Get the WH-1000XM6 if you travel and want Sony's flagship noise cancelling in headphones that fold again.1 / 6
Headphones
Sony, Bose, Apple, Sennheiser, Bowers & Wilkins, JBL, Beats and Audio-Technica over-ears: noise cancelling, battery life, codecs, weight, and whether they fold. In-ear models are under Earbuds.
Get the WH-1000XM6 if you travel and want Sony's flagship noise cancelling in headphones that fold again.
Get AirPods Max 2 if you use an iPhone, iPad or Mac: H2 adds Adaptive Audio and noise cancelling that Apple says is up to 1.5 times more effective, for $549.2 / 6
Get the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) if you want Bose's flagship noise cancelling in a pair that folds into its case and runs up to 30 hours.3 / 6
Get Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless for aptX Lossless, up to 57 hours with noise cancelling on, and a battery you can swap yourself.4 / 6
Get Beats Studio Pro if you want noise-cancelling headphones that fold and work natively with both iPhone and Android, for $349.99.5 / 6
Buy the Sony WH-1000XM5 at a discount, or keep yours, if you can live without a fold; the WH-1000XM6 folds and adds LC3 and the QN3 chip.6 / 6
Photos from Amazon listings and Wikimedia Commons.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See Affiliate disclosure. This guide summarizes the makers’ published specs below — we haven’t tested them ourselves. See Methodology.
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2026
AirPods Max 2
Get AirPods Max 2 if you use an iPhone, iPad or Mac: H2 adds Adaptive Audio and noise cancelling that Apple says is up to 1.5 times more effective, for $549.
Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless
Get Sennheiser MOMENTUM 5 Wireless for aptX Lossless, up to 57 hours with noise cancelling on, and a battery you can swap yourself.
2025
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Get the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) if you want Bose's flagship noise cancelling in a pair that folds into its case and runs up to 30 hours.
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3
Get Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S3 for aptX Lossless, eight-microphone noise cancelling and a 30-hour battery in a 300-gram pair.
Bowers & Wilkins Px8 S2
Get Px8 S2 if you want Bowers & Wilkins' $799 flagship: Carbon Cone drivers and Nappa leather, now with aptX Lossless and eight microphones.
JBL Tour One M3
Get the JBL Tour One M3 for LDAC, lossless USB-C audio and up to 70 hours of battery: JBL's current flagship, $399.95 with the SMART Tx transmitter.
Sony WH-1000XM6
Get the WH-1000XM6 if you travel and want Sony's flagship noise cancelling in headphones that fold again.
2024
AirPods Max 1 (USB-C)
Keep AirPods Max 1 (USB-C) or buy it used: it has the build, Smart Case and 20-hour battery of AirPods Max 2, but the older H1 chip.
JBL Tune 720BT
Get the JBL Tune 720BT if battery and price matter more than noise cancelling: it runs up to 76 hours and launched at $79.95.
JBL Tune 770NC
Get the JBL Tune 770NC if you want noise cancelling on a budget: it launched at $129.95 and runs up to 44 hours with cancelling on.
Sennheiser ACCENTUM Plus Wireless
Get the Sennheiser Accentum Plus for travel: 50 hours with noise cancelling on, a zip case, a 3.5 mm cable and aptX Adaptive, from $229.95 at launch.
Sony ULT WEAR
Get Sony ULT WEAR for heavy bass, LDAC and multipoint at $199.99, without paying for Sony's 1000X flagship.
2023
Beats Studio Pro
Get Beats Studio Pro if you want noise-cancelling headphones that fold and work natively with both iPhone and Android, for $349.99.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones
Buy the QuietComfort Headphones for adjustable Bose noise cancelling, 24 hours of battery and multipoint for less than an Ultra: they launched at $349.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (1st Gen)
Keep your 1st Gen QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, or buy a refurbished pair at a real discount; the 2nd Gen adds six hours, Cinema Mode and USB-C lossless.
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e
Pick Px7 S2e over Px7 S3 if you want the cheaper Px7 and aptX Adaptive is enough; S3 adds aptX Lossless, Bluetooth 5.3 and eight microphones.
JBL Live 770NC
Get the JBL Live 770NC for long battery life at a midrange price: JBL rates it at 50 hours with noise cancelling on, or 65 with it off.
Sennheiser ACCENTUM Wireless
Get the Sennheiser Accentum Wireless if you want 50 hours of noise-cancelled listening and aptX HD for less than the Accentum Plus: $179.95 at launch.
Sony WH-CH720N
Get the WH-CH720N if you want Sony noise cancelling and a long battery in light, 192-gram headphones for about $150.
2022
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2
Keep your Px7 S2 or buy one used; Px7 S3, the current model, adds aptX Lossless, Bluetooth 5.3 and eight microphones.
