Top 6 compared
The best wireless headphones
Hours of music and podcasts on the walk to work, the train home or a long-haul flight, with no wires to tangle.
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The top 6 at a glance
Wireless headphones connect to a phone, laptop or tablet over Bluetooth, so there’s no lead to snag, and run on a built-in battery. Over-ears surround the ear and shut out more of the world, which helps on trains and planes; on-ears sit on the ear and weigh less. Noise-cancelling pairs go further still, and our noise-cancelling headphones list has more of those.
Every pair here runs for at least 40 hours on a charge. The battery figures are the makers’ own, taken with noise cancelling on where a pair has it. A headphone cable earns its place on a plane, where the seat screen needs one, though not every pair includes a cable.
What matters
- A quick charge that gives hours of play from minutes plugged in.
- Weight, if they’ll be worn for hours at a time.
- Two-device pairing, for switching between a phone and a laptop.
- A case or pouch, if they’ll travel in a bag.
#1KVIDIO WH201A Wireless Over-Ear Headphones
£10–£20
Light, foldable over-ears with soft memory-foam cushions and up to 65 hours from a charge, plus a cable in the box to keep listening wired when the battery does run out.
What owners say: Owners say they sound clear, sit comfortably without pressing and stay connected to two devices at once, which helps with work calls.
A closer look: Holding the main button for two seconds puts them into pairing mode. Adjust the headband gently with both hands and store them flat, as KVIDIO advises, which keeps the hinge in good shape. The cable in the box also plugs into a TV, a laptop or a plane’s seat screen.
- Memory-foam ear cushions
- Built-in mic for calls
- Folds flat
Best for: Cable or Bluetooth, for hours on end
- Fit
- Over-ear
- Noise cancelling
- No
- Battery (maker’s figure)
- 65 hrs
- Quick charge
- –
- Weight
- 200g
- Cable for wired listening
- Yes
- Case in the box
- No
#2Sony WH-CH520 Wireless On-Ear Headphones
£20–£30
Sony’s everyday on-ears weigh just 147g and run for up to 50 hours, with a 3-minute charge that buys an hour and a half of play and a five-band EQ in Sony’s app.
What owners say: Owners find them comfortable, with clear sound, quick charging and easy pairing; a few report connection trouble or a pair breaking early.
Heads up: Sony has since brought out the WH-CH530, with five more hours of battery; this model is still sold new.
A closer look: Fast Pair and Swift Pair link them to an Android phone or a Windows laptop in a couple of taps, and they stay connected to both at once. The cups sit on the ears rather than around them, which keeps them light for a walk or the school run but lets more outside sound in.
- Two devices at once
- 5-band EQ in the app
- Quick pairing with Android, Windows
Best for: Light everyday listening
- Fit
- On-ear
- Noise cancelling
- No
- Battery (maker’s figure)
- 50 hrs
- Quick charge
- 3 min = 90 min
- Weight
- 147g
- Cable for wired listening
- No
- Case in the box
- No
#3JBL Tune 520BT Wireless On-Ear Headphones
£49.99 RRP
At 157g these on-ears are light enough to forget about on a walk or in a gym bag, with JBL’s Pure Bass tuning and up to 57 hours between charges.
What owners say: Owners like that the sound stays in rather than leaking out to people nearby, and that one charge lasts for days.
Heads up: JBL now also sells the newer Tune 530BT; the 520BT is still sold new.
A closer look: It’s a Bluetooth-only pair, with no headphone cable in the box: fine for phones and laptops, less handy for the seat screen on a plane. Voice Aware lets the wearer hear their own voice on calls, and the app’s EQ can rein in the bass for podcasts and audiobooks.
- JBL Pure Bass tuning
- Hear yourself on calls
- Two devices at once
- EQ in the JBL app
- Folds up
Best for: Bass lovers on the move
- Fit
- On-ear
- Noise cancelling
- No
- Battery (maker’s figure)
- 57 hrs
- Quick charge
- 5 min = 3 hrs
- Weight
- 157g
- Cable for wired listening
- No
- Case in the box
- No
#4Nothing Headphone (a) Noise Cancelling Headphones
£100–£150
Over-ears with three levels of noise cancelling and up to 75 hours with it switched on (135 off), and real buttons, a roller and a paddle in place of fiddly touch panels.
