Market report
Headphone prices in October 2026 in Germany
No shop was read long enough this month to count in the price change.
New in October 2026
No model we follow came out in October 2026.
What the headphones on sale can do
Each share counts only the models whose maker states the fact, and says how many that is.
| Feature | Share | Models that state it |
|---|---|---|
| Active noise cancelling | 69% | 71 of 103 |
| Multipoint | 87% | 106 of 122 |
| LE Audio | 32% | 28 of 88 |
| Wireless charging | 40% | 49 of 122 |
| Water resistant (IPX4 or better) | 98% | 90 of 92 |
Newer headphones, by release year
| Released | Models | Active noise cancelling | Multipoint | LE Audio | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 23 | 86% (14) | 88% (16) | 50% (10) | – |
| 2024 | 40 | 68% (25) | 87% (31) | 46% (26) | – |
| 2025 | 25 | 92% (13) | 90% (21) | 40% (10) | – |
| 2026 | 16 | 77% (13) | 92% (12) | 33% (9) | – |
Headphones released each year
How many models came out in each year, by where the company behind the brand is based. It shows what makers shipped each year, not what is in homes. Brands whose company we have not checked yet are listed as unknown, countries outside the five shown are grouped, and the year still running is dashed.
| Released | South Korea | Netherlands | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 38 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 24 |
| 2026 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
Ecosystem compatibility
Which smart home platforms a model can be controlled from, as the maker states it. Measured across every model we follow in this edition on 31 October 2026, with the change since last month.
A model whose maker states no such support counts as not supporting it. SmartThings includes every model with Matter, and Siri alone is not HomeKit.
The same measurement, split by the year each model came out. It shows what makers shipped each year, not what is in homes. A year with fewer than 5 models is left out, and the year still running is dashed.
| Released | Alexa | Google Home | Apple HomeKit | SmartThings | Home Assistant | Matter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 2022 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 2023 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 2024 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 2025 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| 2026 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Ecosystem compatibility by brand
| Brand | Alexa | Apple HomeKit | Google Home | Home Assistant | Matter | SmartThings | Models |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sennheiser | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 19 |
| Soundcore | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 16 |
| JBL | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 15 |
| Sony | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 15 |
| Beats | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 8 |
| Shokz | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 8 |
| Apple | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7 |
| Bose | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7 |
| Samsung | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 7 |
| Beyerdynamic | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 6 |
Each cell is the share of that brand’s models that support the platform. Darker means a bigger share.
Brands and scores
| Brand | Models | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| Sennheiser | 19 | – |
| Soundcore | 16 | – |
| JBL | 15 | – |
| Sony | 15 | – |
| Beats | 8 | – |
| Shokz | 8 | – |
| Apple | 7 | – |
| Bose | 7 | – |
| Samsung | 7 | – |
| Beyerdynamic | 6 | – |
| Highest score | Score | Price on 31 Oct |
|---|---|---|
| Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 | 9.0 | sold out |
| Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro | 8.9 | sold out |
| Soundcore Space A40 | 8.9 | sold out |
| Bowers & Wilkins Px8 | 8.9 | sold out |
| Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) | 8.9 | sold out |
Our score out of 10 rests on test-site results, owners’ ratings and the maker’s facts, never on price. Test-site results stand behind the score of 107 models here. Method →
How this report is made
- A price is an offer a buyer could order that day. A sold-out day is no price, a failed check keeps the price before it, and a price our checks hold back as unlikely is left out.
- The price change follows each model at the same shop from that shop’s first day in the month to its last, and averages the changes (a geometric mean). A shop we read on fewer than 14 days of the month is left out of it, so a shop new to us never reads as a price drop.
- Only shops based in Germany count, at their own prices. A foreign shop that delivers here is left out, with its estimated delivery and tax.
- No shop was read long enough this month to count in the price change.
- Made on 2 November 2026 from our own price checks and not changed since, so a figure quoted from it stays true.
Data and citing
Every figure here is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0, with a link to this page.
Cite as: Best at Best, Headphones market report, October 2026, https://bestatbest.com/de/en/headphones/market-report/2026-10