Score 9.9 out of 10
Headphones
The best headphones for every budget in 2026
83 models ranked by the maker’s own specs and owner ratings, with today’s prices from 4 stores that ship to the United States.
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| Soundcore Liberty 4 NC × | |
|---|---|
| Most important facts | |
| The lowest price today at a store that ships to you, shipping included. A price with an asterisk comes from a store abroad, and its shipping cost is our own estimate. Lowest price | $99Soundcore (brand store) |
| Our own score out of 10: 60% the maker’s facts and 40% store ratings. Price does not count. Score | |
| The average of the stars buyers give at the stores, with the number of reviews behind it. We only compare it from 20 reviews. Customer rating | ★ 4.3 · 217 reviews |
| How the headphones cancel outside noise with microphones. Hybrid uses microphones outside and inside the cup, adaptive also adjusts to the sound around you. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| Adaptive |
| How long the headphones or the earbuds play on one charge with noise cancelling on, as the maker states it. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| 8 h |
| What the headphones or one earbud weigh. Lighter is more comfortable for hours at a time. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| 5.2 g |
| The Bluetooth version. A newer one connects more steadily and uses less power, if the phone has it too. Source
| 5.3 |
| How well they resist water and dust, as the IP code states. IPX4 survives sweat and rain, IPX7 a short dip in water. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| IPX4 |
| How the sound is packed for Bluetooth. AAC suits iPhones, aptX and LDAC carry more detail from Android phones that support them. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| LDAC |
| Connected to two devices at once, such as a phone and a laptop, and switching by itself to the one that plays. When it matters
When it matters less
Source
| yes |
| Rank | |
| Where the model stands in our ranking, among the headphones of the same type. Rank | rank 1 of 28 with an in-ear fit |
| Battery | |
| How long they play on one charge with noise cancelling off. Source
| 10 h |
| How long the earbuds play in total with the charges stored in their case. Source
| 50 h |
| How many minutes of charging give the playback below. Source
| 10 min |
| How many hours of playback a short fast charge gives. Source
| 4 h |
| The case or the headphones charge on a Qi pad, without a cable. Source
| yes |
| Build and fit | |
| How the headphones sit: over the ear, on the ear, in the ear canal, in the outer ear, beside the ear or on the cheekbone. Source
| In-ear |
| Two separate earbuds with no wire between them, charged in a case. Source
| yes |
| They play over Bluetooth, without a cable to the phone. Source
| yes |
| The plug for a cable, so you can also listen wired, for instance on a plane or with a battery that has run out. Source
| None |
| They play sound over a USB-C cable, straight from a phone or a laptop. Source
| no (assumed) |
| How you play, pause and change the volume on the headphones themselves. Source
| Touch |
| How many microphones the maker counts, for calls and noise cancelling together. Source
| 6 |
| Sound | |
| The lowest tone the maker says they play. It says little about how the bass actually sounds. Source
| 20 Hz |
| The highest tone the maker says they play. Adult hearing stops well below most figures. Source
| 40,000 Hz |
| Certified by the Japan Audio Society for high-resolution sound, wired or, with Hi-Res Audio Wireless, over Bluetooth. Source
| Hi-Res Audio Wireless |
| You can adjust bass and treble in the maker’s app. Source
| yes |
| Sound that seems to come from around you rather than from inside your head. Source
| yes |
| Noise cancelling | |
| Lets outside sound through on purpose, so you hear traffic or a colleague without taking them off. Source
| yes |
| Can work as a hearing aid for mild to moderate hearing loss, where the maker has it approved. Source
| no (assumed) |
| Wireless | |
| Can listen to a Bluetooth broadcast, such as a TV, an airport announcement or a friend sharing music. Source
| no (assumed) |
| Pairs in one tap with an Android phone. Source
| yes |
| Whose phones the headphones are made for. Some features, such as one-tap pairing or spatial audio, work only with that maker’s phones. Source
| Any phone |
| How far from the phone the maker says the connection holds, without walls in between. Source
| 10 m |
| In use | |
| The music pauses when you take them off and plays on when you put them back. Source
| yes |
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Score 9.9 out of 10
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Score 9.6 out of 10
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Score 9.2 out of 10
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- Nothing Ear (3)
- Nothing Ear (2024)
- Nothing Ear (a)
- Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro
- Shokz OpenFit 2
- Shokz OpenFit Air
- Shokz OpenFit Air 2
- Shokz OpenRun Pro 2
- Soundcore AeroClip
- Dyson OnTrac
Show all 22 other modelsShow fewer
Lowest price at every store that ships to the United States, shipping included, before sales tax.
Best at every budget
Under $100 Soundcore Space A40 score 9.9 · in-ear Everything under $100 → $99
Under $200 Soundcore Liberty 5 score 9.8 · in-ear Everything under $200 → $129
Under $300 Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max score 9.1 · in-ear Everything under $300 → $229
Frequently asked questions
How often do you update the prices?
Every day, at every store we follow. We read the prices from the stores’ own product feeds and web stores. We check them for errors and keep them, so every product page shows what a price did over the last 90 days. We only call a discount real when the price also sits below the level of the preceding 30 days. We link to Amazon too, but show no Amazon price until we read it through Amazon’s own API. Until then the price is on Amazon itself. Per store: how and how often
Whose tests we use
Beside each model we also show where these testers place it in their own lists, without counting it in the score:
How we combine the maker’s facts and owners’ ratings into one score is on the method page.
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