Best wireless headphones 2023: Bluetooth headphones for every budget

Best wireless headphones Buying Guide 2023: Welcome to What Hi-Fi?'s round-up of the best Bluetooth headphones you can buy in 2023.

The world of wireless headphones has come a long way in recent years. Not only have we seen an influx of new technologies, including new codecs that let them receive higher quality audio, but we’ve also seen a wave of fresh form factors, such as true wireless earbuds, appear.

As a result, you can now find wireless headphones for everyone, from serious music listeners to hardcore runners and general commuters. The added choice is great as it genuinely means there is a pair for everyone out there, but the downside is that finding the right ones for you can be fairly tricky.

If you’re a commuter looking to block out background noise on your way to and from work, you'll probably want wireless noise-cancelling headphones. If you’re a runner, you’ll likely care about water resistance – after all, you don’t want to invest in a great set only to have it fall apart after your first sweaty gym session. Loyal Apple user? You may side with the iOS-friendly AirPods in-ears or AirPods Max over-ears. Then there’s the question of budgets, as you won’t want to over-invest if your needs are fairly basic, or indeed under-invest if you have the budget and will to get the best sound quality you can afford.

Here to help you avoid wasting money on a sub-par set of wireless headphones, we have created this guide detailing the best we’ve tested that you can buy. Every single pair of wireless headphones on this list has been thoroughly tested by the team of experts at What Hi-Fi?, both in our test rooms and out in the real world, so you can trust our buying advice.

How to choose the best wireless headphones for you

With quality has come quantity, though – the market is awash with wireless pairs – so before you start hunting you should decide what style of Bluetooth headphones you want. Our round-up of the best wireless headphones here includes plenty of over-ear designs – often with noise-cancelling thrown in for good measure – with brands such as Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, Bowers & Wilkins and Apple leading the way. With Sonos wireless headphones reportedly on the horizon, too, the competition isn't letting up.

And then there are wireless earbuds – those increasingly rare pairs with a neckband cable joining the buds, and the much more popular 'true wireless' earbuds where the earpieces are completely untethered from one another. Yes, like AirPods. The AirPods 3 and new AirPods Pro 2 may be the most popular of them all, but they aren't the very best sounding – something the excellent Sony WF-1000XM4, Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II and other awesome AirPods alternatives demonstrate.

Whatever style you require (need help? Here's how to choose the right pair of headphones) or budget you are tied to, you will find the best Bluetooth headphones you can buy below – all tried and tested by the What Hi-Fi? reviews team so you can be assured all of the suggestions below are truly excellent value for money.

And what makes them even more excellent value for money? A deal, that's what. If you're on the hunt for a bargain, take a look at our round-up of the best headphones deals on the internet right now.

• What's coming up? Our wishlists for the AirPods Max 2 over-ears, Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds and AirPods Lite 

It can be tricky for a manufacturer to push the sound performance of a product consistently from generation to generation, but that's what Sony has managed to do with the WH-1000XM5. Not only that, it has been achieved while executing a major redesign over the previous WH-1000XM4 (which appears lower down this list).

When we saw the official pictures of the XM5, we were more than a bit surprised. We wondered whether it was a wise move to give one of Sony’s biggest success stories in recent memory a major redesign. But it's paid off.

The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones might feel a little less premium than before, but the jump in sound quality from the previous generation is a big one, and rivals could once again have their work cut out. If you are looking for a new pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones, your auditioning should start here. The older XM4 were already the best around – and still are if you can't stretch your budget to the latest pair – but the XM5 are undoubtedly better for those who can afford to pay the premium. 

And that's why they are the best Bluetooth headphones for the money and worthy winners of our Product of the Year What Hi-Fi? Award.

Read our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review

Check out the best Sony headphones

Building affordable true wireless in-ear headphones is a different discipline to building expensive ones, but it’s no less tricky. In the WF-C500, Sony has managed to bring a lot of what makes its flagship earbuds (the WF-1000XM4 below) such a success without cutting too many corners.

Yes, the WF-C500 can be bettered (and by quite a margin) for battery life, but you’ll be hard-pushed to find a more comfortable pair. You can buy greater outright scale of sound, though you won’t encounter a more complete control app. Some alternatives are a punchier and more ‘exciting’ listen, but very few strike a more convincing sonic balance.

As an overall package, the Sony WF-C500 are genuine contenders for those with tighter budgets. Another deserved What Hi-Fi? Awards 2022 winner.

Read our full Sony WF-C500 review

While now replaced with the newer XM5 (above), these XM4 are still excellent buys for those who are looking for noise-cancelling wireless headphones on a slightly tighter budget. Now that they're no longer the latest and greatest of Sony's crop, this 2020-launched model has dropped in price and is all the better value for it, hence why they are able to remain What Hi-Fi? Award winners.

