's enormous sound), making commuting a slight gamble - with the potential of having some stern looks directed firmly at you.
All-in-all, the Marshall Monitor II headphones are excellent at drawing you into your favourite music and swiftly away from reality, they're sensational.
Read our full Marshall Monitor II ANC Diamond Jubilee Edition review
Pros
- Stunning sound
- Excellent Marshall design
- Great bass, impressive balance
Cons
- Some noise leakage at high volumes
| Battery Life: | Up to 30 hours (with ANC) |
| Charging: | Up to two hours |
| Connection: | 3.5mm AUX cable, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Weight: | 320g |
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Best budget
At a ludicrously low price, Sony's great budget WH-CH720N headphones are some of the greatest headphones of the year at their price, with no shortage of great features and excellent audio.
Gorgeously designed with an aesthetic comparable to headphones almost quadruple its price, the WH-CH720N is the latest iteration of Sony's wireless headphones that balance budget and sound on a mesmerisingly thin tightrope.
The subtle, beautifully rich sound filled with warmth and directionality, the CH720Ns feel almost decadent to listen to - which simply doesn't make sense at their cost. The plush, silky cups rarely ever pinch or squeeze too tightly whilst also retaining a decent level of noise-cancelling, making them absolutely ideal for long trips, atmospheric nights with your well-worn playlist, and more.
Pros
- Gorgeous, modern design
- Ultra-comfortable
- Stunning sound for the price
Cons
- Weak EQ app
| Battery Life: | Up to 35 hours |
| Charging: | USB-C, 3.5 hours to full |
| Connection: | Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C |
| Weight: | 192 g |
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Best studio
These Audio Technica ATH M50Xs may look unassuming enough, but they pack in some detailed tech and impressive sound under their admittedly tech-conservative exterior.
Audio-Technica's M50XBT2 headphones are some of the best studio headphones we've come across, with a true, reliable professional-grade sound worthy of any recording studio, let alone for your listening pleasure. Not lacking in wonderful sound, the M50XBT2 headphones have a crisp, refined sound, where very few subtle moments are missed.
With a thick, bulky design that feels solid and more than capable of withstanding the occasional slip from the neck, rest assured - you'll be listening on for the foreseeable future with the M50X headphones. Despite the flexibility and customisation of the M50XBT2 headphones, they can sometimes feel a little tight around the head for certain users, which, while great for sound, isn't great for comfort.
Pros
- Excellent studio-level sound
- Great battery life
- Quick multi-device access
- Great microphone quality
Cons
- Can become uncomfortable after prolonged use
| Battery Life: | Up to 50 hours |
| Charging: | Up to 7 hours for maximum charge |
| Connection: | Bluetooth 5.2, USB-C, AUX |
| Weight: | 454g |
- Customer review: "If you like well-balanced, honest sound, suitable for long periods, the Audio-Technica ATH-M50XBT2 headphones are for you."
Best under £100
Tried and tested by Commercial Content Editor Adam Binnie:
"Decent, sub-£100 noise-cancelling budget headphones are about as easy to find as an original rocket-firing Boba Fett, so I approached this pair from 1More with trepidation.
From a spec-sheet perspective, they're very strong indeed - headline features include High-Resolution Wireless Audio, LDAC support and 70-hour battery life.
The stylish protective case houses a smart-looking satin construction, trimmed with extremely soft padding on the headband and ear cups. I love the red internal fabric on the headphones too.
Overall, the tone is very balanced, with punchy vocals and crisp highs. I'd like a bit more bass (but then I always say that), and the noise cancelling is good but not as effective as a pair of Sony XM5s. But then these are significantly cheaper.
The buttons for the volume and NC mode are reasonably flush and can be a bit tricky to find. Plus, when you toggle through the different noise cancelling modes, it responds with a different tone instead of a voice telling you what setting you've chosen. I've got used to both of these things quickly enough though.
My only other gripe is that there is no support for hooking up two devices straight out of the box. There's a developer option for this in the app, but I've struggled to get it to work. I suspect this will change with a firmware update, which I look forward to installing."
Pros
- Great balanced sound
- Solid noise cancelling
- Comfortable design
Cons
- Tricky buttons
| Battery Life: | Up to 70 hours |
| Charging: | 80 minutes |
| Connection: | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Weight: | 250g |
FAQs about wireless headphones
What is Bluetooth?
Bluetooth is a method of carrying information over short-distance, short-wave radio signals. Initially a relatively slow process, Bluetooth has developed into the ubiquitous method for transferring music information between devices - challenged in its quality and usability only by Wi-Fi.
What is NFC?
NFC (Near-field communication) is a function whereby two devices connect and communicate when brought within 4cm of each other. It is a good way to quickly establish a link to a device before switching over to a Bluetooth connection, which has a much larger range. For example, if your phone has NFC, you can just bring your headphones up close, and the link will be established - no need for fussing around in your settings.
What is noise-cancelling and how does it work?
As the name suggests, noise-cancelling is a feature built into some headphones and earphones to reduce ambient surround from the surrounding area, like people chatting in cafes or traffic on the walk to work. It lets you focus on what you are listening to without having to turn the volume all the way up. A microphone in the headset listens to the surroundings and creates a sound wave, which is the exact opposite and sends it through with audio content, cancelling the noise out without the listener even noticing. Noise-cancelling can often be toggled on and off for personal preference and safety reasons.
What is a driver?
A driver is a device inside an audio speaker, be it headphones or an external speaker, that converts an electrical signal into sound. Larger drivers tend to be able to deliver a more powerful sound with greater accuracy. Drivers are talked about in terms of their diameter, which is measured in millimetres.
Earphones tend to have drivers between 8mm and 15mm, while headphones have drivers between the size of 20mm and 50mm - this is why headphones tend to deliver superior sound quality to their in-ear cousins.
What is bass, midrange and treble?
Bass, midrange and treble are sometimes referred to as lows, mids and highs. These terms refer to the different sound frequencies found in audio.
Bass, or low, is the boomier sections of sound, the frequencies that people can most often 'feel' - bass drums are an example of low frequencies. Without bass, the audio sounds very empty and 'tinny'. Too much bass and music can sound rumbly, overpowering and woolly.
Midrange, or mid, is all the stuff that happens in the middle - guitars, vocals and speech. Balancing this with bass really brings audio to life. If you struggle to hear vocals in music or conversation in podcasts, boosting the midrange can bring these out for you without having to play with volume.
Treble, or highs (hi), is the high frequencies. These are important for picking out details in audio, but if they are too high, they can annoy and be painful to listeners.
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William Austin-Lobley is the Editor for What's The Best. Here, he oversees, curates and researches listicles and reviews as many products as his home office can handle.
He has spent nearly five years writing about tech, audio, outdoors and fitness and has reviewed everything from smartphones to ice baths. In addition, he's well-versed in sniffing out the best deals and savings the internet offers.
When not at his desk writing, reviewing or deal-hunting, he'll be relaxing with Japanese crime novels, bingeing some classic anime, strolling the countryside or at the gym listening to the heaviest metal Spotify has to offer.
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