The 9 best headphones to buy in 2026, tested and reviewed

Driver size: 40mm | Spatial Audio: No | Foldable: Yes | Controls: Buttons | Colors: Jet Black, Latte Cream, Sky Blue | Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, wired | Weight: 9 ounces | Carrying case: Drawstring | Max battery life: 55 hours

Any headphone priced below $100 must involve compromises, right? Nope: The Soundcore Space One constantly made me wonder, why would anyone spend more?

For starters, it sounds really good, with plenty of equalizer options for fine-tuning music to your liking. Soundcore's HearID hearing test will even create a customized equalizer profile (though I can't say I noticed a huge difference between the before and after). Meanwhile, the ANC here **(that's the all-important active noise cancellation)** exceeded my expectations given the price point; honestly it's on par with some headphones costing twice as much.

Other pleasant surprises: Head-detection, impressive battery life (up to 40 hours with ANC, 55 without), a user-friendly companion app, LDAC support (a big plus for Android users) and a feature called Easy Chat. Just lay your hand on the left earcup and the headphones quickly switch into transparency mode so you can converse more comfortably. That's an insanely convenient feature I absolutely love.

My main concern with the Space One is the build quality: The headphones look nice, but have a slightly lightweight, plasticky feel. I'm not sure how they'll hold up to heavy use.

That said, this is the headphone I recommend for most people. I'd say you get 80% of the features and sound quality of more premium products, but for less than one-third the price.

Driver size: 40mm | Spatial Audio: No | Foldable: Yes | Controls: Buttons | Colors: Multiple | Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, wired | Weight: 9 ounces | Carrying case: None | Max battery life: 60 hours

I'm sitting here listening to Beethoven, the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel trying to figure out why this $35 headphone doesn't absolutely suck. Quite the opposite: It sounds very nice and offers arguably the best equalizer of any headphone I've tried. Even the battery life impresses: Up to 60 hours without ANC, 40 hours with.

So where's the gotcha? ANC is the weak link here: The Tozo HT2 cancels noticeably less noise than pricier competitors. And although there are five ANC modes to choose from, one of them is weird: When you select Adaptive, you hear a few musical tones, then a pause, then a beep, then several seconds of silence, before the music resumes. This doesn't happen with any of the other modes.

Speaking of weird (but in a good way), Tozo's app offers a whopping 32 equalizer presets along with a 10-band custom equalizer (which lets you save your own presets). And if you register with Tozo, you can access an online library of user-created presets. Needless to say, this is a great headphone for those who like to monkey with levels — and helpful for combating the harshness I noticed in certain highs when listening at higher volumes.

Unsurprisingly, for $35 you don't get frills like spatial audio, head-detection or even a carrying case. But you do get a comfy headphone that sounds far better than you'd expect.

Driver size: 35mm | Spatial Audio: Yes | Foldable: Yes | Controls: Buttons, touch strip | Colors: Black, White, Desert Gold, Driftwood Sand, Midnight Violet | Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4, wired | Weight: 9.2 ounces | Carrying case: Zippered clamshell | Max battery life: 45 hours

Bose had already crafted a winner in its first-generation QuietComfort Ultra headphones, so it's not too surprising the 2nd-gen model brings only incremental improvements. Audiophiles will appreciate newly added support for lossless audio over USB-C. And everyone will enjoy the substantial increase in battery life (though at only 30 hours with ANC, it's still fairly average).

Most of the important stuff remains the same — and that's a good thing. This is the headphone that's best at noise-cancelling, period, and the sound quality and spatial audio rival that of the similarly excellent Sonos Ace. So why isn't this our top pick overall? It's close, but a few issues get in the way.

First is price: a $20 price increase puts them at $449, out of reach for many buyers. Second is usability: Bose still doesn't supply printed instructions, though the app does include helpful tutorials and feature explanations. Where I really struggle is with the controls: the power button has a Bluetooth symbol beside it, which is confusing, and you adjust volume by sliding your finger along a skinny touch-sensitive strip embedded on the back of the right earcup. It's a pain to locate by touch and not always responsive when you do.

Meanwhile, the Bose app still creates some confusion when it comes to modes and settings. Nothing insurmountable, just more complex than it needs to be.

Still, if blocking the outside world is your top priority, these are the headphones to get.

