These Are the Best Headphones to Give This Year.
Many of us use headphones daily, but how and why we use them varies greatly from person to person. The best headphones for an avid runner will differ from the best headphones for someone who primarily uses them while working from home. This gift guide will help you find the perfect new headphones for everyone on your list this year.
The Best Headphones for Apple Users: AirPods Max 2
The newest AirPods Max 2 made this list because Apple users will always value being part of the Apple ecosystem. But that’s not the only reason: the AirPods Max 2 are excellent earbuds with active noise cancellation, high-quality sound, and an impressive design. The most significant improvements to the AirPods Max 2 include a new dynamic range booster, real-time translation, and the Apple H2 chip. If your gift recipient is an Apple user and wants to stay in the ecosystem, the AirPods Max 2 may be the best choice. Keep in mind that they are significantly heavier than most earbuds (but just as comfortable). You can read more about the earbuds in PCMag’s review .
The Best Headphones for Bass Lovers: Sony ULT WEAR
The Sony ULT WEAR headphones have been in production since 2024, and their price of $144.95 (originally $249.99) makes them one of the most affordable headphones on this list. For the price, the ULT WEAR offers incredible value, given the inclusion of high-quality active noise cancellation and the use of the Sony Sound Connect app, similar to Sony’s flagship headphones. But the ULT line’s defining feature is its powerful bass, which can be activated via the “ULT” button, which has two levels of bass boost. They offer up to 44 hours of battery life with active noise cancellation enabled, have decent microphone quality, and are comfortable for long wear, making them excellent headphones overall, especially for bass lovers.
Best Headphones for Audiophiles: Sony WH-1000XM6
If your gift recipient is an audiophile who values the best sound quality even with active noise cancellation, the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones are the perfect choice. Audiophiles love control over their sound and will likely want to customize it, while Android users will enjoy the LDAC Hi-Res codec. The XM6 allow users to customize their sound with a full-featured equalizer, as well as control buttons and other features in the app. They also have the best active noise cancellation and transparency of all the headphones I’ve tested, and they’re incredibly comfortable. You can read more about the headphones in my review .
The best headphones for frequent flyers or daily commuters: JBL Tour One M3 Smart Tx.
Frequent flyers or commuters value practicality, active noise cancellation (ANC), comfort, long battery life, and portability. The JBL Tour One M3 Smart Tx headphones excel in all of these areas, but especially in practicality. The JBL Tour One M3 are quite lightweight, which, combined with the comfortable, soft ear pads and headband, makes them ideal for long-term wear. Battery life is also impressive: up to 70 hours with ANC off and 40 hours with it on. The travel case is compact, convenient, and has additional storage for the audio transmitter, the Tour One M3’s best feature. This high-quality, low-latency audio transmitter allows you to wirelessly connect to any device that supports an AUX cable, USB, or USB-C. The Tour One M3 delivers high-quality 24-bit audio wirelessly. Most people will primarily use these headphones by connecting them to their in-flight entertainment system, allowing them to watch movies in high-quality LDAC format with ANC. They make a great gift for frequent flyers or commuters, which is why I named them my favorite travel headphones in my review.
The Best Headphones for Gym Frequenters: Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 earbuds may have attracted attention for their heart rate monitoring feature, but that’s actually their worst feature . However, they’re excellent headphones for gym workouts thanks to their IPX4 water resistance and physical buttons for playback control (as opposed to touch controls, which are incredibly inconvenient when you’re sweating). The ear hooks are small, provide a secure fit, and are made of a nickel-titanium alloy, making them flexible and durable. Four ear tip sizes are included, so you can find the right size for a snug fit and fully enjoy active noise cancellation and sound quality. You can also hear your surroundings thanks to Transparency mode, which is essential for outdoor running.
The best headphones for runners or those who don’t like having things in their ears: Shokz OpenRun Pro 2.
The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 headphones use bone conduction technology (BCH), meaning they transmit vibrations through the bones in your ears, which your ears perceive as sound, keeping your ears open to your surroundings. However, these Shokz headphones also use hybrid open-sound technology, which projects low frequencies into your ears. This means they sound almost like regular headphones while maintaining the benefits of BCH technology. I love that I can have a full conversation with my wife while washing dishes or cooking, without having to worry about pausing music or fiddling with the headphones. As you can read in my review , these are a great option for runners or people who don’t like having things in their ears.
Best Headphones for Remote Work: Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Generation)
Remote workers value microphone quality, multipoint Bluetooth connectivity, comfort, and long battery life, and all of this and more are perfectly matched by the best features of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd generation) headphones. I’ve had my own Bose headphones for over a year now, and they remain my number one choice for everyday use while working from home. As you can read in my review , these headphones feature impressive active noise cancellation, a transparency mode, seamless multipoint connectivity, a design crafted with comfort in mind, and much more, which I love.
Best Headphones for Side Sleepers: Soundcore Sleep A30
As noted in a Mashable review, the Sleep A30 Special are the most popular and arguably the best sleep headphones you can buy right now. They’re designed for sleep in every way: side sleepers can fall asleep without feeling pressure in their ears thanks to the earbuds’ comfortable fit, and active noise cancellation (ANC) now allows you to block out external noise. They’re packed with cool sleep-specific tech and features: the companion app lets you set a music timer to save battery life after you fall asleep; the headphones now integrate with the Calm app for meditations and sleep stories; the charging case’s microphones use adaptive snore masking to block out snoring sounds by amplifying white noise; and the app includes an alarm clock and sleep tracking features.