The newest noise-cancelling headphones from Apple, Sony, and Bose are very expensive, costing over $450. But we have options for all prices.

These are the best tech products, including laptops, e-readers, and earbuds.

Topics: Apple, Bose, Earbuds

There is no one 'best' product. Different brands make good products, but some are better than others. Some products give better value, and some have better features.

The best headphones depend on what you like and how you use them. Some people like over-ear headphones, while others like earbuds. Athletes want waterproof headphones, and travelers want long battery life.

We tested many headphones to help you choose. Here are the best headphones of 2026 for noise cancellation, music, and price.

We focused on wireless headphones because they are more convenient. But we also like wired headphones, like the Marshall Mode earbuds.

We recently tested the Marshall Monitor III and JBL Tour One M3 headphones, but they were not the best.

We also tested the Sonos Ace and Dyson OnTrac headphones, but they were too expensive.

We will test more budget noise-cancelling earbuds and headphones in the future.

In March 2025, we chose the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 earbuds as the most comfortable.

In December 2025, we replaced the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 earbuds with the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 sports earbuds.

In December 2025, we removed the Marshall Mode wired earbuds because they were often out of stock.

In December 2025, we added the Sony WH-CH720N Noise-Canceling Headphones as the best under $100.

In December 2025, we added the Sony XM5 headphones as an honorable mention.

In August 2026, we replaced the Sennheiser Momentum 4 with the Nothing Headphone (a) for best battery life.

We tested all the headphones ourselves. You can read about our testing process.

Here are our testing criteria for headphones and earbuds:

We listened to different types of music and podcasts. If the sound was not good, we did not include them.

We tested the noise-cancelling feature at home and outside. We checked if the headphones had customizable noise-cancelling levels.

We looked at comfort, touch controls, and other features. We tested the headphones for a long time to see how they held up.

We evaluated how well the headphones performed and if they were worth the price.