Driver size: 40mm | Spatial Audio: No | Foldable: Yes | Controls: Buttons | Colors: Multiple | Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1, wired | Weight: 11.7 ounces | Carrying case: Dry bag | Max battery life: 60 hours

I like big bass and I cannot lie. I discovered this after listening to Skullcandy's Crusher ANC 2, which adds deep, resonant lows to music without overwhelming it. Indeed, where I expected the kind of boomy, muddy thump you'd hear in a club, I encountered nicely balanced sound with as much or as little extra "crush" as I wanted.

You can conveniently adjust those bass levels by turning a wheel embedded in the left earcup. You can also use voice commands: "Hey Skullcandy, more Crusher," for example. And those commands are available for all kinds of things: playback controls, audio mode, even Spotify if you have the app.

To me this totally beats fiddling with analog controls (which are unlabeled here and feel a little plasticky). Why don't all headphones offer this? I also love Skullcandy's colorful, friendly companion app, which lets you fine-tune the sound, controls and more. It also unlocks a Find With Tile feature to help you locate misplaced headphones. (See our picks for best Bluetooth trackers if you're not familiar with this kind of thing.) 

Alas, there's no spatial audio here, and no head-detection, either: The 'phones don't auto-pause when you take them off. Also, I don't understand the design of the carrying case: It looks like a dry-bag, with the same kind of roll-down plastic buckle, but it's not waterproof.

My larger complaint is with the pricing: The Crusher ANC 2 veers wildly between $240 and $150 (occasionally dipping as low as $130). Definitely buy these if you love bass, but definitely wait for the next sale, too.

Driver size: 40mm | Spatial Audio: No | Foldable: Yes | Controls: Buttons | Colors: Black | Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, wired | Weight: 9.3 ounces | Carrying case: Zippered clamshell | Max battery life: 55 hours

What makes a pair of headphones especially well-suited to the gym? A secure fit, strong ANC, a sweat-resistant design and a battery that can last for weeks' worth of workouts.

Treblab's U5 ticks all those boxes, with some design flair to boot: There's an eye-catching industrial look to the gray pins that serve as the earcups' pivot hinges and the coiled black wires that emerge from the bottom edges of the headband.

Speaking of earcups, I found them snug but comfortable and especially liked the outward-facing mode-select button, which is easy to find by touch (unlike on a lot of headphones). Pushing it toggles between ANC, Transparency and Off, each mode accompanied by its own sound effect instead of a verbal announcement. That's less than ideal; I initially had trouble remembering which sound was attached to which mode.

I liked the U5's bright, bass-rich soundstage — and here's hoping you do, too, because Treblab doesn't offer a companion app, meaning no equalizer for tweaking the audio. Also MIA: head-detection and spatial audio, the former something I'd appreciate having at the gym.

That said, there's a lot to like here, especially at $90 — a price that's occasionally discounted to $70.

Driver size: 40mm | Spatial Audio: Yes | Foldable: No | Controls: Buttons/switch | Colors: Black, White | Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4, wired | Weight: 11 ounces | Carrying case: Zippered clamshell | Max battery life: 30 hours

The Sonos Ace is an all-around excellent headphone, one of my absolute favorites in terms of comfort, sound quality, noise-cancelling and spatial audio. In fact, it rivals the Bose QuietComfort Ultra on all those fronts (though the Ultra has the slightest ANC edge).

But there's one area where the Ace really stands out: as a home-theater companion. Specifically, if you own a Sonos Arc, Beam or Ray soundbar, you can take advantage of TV Audio Swap: Just press a button to immediately transfer audio from the soundbar to the headphones.

That not only lets you listen in private, but also enjoy the Ace's incredible spatial audio (with head-tracking) while watching big-screen movies and TV shows. And thanks to a recent software update, this can work with a second pair of Ace headphones, meaning you and your partner can enjoy the same experience.

Granted, even a single pair will cost you: The Ace sells for $399 (though it was $449 at launch, so that's an improvement). But we've seen them discounted as low as $299, so keep an eye out for sales. In fact, at that price, I'd consider this the single best premium headphone you can buy.

Driver size: 30mm | Spatial Audio: No | Foldable: No | Controls: Touch | Colors: Black, Midnight Blue, Silver | Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2, wired | Weight: 8.8 ounces | Carrying case: Zippered clamshell | Max battery life: 30 hours

What makes this — or any other — headphone especially good for Android users? In a word: LDAC (or "El-dack"). This high-resolution Bluetooth audio-compression technology (translation: better sound) is available on Android phones but not iPhones. Thus, you want headphones that support it as well.

