Best wireless headphones 2021: Top Bluetooth options from Sony, Bowers and Wilkins, Bose and more

3 years ago 233

(Pocket-lint) - Finding the close wireless headphones for your needs is overmuch easier than it utilized to be, with scores of Bluetooth-ready options retired determination acceptable and waiting. 

Thankfully, opting for wire-free cans nary longer means suffering done inferior dependable quality, either. With newer devices featuring much blase audio processing and transmission, you nary longer person to marque the sacrifice betwixt convenience and a premium listening experience.

With truthful galore to prime between, however, it tin beryllium pugnacious to really observe which are the champion for you. That's wherever this usher comes in. Thanks to the Pocket-lint team's continuous investigating and reviewing, we're capable to supply an thought of the precise apical picks successful the wireless headphones area.

Whether you're searching for on-ear oregon over-ear, favour top-end features oregon your wallet, we've tried it all. Read connected to observe which you should pick.


What are the champion wireless headphones close now? Our 'Top Pick' is presently the Sony WH-1000XM4. However, these are followed intimately by the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, Bowers and Wilkins PX7, Bose QuietComfort 45 and Sony WH-CH710N.


Our Top Pick: Best Wireless Headphones

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Sony WH-1000XM4

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For

  • Superb listening experience
  • Comfortable for hours

Against

  • Not a immense upgrade connected the erstwhile model
  • No aptX oregon aptX HD support

Sony's noise-cancelling, over-ear headphones are an bonzer all-rounder, providing a dependable acquisition that we'd people arsenic among the champion we've ever tested.

The WH-1000XM4 are peculiarly clever with noise-cancelling, offering assorted modes to let your dependable to walk done (or not). 

They tin adjacent measure unit to use the cleanable illustration erstwhile connected a plane, making them fantabulous question headphones, too. 

Bluetooth enactment for aptX HD means the utmost prime without wires, but, erstwhile the 30-hour artillery runs dead, you tin inactive plug successful and perceive passively with decent results.

It whitethorn not person moved connected importantly from the erstwhile generation, the WH-1000XM3, which we would inactive urge exploring, but these are an implicit dainty from apical to bottom.

Wireless headphones we besides recommend

In truth, determination are galore fantabulous wireless headphones connected the marketplace contiguous - and the quality betwixt them isn't drastic. While we judge our apical prime is presently the champion blend of features, performance, terms and design, determination are 4 much models we'd besides powerfully urge checking out.

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Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

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For

  • Multi-level noise-cancelling technology
  • Powerful dependable profile

Against

  • Non-folding design
  • No EQ wrong the app

The Bose NC 700 over-ears truly measurement things up a cogwheel from models that came earlier it, offering a truly premium-feeling design.

There's superb noise-cancelling to chopped retired outer sound, and large and arrogant dependable prime without the request for wires (a backup 2.5-3.5mm cablegram is included successful the transportation case, though).

The artillery beingness lasts for astir 18 hours, too, making these bully over-ear headphones for travelling - providing you tin negociate the design, obviously.

Despite their age, these headphones inactive look, consciousness and dependable amended than galore rivals - including alternatives from Bose itself. It's been overtaken successful immoderate regards, sure, but this is inactive an outstanding brace to put in.

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Bowers and Wilkins PX7

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For

  • Typically superb sound
  • Mammoth artillery life

Against

  • Awkward folding design
  • Not arsenic premium arsenic its predecessor

Bowers and Wilkins has struck golden again. These headphones volition entreaty to audiophiles, definitely, but tick plentifulness of tech boxes, arsenic well. 

Ambient noises are easy blocked by the progressive sound cancellation, portion there's nary antagonistic interaction connected the dependable prime arsenic a result. 

These are supremely comfy headphones, too. If we're honest, we would astir apt similar bend-in earcups, alternatively than a flat-folding design, and the consciousness isn't rather arsenic premium arsenic its predecessor, but these are tiny gripes that hardly dent an outstanding option.

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Bose QuietComfort 45

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For

  • Folding plan is perfect for travel
  • Super dependable and ANC

Against

  • No auto-off powerfulness option
  • The plan feels bushed adjacent to rivals

Bose's latest wireless headphones are different triumph, bringing users top-tier noise-cancelling, thumping bass and a plan that's suited to beingness connected the road.

Physical buttons instrumentality to the outer shell, portion the folding plan makes it perfect for throwing into bags and the likes. The 24-hour artillery life, arsenic well, portion not being class-leading, is inactive precise good.

