Bluetooth is quietly one of the most impressive feats of modern technology in a veritable ocean of impressive tech-y leaps. How many tech ‘gimmicks’ have you interfaced with which just work? Bluetooth connectivity is nothing new, but it remains a powerful standard for wireless connectivity: sturdy, stable and completely idiot-proof to boot. There are arguments to be made for wired headphone listening at home and on the go, but the sheer convenience of cheap wireless headphones simply cannot be ignored – which is likely why you’re here.
Wireless technology is also highly accessible, as evidenced by the rich seam of affordable headphones available online today. However, as with most industries nowadays, it can be easy to lose sight of what makes a good pair amidst a sea of poor-quality devices. Buying quality tech on a budget is hard!
Our lives are made a little easier by the audio industry’s heavyweights, with the likes of Sony, Sennheiser and AKG all having released high-quality budget wireless headphones in recent memory. But when there’s so much choice even after having separated wheat from chaff, there’s no point in settling.
Here, I've brought you the cream of the crop. The following products each represent budget-level brilliance in their own right, whether with respect to durability, sound quality or a long battery life. Each have their own caveats, brought on by their low cost, but these don’t get in the way of what amount to incredible listening experiences for incredible prices.
If you want to get a little more acquainted with what sets different wireless headphones apart, scroll down to our buyer’s advice section below; otherwise, read on to find your new favourite budget wireless headphones.
Quick list
Our top pick goes to the Anker Q30. They feature hybrid active noise cancellation - which uses both an internal and external mic to block out noise - across three separate modes: Transport, Outdoor and Indoor. Audio is delivered through the Q30's 40mm drivers, while battery life is very solid with 40 hours with noise cancellation on and 60 off. A brilliant all-rounder for the price.
In my mind the Sennheiser Accentum Plus are a step up from the company's HD350BT. The Accentum Plus offer battery life up to 50 hours and deliver balanced audio with a wide soundstage. While comfortable enough, in my experience they did start to feel a little tight during longer listening sessions.
While pushing the limit to what I consider to be in the "budget" end of the market, I decided to drop the P100s in this list given their excellent, crisp audio quality and extraordinary battery life. 100 hours of music from a full charge, and 60 with active noise cancelling engaged. Add to that great design and comfort, and you have an brilliant pair of headphones that come highly recommended.
Sony are known and well-respected for their wide range of awesome headphones, such as the neat Sony WH1000XM5 but, as you would expect, many come with a fairly hefty price tag - not so the Sony WH-CH520. We found performance to be good for this price point and they're light and comfortable to wear. There's excellent battery life here too, with 50 hours' kickback from a full charge.
The Lindy BNX-60 make our list because not only do they offer top-quality, balanced sound and comfort for longer listening sessions, but they also offer decent noise-cancelling for not a lot of money. OK, so with a battery life at only 15-hours there are better choices elsewhere, but that's still a decent enough playback for a full day out and about - and when you consider the added extras, the Lindy BNX-60 are an excellent option.
If you're working to a really tight budget but still want a comfy pair of headphones with above average performance, then the Edifier WH700NB should be top of your shopping list. Battery life is excellent and the audio delivery - while not the best around - is very good indeed - despite the headphones' low price. Great bang for your buck and worth serious consideration.
Best overall
✅ Buy if you want cheap headphones that punch above their weight: For an all-round set of quality headphones on a budget, you can't go wrong with these: ANC, great sound and superb battery.
❌ Avoid if design matters: While the design is fine, the Q30 are starting to look a little retro.
At a glance: Here at Louder, we were big fans of the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 headphones, but with those becoming harder to find, our heads were turned towards the Q30 - another set of budget-friendly headphones that punch well above their weight.
Audio: The Q30 have the same 40mm drivers from their predecessor, but that's definitely not a bad thing, as we found from experience that they can deliver awesome audio - something that's really helped along by their hybrid active noise cancellation. This basically means that the headphones have both internal and external mics to help better filter unwanted noise which Anker say removes up to 95% of low-frequency ambient sound. This feature is also customisable with three settings to suit your environment: Transport, Outdoor and Indoor.
Design & comfort: We found them comfortable to wear thanks to soft earcups, although there's not much padding on the headband which can feel overly hard after longer periods of wear. As for design, and much like the Q20s, Anker are clearly aiming to woo fans of the Sony WH-1000XM3, and at a quarter of the price the spec sure looks tempting too. Tribute band or the real deal? You decide, but these are the best budget wireless headphones you'll find right now.