The Sony XM5 fits the bill, while also offering premium fidelity, robust noise-cancelling and other amenities. And although it was recently succeeded by the XM6, the latter offers only small improvements (see my Sony WH-1000XM6 review) and comes at a higher price: $449, versus $400 for the XM5 (which is routinely discounted to $329).

(While you're at it, the older WH-1000XM4 — which also supports LDAC — is still available, still excellent and sometimes available for as low as $228.)

Novices, take note: These aren't the best in terms of usability. Sony supplies no useful setup or operating instructions (except online), and the companion app is confusing in numerous areas. (Read the aforementioned XM6 review for some examples.)

What's more, if you're a fan of spatial audio, you'll find it here only in a very limited capacity: It's available with just a smattering of lesser-known music apps. Apple, Bose, Sonos and others are vastly superior in this area.

Still, if you're seeking premium sound without a sky-high price tag, I'm standing by my XM5 recommendation. (But once the XM6 starts seeing discounts, that's likely to change.)

Driver size: 40mm | Spatial Audio: Yes | Foldable: No | Controls: Analog | Colors: Green, Pink, Silver, Space Gray, Sky Blue | Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, wired | Weight: 14 ounces | Carrying case: Sort of | Max battery life: 20 hours

If you're an iPhone owner, you've no doubt eyeballed the Apple AirPods Max, which is basically the headphone version of the excellent AirPods Pro earbuds. But it's considerably more expensive ($549, though often discounted to $499), and in fact is one of the most expensive headphones on the market, period. Worth it?

In some respects, yes. These are among the most comfortable headphones I've worn, and the magnetic earcups are a breeze to replace. The sound is lush and inviting, with utterly mesmerizing spatial audio (which I love for a theater-like movie viewing experience). Apple's ANC and transparency modes are solid, if not revolutionary, and it's a breeze to switch the 'phones between various Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, MacBook, etc.).

Speaking of other devices, if you own an Apple Watch, you'll likely appreciate the presence of a similar "digital crown" here; it's used to control volume and playback, answer calls and so on. Just take note that there's a lot to remember, especially with regard to how many times to press the crown or how long to press it.

That's one of several usability issues that cropped up in my testing; I also struggled with the hard-to-read "L" and "R" inside the earcups, the charging-status LED that doesn't stay lit during charging and the utterly ridiculous carrying case (which you must use if you want to preserve the battery between sessions).

Two other important notes: These are often on sale for as low as $400, so definitely don't pay the full $549 Apple Store price for them. And given the design is almost five years old — the 2024 update did little more than add USB-C charging and wired lossless audio support — I wouldn't be surprised if we see an AirPods Pro Max 2 in 2026.

Still, if you love Apple gear and don't mind paying a hefty premium for it, I suspect you'll love the AirPods Maxes. Everyone else: You can do better.

Driver size: 35mm | Spatial Audio: No | Foldable: Yes | Controls: Buttons | Colors: Starlight Off-White, Sunset Coral, Twilight Blue, Cosmic Black | Connectivity: Bluetooth 6.1, wired | Weight: 9.5 ounces | Carrying case: Zippered clamshell | Max battery life: 100 hours

Budget brand Baseus makes its move into the premium space with the Inspire XH1, an eye-catching folding headphone that stands out in one key area: battery life. Baseus promises a whopping 100 hours of play time on a charge; 65 hours if you enable ANC. Nothing else comes close.

Thankfully, this isn't a one-trick pony: The XH1 sounds delightful, thanks in part to "Sound by Bose" tuning. There's an equalizer if you want to make adjustments, but I was more than happy with the default settings. There's also LDAC support here for Android users.

Baseus did a mostly good job with the controls, though I found it too easy to confuse the power and ANC buttons on the left earcup: They're close together and exactly the same size. At least they're labeled, which far too many headphone makers don't bother to do.

But the ANC here was among the weakest in the group, and I was surprised that an ostensibly premium headphone lacked head-detection. There's no head-tracking, either, which makes the Dolby-powered spatial audio mode sound like just another equalizer setting. (Its Cinema option is a straight-up misfire, adding a tinny, metallic echo to movies and TV shows.)

One could argue that battery life doesn't matter much if the headphones aren't great. The Inspire XH1 does offer great sound, with great looks to boot, but you might want to trade some runtime for better ANC and a few more features.