You won't benefit from the latest design cues and sound quality benchmark of the newer Sonys, but you're still getting a lot for your money – a highly musical and engaging sound that's better than nearly every pair at the price; useful features such as ‘Speak to Chat’, which allows you to talk to someone while the headphones are still on your head, all without moving a muscle; and a very comfortable and smart-minimalist design. 

Still very much one of the best Bluetooth headphones around. Grab them while you can, bargain hunters.

Read our full Sony WH-1000XM4 review

Read our Sony WH-1000XM4 tips, tricks and advice article

The Sennheiser HD 250BT might not feature any luxury design flourishes, but they sound great, are durable and consequently our favourite set of budget on-ear headphones. Hence their What Hi-Fi? Award, defining them as the best pair around at this affordable price point.

That's not to say the spec is bare. Features include Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX Low Latency, a 25-hour battery life, app support and Sennheiser’s beloved-of-DJs transducer tech.

The build is a black plastic affair, but it is functional and solid and features the firm’s traditional S-in-a-rectangle white branding on each ear cup. Said earcups are nicely padded, although the headband is not.

When it comes to sound, the HD 250BT sound a good deal more musically detailed, agile and rhythmically gifted across the frequencies than one might expect given the eye-popping price tag.

All in all, the HD 250BT are a superb budget buy – and a great way to experience what Sennheiser is capable of without breaking the bank.

Read our full Sennheiser HD 250BT review

Check out the best Sennheiser headphones

Say hello to the 'best premium wireless earbuds' winners at the What Hi-Fi? Awards. As the title of the award suggests, these premium Bluetooth in-ears sound amazing and set a new benchmark for wireless earbuds at this level.

Smaller and lighter than the original QC Earbuds (which you can see a few places below), the Earbuds II provide a comfortable fit and lots of features. Bluetooth 5.3 is a big bonus, and the Bose app allows you to alter the amount of noise-cancelling on offer via a number of customisable presets.

Speaking of noise-cancelling, the Bose are at the top of their game. They can automatically adjust the amount of ANC on offer so your music isn’t drowned out by particularly loud noises and the effect is deeply impressive. As for sound, it's balanced and neutral and overflowing with fine detail. 

It's a shame there's no support for high-quality wireless audio codecs such as LDAC or aptX HD (though aptX Adaptive is coming next February...), nor is there wireless charging or Bluetooth multipoint. But we don't think this is the end of the world when you consider that these classy buds ooze such sophistication.

Read our full Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II review 

Check out the best Bose headphones

These Mark Levinsons entered our test room doors as the most expensive wireless pair we’ve tested and therefore did so with a weight of expectation on their shoulders. So, can wireless performance ever be so good as to justify such an expense? You bet it can.

If we hadn’t unboxed the Levinsons and gone through the simple Bluetooth pairing process ourselves, we would be tempted to check for any wires dangling from the earcups. While the No. 5909’s performance is still short of the best available from similarly priced wired headphones, it’s easily the best wireless headphones performance we’ve come across.

For anyone who is after the convenience of wireless without sacrificing too much sound quality to get it, and lucky enough to afford such a best-of-both-worlds solution, the Mark Levinsons are highly recommendable.

Their perceived value may not get top marks (they don't look as bling as they could), but sonic value certainly does – and that’s really what matters here. Mark (ahem) our words, these wireless headphones really wow and, while expensive, the best Bluetooth headphones we have ever heard.

Read our full Mark Levinson No. 5909 review

The AirPods and AirPods Pro earbuds have typically been one step behind the class-leading competition, particularly when it came to sound quality. They’ve been good-but-not-great wireless earbuds; lovely to use for iOS users but never quite reaching the sonic heights established by the top pairs in this crowded and popular category. 

That all changes with the new AirPods Pro 2. The second generation of Apple’s flagship wireless ANC earbuds introduces a more powerful processor, advancements in active noise-cancelling, a longer battery life, new features and, more importantly, much better audio performance. 

We certainly didn’t expect them to trouble the best-in-class competitors such as Sony WF-1000XM4 (just below) and Bose QC Earbuds II (just above), but with the AirPods Pro 2, Apple has more than caught up. The Pro 2 are five-star stunners that ensure Apple loyals who want noise cancellation aren't settling for less than great.

Read our full AirPods Pro 2 review

Check out the best AirPods you can buy – ranked and rated

Yes, it's another Sony – which just goes to show how consistent the brand is across the headphones space. With the WF-1000XM4, Sony has managed to build on the huge success of the multi-award-winning WF-1000XM3 and produce a sensational pair of true wireless earbuds. Another multi-Award-winner, at that.