Battery life: Battery life is the icing on the cake. You'll get 40 hours of music with ANC activated and 60 hours without. And as if that wasn't enough, you'll get four hours of playback from a swift five-minute charge. In our tests we found this to be a pretty representation of the performance you can expect.
| Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Audio | Well balanced and clear | ★★★★★ |
| Comfort | Only let down by the headband | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery | Best on test | ★★★★★ |
Best for features
✅ Buy if you want a pair of solid headphones with a wide soundstage: Audio quality here is excellent, with a balanced, wide soundstage.
❌ Avoid if you want total comfort: The Accentum are comfortable, but for long listening sessions, I found them a little too tight.
At a glance: Sennheiser is exactly the brand you might turn to for headphones, thanks to its incredible reputation in hi-fi and pro audio spaces. Since licensing its consumer arm over to hearing solutions brand Sonova, the Sennheiser brand has seen some significant developments in the consumer space, with an ever-widening range of devices – including this neat successor to the HD Bluetooth series that came before, the Accentum Plus.
Audio: The Sennheiser Accentum Plus headphones are unsurprisingly decent-sounding, given Sennheiser’s pedigree. They might not reach the transparent heights of their studio monitor siblings, but as a pair of go-everywhere Bluetooth headphones, you can’t do much better. This being the Accentum Plus, it has some plussed-up attributes in this regard too. As well as a more stable listening experience, some clever driver re-alignment has made for a wider, less cloying soundstage. There’s also an optional 3.5mm output for wired listening – not something you find on many Bluetooth headphones today, and a hugely welcome quality-of-life addition as far as we’re concerned.
Design and comfort: These headphones are sleek enough to look at, and come in two colourways – black or white. Looks aside, they’re a comfy wear, with a pretty secure clamp on your scalp; they’re solidly built enough to endure a scrape or two, too.
Battery life: The Sennheiser Accentum Pluses have an adaptive hybrid ANC feature, which gives you pretty consistent control of how much outside-world you’d like in your ears – and even when activated, your cans can live for 50 hours. These headphones are well-built, exceedingly well-featured, and well worth the price besides.
| Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Audio | Wide soundstage | ★★★★☆ |
| Comfort | A little tight | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery | Decent, but not overly compettive | ★★★★☆ |
Best for fidelity
✅ Buy if you want crisp audio and brilliant battery life: The Cambridge Audio Melomania P100 sound fantastic and have an incredible battery life making them one of my top choices.
❌ Avoid if your budget is really tight: I decided to include the P100s in this list, but they are at the top end of what I consider "budget".
At a glance: Cambridge Audio has a reputation for a reason. Its products run the gamut, from accessible entry-level hi-fi separates to audiophile-grade equipment – all of which enjoy the brand’s same commitment to quality construction and output. It should come as no surprise that Cambridge Audio’s foray into wireless headphones echoes that same commitment. Cambridge Audio’s Melomania P100 wireless headphones might stretch some people’s definition of the word ‘budget’, but I've put these headphones in the list on account of the phenomenal performance they provide at an undeniably brilliant price.
Audio: There should be no surprises here: the Melomania P100s sound great. Cambridge Audio’s signature crispness shines through, having achieved a fine balance that doesn’t overextend either extremity of the frequency range. For heavier tracks, you might find this even hand a little frustrating at times, but it pays off if you’re an eclectic listener.
Design and comfort: These headphones are, in a word, beautiful. They borrow the essence of the brand’s bigger domestic devices, both with the aluminium that forms the ear cups and the shaping of the struts that hold them. They’re a little heavy to wear as a result, but all the more robust to walk around with.
Battery life: Cambridge Audio have beaten the bunch here, with an incredible 100-hour max battery life. Even with active noise cancelling engaged, the Melomania P100 beats the rest with a 60-hour lifespan. Altogether, the P100 is a hugely tantalising prospect – though you may have to go a few more weeks without the avocado on toast to make them yours.
| Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Audio | Crisp and clear | ★★★★★ |
| Comfort | Heavier than some | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery | 100 hours max | ★★★★★ |
Best budget Sonys
✅ Buy if you want a neat pair of Sony headphones for less: Sony have a rich pedigree when it comes to audio - and that continues with the excellent WH-CH520. They also have awesome battery life.
❌ Avoid if you want ANC: There's no noise cancelling here, so look for alternatives if that's what you're after.
At a glance: A casual scan across Louder will reveal that we rate Sony’s headphone range pretty highly, with members of the team buying the in-ear WF-1000XM4 and the awesome WH-1000XM5 over-ears and being very, very happy with their purchases. But with a budget in mind, we reckon the on-ear Sony WH-CH520 shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand, not only because of their low price, but because of their above average audio and excellent battery life.
Audio: Sure, there’s no state-of-the-art Active Noise Cancellation on show here, but they are 360 Reality Audio Certified and there’s also the option of tweaking your EQ settings through the dedicated Sony headphone app. They can be controlled with your voice too, making them a versatile headphone option on a budget.
