Whether you’re headed back to school, back into the office, planning some upcoming travel, or just discovered a new true-crime podcast or downloaded a lengthy audiobook, a new set of headphones can make these activities a lot more enjoyable. If you’re still using that old $10 set of earbuds (especially if you’re still plugging them into a headphone jack!), now’s the time to upgrade the soundtrack to your life while also saving a few bucks.
The Best Headphone Deals for August 2022
We’ve assembled a list of great over-ear and in-ear audio options. If you’re unsure what to buy, we like to look for three main things: battery life, sound quality, and noise-canceling capability. Battery life will help you determine what kind of headphones are best for you: over-ear options have significantly longer run times and are generally more comfortable for extended use.
We also like to see headphones that have an app for tuning the EQ to your preference and making adjustments based on what you’re listening to, and if you listen mostly to music, headphones with a bass boost are nice to have. Active noise canceling is extra important in noisy situations like a coworking space, a public-transit commute, or an airplane trip; a “transparency mode” is nice to have as well, so if you need to let the sounds of the outside world in for a brief conversation, you can.
Other things to look for: For those of us who spend a lot of time talking on the phone, over-ears with an upgraded microphone are probably best; if you mostly use these for working out, most earbuds will talk about their water resistance with an “IP” rating; IPX4 and up is good for most exercising but look for a 7-8 rating if you’re a swimmer.
Finally: If you use a device like a phone or a laptop (or just something without Bluetooth) and want to use a 3.5mm audio cable, many headphones also provide an AUX cord to allow you to plug in directly to an input jack, while still going wireless,f if you want. Not all of these devices have this as an option, but if you do use it, you’ll often be able to extend the battery life even further.
Wireless Headphone Deals
Bose SoundLink Around Ear Wireless Headphones II
These Bose headphones were rated “excellent” in our review for their ease of use, comfort, and superb audio performance. Multipoint functionality makes it so that you can connect to two devices simultaneously via Bluetooth, meaning you can watch a movie on your tablet and the headphones will pause that audio if a call comes in on your phone—then, automatically resume the movie once the call is ended. You get up to 15 hours of playtime on a single charge, and the battery can be fully charged in about 2 hours.
Sennheiser HD 450BT
Sennheiser’s experience with speaker technology dates back decades, so you can be secure in the sound quality coming out of these comfortably padded over-ear headphones. These fully wireless headphones, also an Editors’ Choice award winner, offer active noise cancellation and 30 hours of battery life. Sennheiser’s handy app will help you tune the bass and treble for your tunes, or kick on the Podcast mode to focus on making speech frequencies easier to listen to—great if you listen to a lot of audiobooks.
Beats Studio3
Naturally, Beats headphones are going to be on the higher side of the price range, but considering the significant discount on the Studio3, if you were ever thinking of making the jump, now’s a good time. The onboard Apple W1 chip helps prevent Bluetooth dropouts and the pure Active Noise Cancelling keeps the focus on the music, not everything around it. (Don’t worry, Android users—despite the Apple chip, you can use these too.) The 22 hours of battery life is lower than other headphones, but you can get a 3-hour charge in about 10 minutes, which will get you through a couple of podcasts or most flights.
(Photo: Tim Gideon)
Apple AirPods Max
If money is no object and you need one of the best Apple-produced options for your ears on the market, the Max is where it’s at. Signal quality from the Apple-designed audio driver delivers clear, excellent audio through the comfortable over-ear speakers, and the nine onboard mics help achieve great active noise cancellation. There’s also a transparency mode for when you need to hear the world without removing the headset, and the accelerometer and gyrometer will help deliver spatial audio, and also start your music automatically when you put them on. In our review, we called these “excellent” and “absolutely gorgeous” but expensive … so savings like these definitely help move the needle on a purchase.
Anker Soundcore Life Q20
When it comes to good performance at great prices, Anker is mostly known for power banks and chargers, but it makes some pretty nice over-ear headphones too. These don’t have the bells and whistles of pricier options—noise cancelling is either on or off (no transparency or indoor/outdoor modes here), there’s no EQ-tuning app, and charging is via older micro-USB cables. That said, these boast a higher bass response than other headphones for the price, and the whopping 40 hours of playback is certainly nice to have.
Wireless Earbud Deals
Apple AirPods Pro
If you’re looking for great audio and noise cancellation without the big leap up to Apple’s AirPods Max, this is your pick. The AirPods Pro gives you active noise cancellation with a transparency mode and adaptive EQ, a customizable in-ear fit, spatial audio attuned to your head movement, Qi-compatible charging, and nearly 5 hours of listening on a single charge. Overall, there are enough upsides here to earn the Pro a PCMag Editors’ Choice award.
Apple AirPods (2nd Gen)
If you want less expensive AirPods and don’t mind going back a generation, the 2nd gen AirPods provide decent bass and crisp, clear highs. Similar to the AirPods Pro, you get up to 5 hours of playback, with up to 24 hours with the charging case. These easily pair with any Apple device and allow you to access Siri hands free.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
Intelligent active noise cancellation and long lasting battery life will make it so that you’ll never want to take these wireless earbuds out of your ears. Answer calls and change musical tracks with a simple tap and enjoy high quality sound thanks to an 11mm woofer and 6.5mm tweeter built into both ear buds. If you’re the sort of person who enjoys listening to music or audiobooks while working out, you’ll be happy to know that they’re also IPX7 water resistant.
Sony WF-1000XM4
Sony’s version of true wireless earbuds is the WF-1000XM4, featuring industry-leading noise-cancelling technology with their proprietary Integrated Processor V1. The supporting LDAC codec ensures you get exceptional sound quality. A beamforming microphone and a bone-conduction sensor provide clear calls even in noisy surroundings. Get up to 8 hours of listening time, one of the longest battery lives we’ve seen for true wireless earbuds, with up to 24 hours with the wireless charging case.
Powerbeats Pro
If you want more control directly via your earbuds (not your phone), or if you need a little more battery life or a better fit, you’ll get it in these Powerbeats. The over-ear hooks keep these feeling much more secure than a regular set of in-ear buds, and the larger profile allows built-in track controls and volume control into each earbud. Nine hours of playback equals a full day on the job plus commute time (or just an all-day bike ride), and Apple’s proprietary H1 chip delivers high-quality audio with bonus Beats bass response.