There are dynamics and detail in spades and it's a balanced performance, with taut, precise bass notes and refined, sophisticated vocals. You can't help but be carried away by their sense of musicality.

Those who prioritise battery life in their AirPods alternatives should find the eight hours promised by the Sonys more than sufficient. The wireless charging case also extends this by a further 16 hours.

The Sonys are comfortable to wear too, with touch-sensitive controls and ear tips that provide excellent noise isolation. Combine this with brilliant noise cancelling courtesy of Sony's Integrated Processor V1 and ingenious features such as Quick Attention and Speak-To-Chat (which both allow you to have a conversation without removing the earbuds) and the WF-1000XM4 are difficult to fault.

Read our full Sony WF-1000XM4 review

Our pick of the best Sony headphones deals

Scoring highly across all categories, these impressive wireless headphones are durable, stylish and decent-sounding – and now one of the best value wireless pairs you'll find thanks to their huge price cut. The Sennheiser 250BT above take them for sound quality, but we reckon more people will like the look of these AKGs.

They're small enough to squeeze into a pocket, yet sound spacious, rhythmic and detailed. A button on the ear cup connects you to your smartphone's voice assistant, and the Y500 automatically pause music when you slip them off. These old timers (we reviewed them in 2018) have now been superseded by the company's Y400, but they actually have better availability and a more attractive price right now. With rich features, strong battery life and great controls, the Y500 remain superb all-rounders. If you want to bag a bargain, we'd act quickly before these disappear from the shelves altogether.

Read our full AKG Y500 Wireless review

Check out the best AKG headphones out there

Focal’s entrance into this burgeoning premium Bluetooth headphones market isn’t surprising considering its presence at the premium end of the wired space. And nor is the success of its first effort. The gorgeous-looking Bathys are highly recommendable for anyone after the convenience of portability in a premium pair of headphones at this price, who can stretch their budget above the B&W Px8 but not to the heights of the Mark Levinson No5.909.

For a wireless headphone performance, it’s among the most engaging we have heard. And if you want them to double up as home headphones for longer listening stints, which they are more than comfortable enough to wear for, know that going wired via the built-in DAC/USB-C port does add a degree of refinement and tightness to the delivery.

Noise cancellation is fairly non-intrusive to the performance, too, and if you need it – as we did on two flights during testing – it does a decent job of diminishing distracting outside world noise from your music listening in ‘Silent’ mode.

Read our full Focal Bathys review

Cambridge’s compact, fuss-free and affordable design in its original Melomania 1 true wireless earbuds was a hit with us the first time around in 2019. The addition of a slicker paint job, app support for EQ customisation and the step-up in sonic detail and refinement only makes us want to heap extra praise upon the new Melomania 1 Plus – especially as they can now be picked up for 50 per cent of their original price.

There’s no noise-cancelling onboard, but those who don’t need shouldn't hesitate to add these latest Melomanias to their shortlist.

The Award-winning Sony WF-C500 near the top of this list take the performance that one step higher, but with an engaging, detailed, expansive listen, the Melomania 1 Plus are a close second-best at this level.

Read our full Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus review

The Px7 S2 are a clear step forward for Bowers & Wilkins, offering a more sophisticated, neutral and detailed sound compared to the 2020-released PX7. These are headphones that really prompt the listener to dig in and analyse their music. Some of the best wireless headphones competition, such as the leaderboard-topping Sony WH-1000XM5, are arguably more engaging, but the Px7 S2 are still an excellent and stylish alternative for those who enjoy attentive listening.

The 30-hour battery life is welcome, as is fast charging. And support for aptX Adaptive and aptX HD are big ticks in the box for those who own sources that also support these higher-quality Bluetooth codecs. 

Note, however, that the Px7 S2 don’t support passive audio, so must be charged up and powered on even for cabled listening. And those who have bigger budgets should consider the company's Px8, which deliver even more in the way of musical insight and enjoyment than Apple’s AirPods Max and are close rivals for the Focal Bathys above.

Read our full B&W Px7 S2 review

Read our full B&W Px8 review

Panasonic isn't a brand that immediately springs to mind when you think of cheap wireless earbuds. But perhaps it should be. The RZ-S500W are the company's first foray into wireless noise-cancelling earbuds and they're sensational performers for their outlay – and the best budget wireless earbuds with noise-cancelling.

Specs are thorough, with noise-cancelling tech, an Ambient Mode, twin mics for voice calls, and battery life that totals 19.5 hours (6.5hrs from the buds and 13hrs from the charging case). A 15-minute USB-C quick-charge can deliver 70 minutes of playback.