Design & comfort: They’re lightweight and comfy - and as a glasses wearer, on-ears tend not to bother me quite as much as over-ears do - so if that sounds familiar, the WH-CH520 are worth closer consideration.
Battery life: As for the battery life I mentioned, a full charge will see you get around 50 hours of music, which for this price is just crazy good. And, a quick three-minute power blast will give you an hour and a half of musical joy. That's at least one prog album, or 20 punk EPs. Finally, they’re available in a range of colours to suit your style, with the Sony WH-CH520 available in Black, Beige, Blue and White and we think they look great.
| Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Audio | We love the tweakable EQ | ★★★★☆ |
| Comfort | Great for glasses wearers | ★★★★★ |
| Battery | 3 minute power blast charge is a great feature | ★★★★★ |
Best for comfort
✅ Buy if you want comfort and sound on a budget: You might not know the Lindy name, but they offer balanced audio and a comfortable fit.
❌ Avoid if looks are important: The BNX-60s do look a little cheap, but you can't have everything.
At a glance: The BNX-60s were perhaps the first to prove that it really is possible to get both noise-cancelling and Bluetooth technology for a low price – and all without sacrificing sound quality.
Audio: Cheaper headphones often fall into the trap of producing loads of low-quality bass or overly sharp treble, but these Lindy headphones are surprisingly balanced and grown-up in their delivery. They’ve got a real groove and clarity to them, making them particularly well-suited to rock.
Design & comfort: These Lindy cans make my best budget noise-cancelling headphones list because they offer a comfortable and snug fit. And the padded headband means they were comfortable to wear for longer listening sessions than some of the other picks in this guide. They sport a volume control, on/off switch for active noise-cancellation (ANC), and a blue light that indicates when the ANC feature is in use on one ear. Simple but effective design features.
Battery life: There’s a USB input for charging, and a full charge gives you about 15 hours of wireless music playback, or a little less when the active noise-cancelling / noise cancellation is switched on. We found these quotes numbers to be pretty true to life.
Read our full Lindy BNX-60 review
| Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Audio | Balanced and grown up delivery | ★★★★☆ |
| Comfort | Fantastic padded headband | ★★★★★ |
| Battery | Not competitive, but enough battery for a full day's playback | ★★★★☆ |
Best budget
✅ Buy if you want excellent value for money: Another great pair of over-ears from Edifier that deliver neat audio and a decent battery life for a great price.
❌ Avoid if you want hi-fi sound quality: The Edifier WH700NB don't have incredible audio, but I don't think that's an issue for the price you're paying.
At a glance: Edifier has been kicking around since the 1990s, as a solid audio brand with some eminently affordable speakers and headphones in its roster. Its powered monitor speakers are among the most commonly-recommended in the budget speakers space, and its entries into the budget wireless headphones space look to build on that same reputation. These are the Edifier WH700NBs, a pair of active noise cancelling headphones that’s light on the wallet but strong on some key features.
Audio: The Edifier WH700NBs won't set the world on fire with their sound quality, but they’re solid and full-range enough to satisfy most casual listeners. This is with much thanks to the 40mm drivers with which it’s equipped and they provide a little more weight to low-end than smaller drivers.
Design and comfort: The WH700Bs are surprisingly comfortable in spite of their lower price and less-expensive construction. It’s a tactile user experience besides, with a few on-unit buttons that enable you to control volume and connectivity among other things.
Battery life: The WH700Bs post a respectable 45-hour battery life with noise-cancelling engaged, and a downright impressive 68-hour max battery life – even against other wireless headphones twice its price. Don’t let it be said that these Edifier cans don’t deliver; they may even be the best pair of wireless headphones you’ll find for the price.
| Test | Results | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Audio | 40mm drivers/clear | ★★★★☆ |
| Comfort | Surprisingly good | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery | Plenty of juice for the price | ★★★★★ |
FAQs
What you need to know when shopping for the best budget wireless headphones
You can trust Louder Our experienced team has worked for some of the biggest brands in music. From testing headphones to reviewing albums, our experts aim to create reviews you can trust. Find out more about how we review.
There are few things you should think about when exploring your budget wireless headphones options, and our main focus areas when testing:
- Budget - An obvious one perhaps, but we'd always recommend setting the upper limit of your budget before you start your research. When testing we always see how a pair of headphones compares to other models in the same bracket for value
- Usage - When, where and how will you be using your new headphones most? We test headphones in as many real-world scenarios as possible
- Comfort & fit - No one wants headphones that add extra pressure to your head, or dig in where they're not wanted. This is a crucial part of our testing
- Tech features - Wireless headphones are reliant on battery power, so it pays to know you're buying a pair that genuinely offers the claimed battery life. Additionally, Bluetooth is crucial in this category, so you want to be sure that set up is quick, easy and secure
Budget: You may assume that a limited budget means limited options when it comes to the best cheap wireless headphones, but $100/£80 will get you a decent pair of cheap wireless headphones: from sizeable on-ear noise-cancellers, through to in-ear run-friendly headphones.