The lone existent downside to the bundle is that it isn't rather arsenic premium successful looks oregon consciousness arsenic the NC Headphones 700 from Bose, and, similar immoderate of Sony's options, the upgrades are comparatively mild successful examination to erstwhile generations.

That aside, though, the latest QuietComfort exemplary is inactive precise casual to urge implicit rivals.

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Sony WH-CH710N

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For

  • Affordable terms point
  • Excellent dependable for the price

Against

  • Not a premium build
  • Better listening acquisition elsewhere

Not everybody wants to walk top-level currency connected their wireless headphones, but that doesn't mean you can't inactive find yourself a premium listening experience. If you're moving connected a humble budget, past Sony has a large commercialized for you, the WH-CH710N.

Sure, you won't get aptX HD similar galore of the pricier alternatives, but noise-cancelling is connected committee and the WH-CH710N are small, portable, footwear retired capable bass and are good designed.

If you tin agelong your wallet a spot further, we would counsel checking retired the Bose QuietComfort 35 oregon Sony WH-1000XM3, but, astatine this terms range, it's pugnacious to bash better.

Other wireless headphones we considered

In bid to determine the champion wireless headphones to recommend, the Pocket-lint editorial squad spent hours investigating and researching options from crossed the market. We ever see a fig of factors erstwhile putting unneurotic these buyer's guides, including our ain investigating and reviews, but besides user reviews, marque prime and worth for money.

In this guide, similar each others, determination are galore devices we considered for our apical recommendations that conscionable fell short. These are inactive stellar options, and whitethorn beryllium the close prime for immoderate users, but they yet didn't bash capable to marque our picks:

How to take the close wireless headphones

There are perfectly loads of options connected the marketplace wherever wireless headphones are concerned.

The database supra includes immoderate of the precise best, but determination are besides a fewer principles you tin use portion choosing which are perfect for you. 

How overmuch to walk connected wireless headphones?

The archetypal large question for galore radical buying astir for prime headphones is however overmuch they should spend. It's not 1 with an casual answer, though you'll spot from browsing our favourites that prime does travel astatine a terms close now. 

Many of the champion and astir fully-featured models beryllium betwixt £200 and £300, but that doesn't mean you can't get fantabulous cans for little than £100 - you'll conscionable request to store astir a spot more. We deliberation mounting your fund is simply a sensible archetypal step, either way.

Should wireless headphones person ANC?

One of the biggest caller technologies to deed headphones successful caller years has been progressive sound cancellation (ANC). It dulls the inheritance sound astir you utilizing microphones and feedback, to marque definite that you perceive your euphony oregon audio clearly. 

When done well, it tin beryllium transformative and marque large journeys relaxing. However, it besides tends to bump up the terms of headphones, truthful if you privation to bash astir of your listening astatine home, you could deliberation astir ditching it to prevention immoderate cash. That said, the champion headphones are progressively including it arsenic a substance of course. 

How overmuch artillery beingness bash wireless headphones need?

Another large adaptable erstwhile you're sizing up headphones to bargain comes successful the signifier of artillery life. This tin alteration by rather large amounts, but we'd accidental you overmuch little than 10 hours is simply a small disappointing. 

Many of the astir fashionable models present connection betwixt 12 and 15 hours of playback earlier a complaint is needed, but if artillery beingness is simply a apical precedence determination are superb options that tin springiness you person to 24 hours oregon adjacent much - truthful beryllium definite to enactment retired however overmuch of an contented longevity is for you. 

More astir this story

Every merchandise successful this database has been tested successful real-life scenarios, conscionable arsenic you would usage it successful your day-to-day life.

We've been utilizing wireless headphones since they archetypal came onto the marketplace respective years, and person been judging them against each different ever since. That means comparing their dependable show implicit Bluetooth successful a fig of antithetic genres.

Also important for america wrong wireless headphones is transportation stableness and integration with smartphone software, arsenic good arsenic the plan touches that marque immoderate options consciousness that spot much premium than others. Active noise-cancelling is besides becoming overmuch much advanced, while, arsenic ever, artillery beingness and terms are besides cardinal factors.

In each of our buyer's guides, we thin to skip implicit the spec comparisons and selling spiel; we conscionable privation to supply an casual to recognize reappraisal that gives you an thought of what it's going to beryllium similar to use. Our verdicts are concise, but this is successful the involvement of brevity - remainder assured each the things connected this database person been afloat tested.

Writing by Conor Allison. Originally published connected 8 September 2016.

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