What owners say: Owners enjoy the bass and the eye-catching design, find them comfortable for long sessions and solidly built, and say a charge lasts more than a week.
A closer look: Both a 3.5mm cable and a USB-C cable come in the box, so a plane’s seat screen and a laptop are covered, and the pouch keeps everything together in a bag. Transparency mode lets voices and announcements through without lifting an ear cup. At 310g they’re the heaviest pair here.
- Real buttons, not touch panels
- 3 noise-cancelling levels
- LDAC hi-res Bluetooth
- Transparency mode
Best for: Flights with a seat screen
- Fit
- Over-ear
- Noise cancelling
- Yes
- Battery (maker’s figure)
- 75 hrs NC on, 135 off
- Quick charge
- 5 min = 8 hrs
- Weight
- 310g
- Cable for wired listening
- Yes
- Case in the box
- Pouch
#5soundcore by Anker Q30 Noise Cancelling Headphones
£79.99 RRP
Hybrid noise cancelling with three modes, Transport for engine drone, Outdoor for traffic and wind and Indoor for chatter, in an over-ear pair that lasts 40 hours with it switched on.
What owners say: The noise cancelling and the fast recharge get the most praise, and owners find pairing with a phone painless.
Heads up: Noise cancelling switches off while the AUX cable is plugged in, so keep them charged for long flights.
A closer look: Memory-foam cushions in soft faux leather sit round the ears, and the soundcore app has EQ presets for more or less bass. The headphones fold to go in the travel case, so the cable and charging lead can stay packed with them between trips.
- Three noise-cancelling modes
- Memory-foam cushions
- Two devices at once
- Hi-Res audio over the cable
- EQ presets in the app
Best for: Shutting out engines and chatter
- Fit
- Over-ear
- Noise cancelling
- Yes
- Battery (maker’s figure)
- 40 hrs NC on, 60 off
- Quick charge
- 5 min = 4 hrs
- Weight
- 260g
- Cable for wired listening
- Yes
- Case in the box
- Yes
#6Marshall Major V Wireless On-Ear Headphones
£129.99 RRP
Over 100 hours of playtime makes charging a rare job, and when it’s needed they top up on a wireless charging pad like a phone. Marshall, the amplifier maker, began in 1962 in Hanwell, west London.
What owners say: Comfortable for hours at a stretch, owners say, and they like the retro look and the weight of the bass.
A closer look: On-ear pads rest on the ears rather than around them, which keeps the weight down but lets in more outside sound than an over-ear pair. Marshall sells replacement ear cushions, so a worn pair can be refreshed, and a 15-minute top-up gives about 15 hours of play.
- Charges on a wireless pad
- Replacement ear cushions available
- Folds up
Best for: Listening for days between charges
- Fit
- On-ear
- Noise cancelling
- No
- Battery (maker’s figure)
- 100+ hrs
- Quick charge
- 15 min = 15 hrs
- Weight
- 186g
- Cable for wired listening
- Yes
- Case in the box
- No
How they compare
Swipe sideways or rotate device to see all 6.
| Feature | #1KVIDIO WH201A | #2Sony WH-CH520 | #3JBL Tune 520BT | #4Nothing Headphone (a) | #5soundcore Q30 | #6Marshall Major V |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall | Runner-up | Best premium | ||||
| Picked Rating | 9.2 | 9.1 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| Price | £10–£20 | £20–£30 | £49.99 RRP | £100–£150 | £79.99 RRP | £129.99 RRP |
| Fit | Over-ear | On-ear | On-ear | Over-ear | Over-ear | On-ear |
| Noise cancelling | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Battery (maker’s figure) | 65 hrs | 50 hrs | 57 hrs | 75 hrs NC on, 135 off | 40 hrs NC on, 60 off | 100+ hrs |
| Quick charge | – | 3 min = 90 min | 5 min = 3 hrs | 5 min = 8 hrs | 5 min = 4 hrs | 15 min = 15 hrs |
| Weight | 200g | 147g | 157g | 310g | 260g | 186g |
| Cable for wired listening | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Case in the box | No | No | No | Pouch | Yes | No |
| Best for | Cable or Bluetooth, for hours on end | Light everyday listening | Bass lovers on the move | Flights with a seat screen | Shutting out engines and chatter | Listening for days between charges |
| Buy now | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon | Amazon |
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