You also get five sizes of ear tips to help with fit. We found this a little hit and miss, so we'd definitely experiment and consider mixing the sizes if it means getting a more secure fit.

Both noise-cancelling and sound quality are excellent. There's plenty of agility through the low end and loads of texture across frequencies. Music sounds clear and there's a great deal of refinement on show, which is to be welcomed at this price level. To sum up, these Panasonic earbuds are superb for the money.

Read our full Panasonic RZ-S500W review

There are true wireless headphones that have proven so consistently commendable over the years that a new iteration is hard to ignore when it comes along, and the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless are one of them. 

Entering their third generation here, two years on from the launch of the sophomore efforts, the wireless noise-cancelling earbuds remain on the top rungs of an increasingly tall ladder with an improved performance that's right up there, a competitive spec sheet that offers great battery life (28 hours) and Bluetooth codec support (aptX Adaptive), and the bonus of extra in-app personalisation features. Oh, and a welcome new launch price below those of the former Momentum models.

They're nice and comfortable, deliver one of the most mature, spacious and refined performances in the market, and have the bonus of noise cancellation too.

Building on an already winning recipe with an improved feature set, decent step up in performance and kinder price tag, the Momentum True Wireless 3 are Sennheiser’s best yet and competitive next to the Sony XM4 and AirPods Pro 2.

Read our full Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 review

Only the strongest film franchises tend to get a fourth go and, like Toy Story 4, the Momentum 4 Wireless noise-cancelling over-ear headphones have dutifully honoured the legacy of those that came before it – sonically and feature-wise, if not aesthetically. We are disappointed to see the classy design of Momentums of old giving way to one that’s markedly more non-descript, but the new guise is fit for purpose and we recognise that many might like its low-key discretion.

The fourth-generation Momentum Wireless’ noise-cancelling performance is very decent, and the 60-hour battery life betters most rivals by two or three times – a pretty big deal if you value endurance.

That they undercut the Sony XM5 makes them highly recommendable for those that can’t afford the greater outlay for the class-leaders' extra sonic transparency, and perhaps the best of the (many) XM5 alternatives if you prefer your music to be more lively than analytical.

Read our full Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless review

Yes, you can get true wireless earbuds that aren't geared towards sport that, for a similar price, will deliver more insight into music by offering that bit more detail and dynamic subtlety. The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 and Sony WF-1000XM4 further up this list are two such pairs. But, unlike these JBLs, they won’t have the honed ergonomics or ruggedness to be hailed as ideal fitness buddies.

Within the context of earbuds for exercise, the Reflect Flow Pro are like champion heptathletes – strong in all areas. They're waterproof, lightweight, comfortable and with multiple ear tip fin options that make them great for running, cycling and use in the gym. What's more, they sound very decent for the money.

The fact that these JBL sport earbuds are religiously used by one of the What Hi-Fi? review team members is a pretty solid advert for them, too. Extremely easy to recommend.

Read our full JBL Reflect Flow Pro review

Don't care for noise-cancelling? Check out the cheaper JBL Reflect Flow

How we test wireless headphones

While we have state-of-the-art testing facilities in Reading and Bath, where our team of experienced, in-house reviewers test the majority of hi-fi and AV kit that passes through our door, wireless headphones are on-the-go products that deserved to be tested as such.

To that end, our wireless headphones reviewing process tests everyday aspects such as the portability and ruggedness of their build, their long-wear comfort and how their claimed battery life translates into real-life use. If a pair has active noise cancellation, as is increasingly the case these days, we'll ensure part of our testing involves using them in various environments, such as an office, on public transport and – when we can – during flights.

Of course, sound quality is key in forming our verdicts and star ratings too. As What Hi-Fi? is all about comparative testing, each pair we review is compared to the best in its price and style class – whether that's one standout pair or a few we favour the highest among the many models we listen to each year for reviews and What Hi-Fi? Awards judging. So if we get a pair of over-ear wireless headphones in for review around the £300/$350/AU$550 mark, we will test it against the class-leading Sony WH-1000XM5 and likely another five-star model too. We keep current What Hi-Fi? Award winners and plenty of five-star products across every product category we review in our jam-packed stockroom so that we can always easily compare new products to rival ones we know and love.

All review verdicts are agreed upon by the team rather than an individual reviewer to eliminate any personal preference and to make sure we're being as thorough as possible, too. There's no input from PR companies or our sales team when it comes to the verdict, with What Hi-Fi? proud of having delivered honest, unbiased reviews for decades.

You can read more about how we test and review products on What Hi-Fi? here.

MORE:

• The best headphone deals
• The best headphones you can buy – wired and wireless
• How to choose the right headphones for you