Bowers & Wilkins Px8
Buy the original Px8 for its Carbon Cone drivers and Nappa leather only at a clear discount, since Px8 S2 adds Bluetooth 5.3 and aptX Lossless.
JBL Tour One M2
Keep your JBL Tour One M2 or buy one used if AAC and 50 hours of battery are enough; the Tour One M3 that replaced it adds LDAC and runs up to 70 hours.
Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless
Keep Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless, or buy one used, if 60 hours with noise cancelling on matters more to you than aptX Lossless.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Buy the Sony WH-1000XM5 at a discount, or keep yours, if you can live without a fold; the WH-1000XM6 folds and adds LC3 and the QN3 chip.
2021
Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2
Get the ATH-M50xBT2 for the M50x studio sound over Bluetooth: LDAC, two-device multipoint and about 50 hours per charge, launched at $199.
Bose QuietComfort 45
A secondhand QC45 makes sense if you want fold-flat Bose noise cancelling with USB-C charging, Aware Mode and up to 24 hours of battery.
Sony WH-XB910N
Get the WH-XB910N secondhand if you want Sony's EXTRA BASS sound with LDAC, multipoint and a design that folds into its case.
2020
Sennheiser HD 450BT
Buy Sennheiser HD 450BT only if it's cheap: a 2020 noise-cancelling headphone with 30 hours of battery, aptX Low Latency and cups that fold.
Sony WH-1000XM4
Hold on to a working Sony WH-1000XM4, or pick one up used, if folding cups and LDAC cover you; the WH-1000XM6 adds the QN3 chip, 12 microphones and LC3.
2019
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
Keep your Bose 700, or buy one used, if calls and a slim fold-flat case matter most; Bose's current flagship is the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen).
Bowers & Wilkins PX7
Buy an original Bowers & Wilkins PX7 only used and well below a Px7 S2 or S3; it still gives you 30 hours with noise cancelling on and aptX Adaptive.
Comparisons
AirPods Max 1 (USB-C) vs AirPods Max 2
AirPods Max 2 keeps the 386.2-gram shell, the Smart Case and the 20-hour battery of the USB-C AirPods Max 1, and adds the H2 chip, Bluetooth 5.3 and Adaptive Audio at the same $549.
Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT vs ATH-M50xBT2
The ATH-M50xBT2 keeps the 45 mm drivers of the first wireless M50x and adds LDAC, USB-C, two-device pairing and about 50 hours at the same $199.00 launch price; the 2018 ATH-M50xBT has aptX instead of LDAC.
Bose QuietComfort Headphones vs QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Bose QuietComfort Headphones bring adjustable noise cancelling and two-device pairing for $349; for $449, the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) layer on spatial audio, Cinema Mode, aptX Adaptive, USB-C lossless and six more hours.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) vs 1st Gen
The 2nd Gen keeps CustomTune, Immersive Audio and aptX Adaptive from the first Ultra and adds six hours of battery, Cinema Mode, lossless USB-C listening and Bluetooth 5.4, for $449 against the 1st Gen's $429 launch price.
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) vs WH-1000XM6
Both cost about $450 and fold into a case; Sony WH-1000XM6 adds LDAC, 12 microphones and a rated talk time, while Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) add aptX Adaptive, Immersive Audio and lossless listening over USB-C.
Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e vs Px7 S3
The Px7 S3 adds aptX Lossless, Bluetooth 5.3 and eight microphones to the Px7 S2e's drivers and 30-hour battery; the S2e was listed at $229 in September 2026, against the S3's $479.
Bowers & Wilkins Px8 vs Px8 S2
Same 40mm carbon drivers and 30-hour battery, but the $799 Px8 S2 brings aptX Lossless, Bluetooth 5.3, eight microphones and a smaller case that the $699 original Px8 lacks.
JBL Tour One M2 vs Tour One M3
JBL's Tour One M3 ($399.95 with SMART Tx) runs up to 70 hours and adds LDAC and eight noise-cancelling microphones; the Tour One M2 ($299.95) runs up to 50 on AAC and SBC.
Sennheiser MOMENTUM 4 Wireless vs MOMENTUM 5 Wireless
Sennheiser's MOMENTUM 5 Wireless ($399.99) trades three rated hours for aptX Lossless, Bluetooth 5.4, eight microphones and a battery you can swap; MOMENTUM 4 Wireless launched at $349.95.
WH-1000XM4 vs WH-1000XM5
The WH-1000XM4 folds and has a 40mm driver; the WH-1000XM5 swivels flat, moves to a 30mm driver and Bluetooth 5.2, and matches its 30 hours with noise cancelling on.
WH-1000XM5 vs WH-1000XM6
The WH-1000XM6 adds a fold, Sony's QN3 chip, 12 microphones and LC3 for $449.99; the $399.99 WH-1000XM5 has the same 30-hour music rating and lies flat in its case.