Best budget wireless headphones 2025: cut the cable with our expert pick of cheap wireless headphones

Bluetooth is quietly one of the most impressive feats of modern technology in a veritable ocean of impressive technology 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, and that's where our guide to the best budget wireless headphones comes in.

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.

Wireless headphones are the no-fuss choice for most people these days, whether minimising entanglements at the gym or minimising hassle on public transport. They are often full-featured enough to give you control over the sounds you’re hearing, or reduce the impact of incoming noises via active noise-cancelling. Some even afford you hands-free access to everything via voice-assistant compatibility.

This prodigious level of accessibility can be accessed all the way through the headphones market, 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.

This is why I’ve endeavoured to bring you the cream of the crop. The following headphones 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.

Without any more messing about, if you want to know my top overall pick, I've given that accolade to the Anker Soundcore Life Q30. They might not be a household name yet, but with 40mm drivers, 40 hours of battery life with noise cancellation activated and 60 with it off, these are a brilliant pair of budget wireless headphones.

If you want to get a little more acquainted with what sets different wireless headphones apart, scroll down to my FAQ section below; otherwise, read on to find your new favourite budget wireless headphones.

Quick list

Best overall

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.

The Q30 have the same 40mm drivers from their predecessor, but that's definitely not a bad thing, as I 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.

When it comes to design and comfort, I 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.

As for battery life, it really 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, I found this to be a pretty representation of the performance you can expect.

Best features

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.

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 for a great price, 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.

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.

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.

Best for fidelity

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.

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.

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.

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.

Best battery

The Marshall brand, famed more for its incomparable contributions to the world of guitar amplification, has made some bold strides in the world of consumer audio of late. The Major V is a crystallisation of those strides, in the form of a budget pair of over-ear wireless headphones that absolutely build on Marshall’s rock'n'roll taste-making legacy.

The Major V’s major selling point is its triple-figure battery life; it can go for up to 100 hours on a single charge, saving you the boring indignity of a dead pair of ‘phones nine times out of ten.

Not only that, but you can get 15 hours of playtime from just 15 minutes of charging – oh, and you can charge them wirelessly, too.

This high-convenience approach to power and charging isn’t the only thing going for these budget wireless headphones. The Major V also benefits from digital tone-sculpting via the Marshall app, and voice-assistant compatibility for hands-free navigation of various apps and tasks.

EXPERT VERDICT: Marshall Major V

EXPERT VERDICT: Marshall Major V

Steve May

"Be in no doubt: Marshall’s Major V headphones rock. They’re not perfect - the lack of noise cancelling will rule them out for many, and the over-ear design won’t suit everyone. But when it comes to blending style and performance, they deliver well above their price point. They slam like bodies in a circle pit, have engaging musicality and boast a battery life few rivals can match. Definitely headphones to shortlist."

Read more: Marshall Major V review

Best budget Sonys

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, I 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 I think they look great.

Best for comfort

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.

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.

These Lindy cans make this 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.

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. I found these quotes numbers to be pretty true to life.

EXPERT VERDICT: Lindy BNX-60

EXPERT VERDICT: Lindy BNX-60

Paul Dimery

"The Lindy BNX-60 are not perfect (how could they be at this price?), but these German-made over-ears represent great value for money. Just remember to keep the noise cancelling switched on."

Read more: Lindy BNX-60 review

Best value

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.

Sure, these 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.

The WH700Bs are also 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.

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.

Glossary

ANC (Active Noise Cancelling)
Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) is a feature that many budget wireless headphones offer today, wherein the sounds of the outside world are neutralised in your ears by some clever tech. Microphones on your headphones listen to the outside world, and feed a phase-inverted version of what they hear to your headphone drivers; this cancels out the actual sound arriving in your ears.

Bluetooth
Bluetooth is the ubiquitous wireless technology that enables us to stream music to speakers across the room – or, indeed, to our brand-spanking-new wireless headphones. It’s a protocol that utilises ultra-high-frequency radio waves to transmit data over small distances.

Closed-back
Closed-back headphones are over-ear headphones with earcups that are completely enclosed. Closed-back headphones offer better passive sound isolation than open-back headphones, and can also bolster their bass response – albeit at the expense of a narrower soundstage and increased risk of ear fatigue. Practically every pair of wireless headphones is closed-back, in order to shield the active circuitry hiding inside the earcups – and also to enable ANC.

Codec
Here, a codec refers to a form of Bluetooth transmission. There are different ways of packaging up data to send via Bluetooth, with different benefits; audio codecs resolve to compress, package, send, receive and reconstruct audio in specific ways according to different benefits (and with potentially massive differences in audio quality, too). Codecs are used by data sources, not destinations – so you don’t need to think about these when buying cheap wireless headphones.

Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos is a proprietary spatial audio standard, that adds three-dimensionality to the sounds you hear.

Driver
Headphone drivers are the (relatively) small speakers that reside within each earbud or -cup. The type and size of the driver impacts a wide variety of variables, particularly with respect to frequency response.

Fidelity
Fidelity describes the sound quality of the music you hear, as reproduced by a given piece of equipment. There are many factors that impact fidelity, from the drivers in a pair of wireless headphones to the Bluetooth codec used by a sound source to transmit audio. Fidelity is quite earnestly attached to price, but not linearly; there are cheap wireless headphones that punch well above their weight.

In-ear
In-ear headphones, or earphones, are headphones with earbuds that sit in the opening of your ear canal. Small drivers deliver sound straight down your ear canal.

IP rating
An IP rating is a weatherproof-ness rating for a given device. IP-rated devices get two ratings, for dustproofing and for waterproofing. If a device is IP68, then it is both as dustproof and waterproof as can be (more specifically, capable of being immersed in water over one metre deep for more than 30 minutes); if it is IPX5, it is not dustproof but is somewhat splashproof (or, more specifically, capable of receiving low-pressure jets of water without incident).

Over-ear
Over-ear headphones are headphones with earcups that fit around your ears; your ears are fully enclosed by them, providing passive sound isolation and enabling larger headphone drivers to sit by your ears.

Spatial Audio
Spatial audio describes a new frontier in immersive surround-sound tech and execution, wherein music piped in to your headphones sounds three-dimensional. Usually, you are parsing music as mixed across two channels – left and right – the result being the sense that an artist is playing close to (or even inside) your head.

Spatial audio uses a number of clever techniques to tell your brain that sound is coming from different places around you. There are various executions of this, Dolby Atmos being the most prominent; spatial audio is enhanced further with head-tracking, which enables you to move your head in the ‘space’ the sounds are coming from, and hear the sources move relative to your head.

FAQ

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.

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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.

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