Usage: There's so much choice now that it’s easy to become crippled by the options available to you. The trick when it comes to choosing is to think about when and where you’ll be doing most of your listening. If your enjoyment of Tool is severely hampered by the inane ramblings of the tools you call ‘colleagues’, definitely consider a pair of budget cans.
If a mess of cables is holding you back during a run or workout, then a pair of cheap wireless headphones that are fitness-specific (ie, sweat- and water-resistant, with a stay-put shape) will be just the ticket.
Comfort & fit: Getting the right fit for your head and earholes matters too, particularly when it comes to in-ear headphones. Our ears come in all shapes and sizes, and failing to ensure your chosen headphones fit yours correctly could mean they fall out, or worse still they simply won’t sound good. And if you're looking at the over-ear type, you want earpads that feel comfortable against the ear and are breathable to avoid the dreaded ear sweat. And the headband needs to be flexible enough that it doesn't exert undue pressure on your head. We also steer clear of headphones that offer inadequate padding on the headband itself. A hard headband is a recipe for headaches and a quickly binned pair of cans.
Tech features: When selecting from among the best budget wireless headphones, make sure to consider the battery life being offered and which version of Bluetooth is being used. The later the version – we’ve now moved up to 5.0 – the more battery-friendly and potentially better sounding it is. AptX Bluetooth, meanwhile, is specifically for audio and suggests that sound quality has been prioritised – at least to an extent.
Are cheap wireless headphones actually any good, or is it a false economy??
In a nutshell, yes. Of course, cheap wireless headphones do need to cut corners in order to get the overall price down to a palatable figure, but over our years of testing this type of headphones, many are very impressive in terms of sound, features and performance. And they've been getting better and better as time goes on and these budget 'phones benefit from the trickle-down features from higher-end models.
The overall quality of the best budget wireless headphones in this guide means you will get far more joy out of listening to your music, podcasts or audiobooks when you're on the go. We've deliberately chosen options that sound good when playing most genres of music, but especially rock and metal – hey, what can we say? We love rock and metal!
Why trust us
Louder’s reviewers are a collective of music fans, musicians and professional product testers, who between them have racked up years of product testing and written thousands of words on music listening gear across hundreds of reviews on Louder and for other publications.
As lifelong music fans, we're serious about the tech we listen to our favourite artists on. We want them to sound amazing, giving us all the detail those bands intended us to hear, and deliver the perfect balance of bass, mids and highs. We're looking for pure immersion in our chosen sounds, whether it's a classic '70s rock album, or a cutting-edge noise band.
And we test headphones on albums we know inside and out, and that we've listened to on a variety of systems already, so we know exactly what we should be hearing and when we're being short-changed by lackluster audio.
How we test the best budget wireless headphones
While their price tags may be low, our expectations at Louder are still high for budget headphones. We’re no less demanding when it comes to testing their ability to rock, and there are other criteria we assess too, including battery life and feature count, from Bluetooth to whether those that offer noise-cancelling can deliver the goods.
Battery life is obviously a big deal as the last thing we want are headphones that will let us down midway through Lynyrd Skynyrd's Freebird. Thankfully, budget wireless headphones usually offer stonking playtime, because they often don’t have the drain of Active Noise Cancelling. We test headphones from full charge to full drain, using as many features as possible to really test performace.
We consider the flavour of Bluetooth important too, as this can have a material impact on both sound quality and battery life. Generally, we favour Bluetooth 5.0 or higher, as this iteration is more economical when it comes to energy (which translates to longer playtimes) and stable, so you won’t drop out when wind-milling your air guitar.
Ultimately though, audio performance remains the big clincher. For our tests, we listen to a barrage of cuts, from tried and tested classic rock favourites, through more tonally complex prog rock, and then full-on bangers. As budget headphones tend to have smaller drivers and cut-price electronics, we particularly want to hear how well they articulate guitar tones and aggressive drum fills.
We test products in a variety of settings too, from distraction-free intentional listening at home where we can really focus on the music, to our daily commute to the office and out and about on journeys to the gym, pub, shops etc. These scenarios are real-world and mean we can experience products exactly as you would and report our findings honestly.
Latest updates
Recent updates
01/08/24: While our product choices have remained the same, we've added more detail and insight into each product entry, including a scorecard that gives a rating out of 5 for audio, design & comfort and battery life. We've also explained more about the expertise of our testing team, including how, why and where we test.
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