The five best headphones of 2026

Bose’s noise-cancelling earbuds have been excellent ever since we reviewed the very first one. Nearly each and every single one of them has scored five-stars and that’s a run that continues with its latest ANC earbud in the QC Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen.

They’re not the best noise-cancelling earbuds (that crown would go to Sony) but they’re not far off with a performance that’s even better than the previous earbuds, creating a world that’s almost dead silent, suppressing people’s voices and environmental noises with excellence.

The transparency is excellent too, perhaps the most natural-sounding on the market, filtering in outside sounds with brilliant clarity. If there’s an area they do struggle a little with, it’s in managing wind noise.

Call quality has improved, a previous bug bear of older Bose true wireless, this flagship picks up voices well and isolates your voice from any noises around you. You can now use the Bose earbuds for calls both inside and outdoors without too much of an issue.

The sound quality is mostly the same, with few improvements here and there. The bass performance is slightly reduced for a more balanced performance.  The highs are more detailed, while the midrange is clearer and more insightful. It’s an overall more detailed and clearer sound, and so far, the best of any Bose earbuds.

Battery life is the same as before and a little disappointing in the grand scheme of things. You’d hope for more than five hours per charge when Bose’s rivals are offering more.

Nonetheless, if you want the best that Bose offers for earbuds then look no further than the QC Ultra Earbuds 2. If you can’t afford this premium price, then we’d suggest having a look at the QuietComfort Earbuds, which are an excellent mid-tier choice.

If you find Bose’s flagship earbuds too expensive for your wallet, there is a less expensive option in the QuietComfort Earbuds (2nd Gen) and they are an excellent choice.

They bring Bose’s noise-cancelling skills to more affordable prices, delivering class-leading performance for less than £200. They’re good at suppressing people’s voices, good at reducing noise on planes and public transport, with the ANC good enough that we never felt we had to raise the volume to remove more noise.

The transparency mode is not as clear as the flagship but that’s no surprise. It sounds natural enough and clear when the Aware mode is activated though there is some additional noise to the sound that they create.

The call quality isn’t great though, with voice pick not very strong leading to a mumbly performance.

The sound is on stronger footing. It’s clear, spacious, detailed and balanced across the frequency range. Bass is good, though not the biggest you’ll ever hear, and these aren’t the most dynamic and energetic of earbuds to listen to. They lack a little excitement, but they’re an easy pair to listen to.

When it comes to Bose’s true wireless options, these are the best value earbuds they offer.

The sequel to the original QuietComfort Ultra Headphones is an improvement, despite the lower score we’ve awarded them.

If you want the Bose’s best performance for noise-cancellation, battery life, and sound; then the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2nd Gen are the headphones you should buy without delay.

The sound is improved with a little more detail, clearer highs and a better performance with Immersive Audio than their predecessors, though we still feel the sound of the headphones’ spatial audio could be better.

They suppress noises better than the original model, though it’s a slight improvement rather than a massive one. The transparency mode is clear and detailed, though call quality we’d rate as average. These headphones let in noise and that affects how clear calls, especially outside, can be.

The design hasn’t changed much aside from a slightly more premium look. These headphones can fold, which means you can pack them in a small bag if you don’t have much space, and they do come with a carry case to keep scratches and marks at bay.

There’s a new Cinema mode for watching video on the go that uses the headphones’ Immersive Audio feature for a bigger, deeper and wider performance. These headphones have also introduced USB-C audio with support up to 24-bit/192kHz. If you want to hear these headphones at their best, we recommend you have a listen over a wired USB-C connection.

They’re comfortable to wear as we’ve come to expect from Bose, and the battery life has been extended to 30 hours, so they can survive a few long-haul flights before they need a charge.

Though they scored lower than the original QC Ultra Headphones, these are a better effort. But they’re still pricey and rivals are better in some respects if you’re thinking of shopping outside of the Bose family.

There’s only been one pair of open-ears from Bose and they’re a pretty impressive one in the Ultra Open Earbuds.

They clip on to the ear rather than sit on the earlobe, effectively kickstarting the design that others have adopted.

Since release, Bose has leaned into the visual look of buds by offering different colours. If you want a pair of headphones that also stand out as fashion statement, the Ultra Open Earbuds are very bougie.

We found them very comfortable to wear, with the clip-on design not causing any irritation or pinching. They come with physical controls rather than touch, which makes using them easier. An IPX4 rating means they’re protected against some sweat and water, so you could consider taking these for a run or to the gym.

Battery life is 7.5 hours and in our tests that was right on the money. Fast-charging is supported but there’s no wireless charging unless you pay an additional £70. If there’s a sequel to these earbuds, we hope that Bose includes it as standard given the high price.

There’s support for Bose’s Immersive Audio feature, though we found it doesn’t work as well in an outdoor environment when the audio of the earbuds is competing with everything else.

The sound quality is up there with the best for open ears, though Bose’s in-ear true wireless offer much higher levels of clarity, detail and bass.

But the clarity, sharpness, and levels of detail the Bose offer are best-in-class. Where they’re lacking most is in the bass department, which is not a surprise as it affects most models, but if a sequel were to come along, bass would be an area for improvement.

Leakage of audio is also surprisingly little. Turn the volume up (which you will need to) and people around won’t hear much of what you’re listening to.

The clever, innovative design and solid sound make these open-earbuds a winner. The price is high but as like the rest of the headphones on this list, Bose charges a premium. These are, however, one of the best open-ears you can get.

While the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 1st Gen are still available at a reduced price, the over-ear headphones we think are best for most people are the QuietComfort Headphones.

These are priced around £229 / $229, and they’re a simple pair in comparison to the Ultra models. They don’t feature Immersive Audio, there’s no aptX Bluetooth, the battery life isn’t as long, and the noise-cancellation isn’t as strong.

But we’d expect fewer features and a trade-off in performance for the price.

As usual, the comfort levels of these headphones is good, with a light clamping force so the headphones don’t feel too tight, and the earpads providing a soft cushion against the head. There’s an adjustable slider to fit different head sizes.

Battery life is 24 hours, though our tests suggest it’s less than that. The noise-cancellation isn’t the most powerful performance but it’s good at cutting down environmental noise, traffic and people’s voices, though wind noise can distract on a blustery day.

The call quality isn’t the best, especially in noisy places as it becomes harder for the headphones to pick up your voice when it’s competing against other noise.

Though they look very much like the QC 45 headphones, the QuietComfort Headphones have a different sound profile. Warmer, with more bass, detail and definition than the older model.

These are a rock-solid pair of Bose headphones at a price that’s less expensive than Bose’s other over-ears. If the Ultra Headphones are too expensive, this over-ear is what we’d recommend if you’re not fussed about spatial audio and higher Bluetooth specs.