Best headphone deals: AirPods, Sony, Sennheiser and more
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
If you’re in the market for a new pair of headphones, then you’ll be happy to know that there’s a huge amount of choices, especially in the past few years with the earbuds and headphone market really booming. Either way, things can certainly get expensive, even with the abundance of choice, so you might want to consider aiming for something with a good deal on it. While there are dozens of headphone deals out there, we’ve found and collected our best below for various sets of budget ranges and ecosystems. That way you can focus on buying something that works for you and gives you the best bang for your buck.
Apple AirPods 3 — $150, was $169
Apple
Some of the best wireless earbuds around in this price range, the Apple AirPods 3 are great for daily use. They offer personalized spatial audio with dynamic head tracking helping you feel more immersed in your music. Dolby Atmos support further helps and you’ll be impressed at how much better it sounds than other cheap earbuds. There’s also good battery life of up to six hours from one charge with up to 30 hours in total thanks to the charging case. The charging case is a wired one rather than wireless but that’s a small concession to make at this price. They also offer Apple features like audio sharing via different sets of AirPods, easy pairing, and Siri support.
Beats Studio Pro — $199, was $350
Simon Cohen / Digital Trends
The Beats Studio Pro might lack some key features like wear sensors and multipoint support but at this price, you’ll simply love how balanced and clear the sound is. There’s also lossless USB audio if you prefer to go wired. In all cases, head-tracked spatial audio while the headphones’s ANC ensures you can block out any unnecessary environmental noise while you listen with a transparency mode allowing you to return to the world as needed. Clear call performance is possible too thanks to voice targeting mics. Up to 40 hours of battery life with ANC off means they’ll last for your weekly commute and beyond.
Apple AirPods Pro 2 — $199, was $249
Zeke Jones / Digital Trends
Some of the best noise-canceling earbuds around, the Apple AirPods Pro 2 are a delight for Apple owners in particular. They do a great job of blocking out noise around you with up to two times better ANC than the previous model. Adaptive audio is there too, seamlessly blending ANC and Transparency modes together so you get the best listening experience. You also benefit from deeply immersive sound with a low-distortion, custom-built driver which provides crisp and clear high notes along with full bass. The earbuds top things up with personalized spatial audio and head tracking, along with Dolby Atmos support. They have six hours of battery life from one charge with a total of 30 coming from the wireless charging case.
Sony WH1000XM4 — $250, was $350
Sony
While Sony’s highest-end headphones are the Sony WH-1000XM5, they can get quite pricey, and if you want a similar level of noise-canceling and audio performance, then going for the cheaper Sony WH-1000XM4 makes a lot of sense. Not only were these XM4s the industry leaders in active noise canceling for a while, but they’re also comfortable to wear, have a great app with a lot of customization, and, of course, have some excellent audio fidelity. Equally impressive is the roughly 30 hours or so of battery life you get with ANC, which is above the industry average.
Sennheiser Momentum 4 — $300, was $380
Zeke Jones/Digital Trends / Zeke Jones/Digital Trends
Sennheiser is known for making high-end pro-grade audio gear, so it’s not surprising that its consumer-grade stuff is also pretty excellent. While the Sennheiser Momentum 4 may not compete with the XM5s in terms of active noise canceling, it does compete, if not outshine, Sony’s headphones when it comes to audio quality and fidelity. Also, the large cups mean better coverage of ears and a more comfortable fit, with excellent padding there and on the headband, too. If you’re more interested in audio fidelity than ANC, this are the headphones to go for.
Apple AirPods Max — $480, was $550
Riley Young/Digital Trends / Riley Young/Digital Trends
The Apple AirPods Max is a pair of headphones that don’t really need an introduction, given that they are some of the best headphones on the market and the best Apple-compatible headphones when you include Apple’s Beats brand. They have excellent active noise cancellation, on par with the XM5s, and the same sort of audio quality and capabilities, including things like spacial audio, which admittedly is better for watching movies than listening to music. Even so, if you’re looking for the best Apple has to offer in terms of audio, the AirPods Max is the way to go.
More headphone deals we love
There are countless other headphone deals around so we’ve only highlighted the very best above. We’ve also picked out a few more below that are also great. These encompass different price ranges so you can spend very little or a lot, depending on your budget and needs. All the headphones below come from reputable brands so you can trust in them all. You’ll be impressed at how deep the discounts are at the moment.
- Anker Soundcore Q20 ANC headphones —
- Apple AirPods 2 —
- Beats Solo 3 —
- Beats Powerbeats Pro —