WITH HUNDREDS of pairs of headphones to choose from, picking the right pair for you can be a bit of a headache.
Do you go for the ones that sound best, that last the longest between charges or that cost the least? Here are our top picks;.
Best battery life – Beats Studio 3 wireless
There’s nothing worse than a pair of wireless headphones that runs out of charge too quickly.
That’s especially true if you prefer the comfort of over-ear audio gadgets for long flights or train journeys.
If battery life is your biggest worry, then the £350/$350 Beats Studio 3 wireless headphones are for you.
They last a whopping 22 hours on a single charge, which should be enough to get you through most long-haul flights.
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And if that’s not enough, the headphones also feature quick-charging technology called Fast Fuel.
It means you get up to three hours of playback when battery is low with a quick 10-minute charge.
While their battery life is hefty, the Beats Studio 3s fall short in other areas compared to their competitors.
They sound great but feel a little cheap and flimsy vs other models in their price range, and their noise-cancelling capabilities are sub-par.
- Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones, £349 – buy from Amazon
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Best cheap headphones – Sennheiser HD 250BT
Buying over-ear headphones on a budget isn’t easy, as they tend to be a little pricier than their in-ear counterparts.
Great value options are out there, however, if you know where to look.
Take the Sennheiser HD 250BTs, for example: They offer a solid sound without busting your bank balance.
At just £28, they’re an absolute steal with a built-in microphone and up to 25 hours of battery life.
The design is nothing special but the black plastic build is rock-solid. While they feel cheap, they also feel like they can take a beating.
The sound is good for the price and because they’re built by Sennheiser you know they’ll last.
- Sennheiser HD 250BT Wireless Headphones, £34.20 – buy from Amazon
Best sound – Sony WH-1000XM5
Sony has quietly been making some of the best wireless headphones on the market for a year now.
They don’t need a lot of noise around them (no pun intended) because the gadgets speak for themselves.
They regularly feature at the top of people’s “best of” lists when it comes to wireless headphones, and it’s easy to see why.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 are the latest premium cans released by the Japanese tech giant and come in at £380/$399.
Their sound quality is second to none, with incredible clarity and punchy delivery that delivers a well-rounded listening experience.
To top that off, they’ve got amazing noise-cancellation technology that’s arguably the best money can buy.
The main drawback is probably the design, which doesn’t feel as premium as other headphones at this price point.
I’m also not the biggest fan of the way they look, but that’s merely personal preference at the end of the day.
Overall, if you can’t afford to splash out an entire month’s salary on your headphones, these are a great choice.
- Sony WH-1000XM5 Noise-Cancelling Wireless Headphones, £348 – buy from Amazon
If money is no object – Apple AirPods Max
Apple’s AirPods Max are a big buy at £549/$549 – but if you can afford them, they’re worth every penny.
They look and feel as premium as headphones get, with a stainless steel headband and cushioned memory foam ear cups.
And they’ve got premium features to match, such as like hi-fi audio, adaptive equalising, active noise-cancellation, and “spatial” audio.
Each cup has an Apple H1 chip built in for delivering the best-quality audio at any given time – using computational trickery.
They sound phenomenal too, boasting studio-quality depth that will truly blow you away.
- Apple AirPods Max, £469 – buy from Amazon
They’ve also got some of the best noise-cancellation technology on the market.
Most people will understandably baulk at the price tag, but if you’ve got a spare £500 lying around, there are worse ways to spend it…
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