The holidays are coming! Halls will be decked, bells will be jingled, and Mariah Carey will be free to roam the earth once again. It’s time for you to start thinking about what presents you want to buy for your friends and family. You’ve got to get a pair of great headphones for that special audiophile in your life. The thing is that every holiday season, you have to ask the same question “Where the heck do I find the best headphones to get?!”
Well, look no further, here at Android Headlines, we have a list of some of the best Bluetooth headphones and TWS earbuds that you can pick up for your favorite music lover. Do they prefer economical headphones or do they just HAVE to wear expensive headphones? Well, whether their tastes are basic or bougie, we have you covered. Here are some of the best headphones and earbuds that you can buy.
We’ll be going down the line starting with the more premium headphones and then diminish in price. We’ll try our best to give you a nice gradient of prices to suit different price points.
Best premium Bluetooth headphones
Let’s start off with the headphones you’d get for your resident audiophile. They’re expensive, yes, but they justify it by giving you the best damn audio, design, and features on the market! Are you looking for headphones with hi-res audio, fine-tuned microphones, and a bunch of luxurious features that you probably don’t even need? You’ll want to start here.
Sony’s best: WH-1000XM5
We’re talking about the gold standard in consumer audio. Sony is a formidable player in the market, and its WH-1000XM5 should be on your list if you’re looking for headphones that define the audiophile experience. They’re the most advanced from Sony, and this means that the company pulled out all of the stops.
Since these are Sony headphones, you know that they’re compatible with the company’s own LDAC codec, which delivers studio-grade audio. You’ll hear every detail in the songs that you’re listening to. This also goes for podcasts and other media you’re listening to.
What makes the audio better is how you can isolate yourself with it. There are microphones around the headphones that are used for the top-of-the-line noise cancelation. They will cancel out much of the noise from traffic, AC units, wind, machinery, and other sources. It’ll be like the headphones press the Mute button on the world. You’ll be able to put them on and just tune out.
The WH-1000XM5 aren’t only incredible, but they’re also comfortable. You’ll love listening to them for hours with the comfortable earpads. And believe it, with the amazing 30-hour battery life, you’ll be able to wear these headphones for hours.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 bring everything an audio lover would want in a pair of headphones.
Super fancy earbuds!: Bose QuietComfort Ultra
What’s that, you didn’t know that earbuds could be premium? Companies are able to take these tiny earbuds and pack some incredible hardware into them. If there’s any company that can make a pair of top-shelf earbuds, it’s Bose. This company’s audio equipment is some of the best. So, you know that the Bose QuietComfort Ultra are worth the $299.
As always, you’re getting some killer audio quality with these earbuds. They include custom-tuned audio drivers that are designed to reproduce all of the fine and intricate details of the audio. You’ll hear stellar bass, great mids, and amazing treble.
Along with that, you’ll also have spatial audio. This technology makes it sound like you’re right in the middle of the music you’re listening to. It places the audio right in front of you. This is one of those luxurious features that we mentioned. It takes your music to another level.
Another thing that helps with the immersion is the noise cancelation. Just like any premium pair of earbuds, the noise cancelation is great. Whether you’re outside, indoors, in the car, on a plane, etc., these earbuds will make the world quiet so that you can enjoy your music.
Take these with the all-day battery life, then you have yourself some incredible earbuds.
Best mid-range Bluetooth headphones
So, you’re looking to buy a quality pair of headphones for your headphone lover, but you’re not looking to spend $300+. Don’t worry! Let’s jump down to some prices that are easier to swallow. We’re talking about headphones that are up to $200. Headphones like these still provide an amazing experience. You’ll still hear some highly detailed audio and you’ll still get some fancy features.
The headphones to beat!: Beats Solo 4
There’s a reason why the Beats brand of headphones is so popular. Okay, sure they’re from a well-known celebrity… but that’s not all. They have the hardware and features to make them live up to the hype. If you’re not looking to spend top dollar for the Studio Pro headphones, the Solo 4 are more than good enough to stuff a stocking this holiday season.
These headphones use a custom acoustic architecture that gives them a unique sound. Complete with much-improved drivers from the Solo 3, these headphones will give you rich and detailed audio. If the person you’re buying these headphones aren’t exactly the biggest audio critic, then they won’t really tell the difference between these headphones and $350 premium cans. They’re just that good.
You’re getting some fancy features like spatial audio and head tracking. With head tracking, the headphones will adjust the audio as you turn your head to make it seem like you’re right in the concert hall or studio.
The UltraPlush ear cushions will form to the shape of your head while you’re listening to them. You’ll need them because you’ll be able to listen to the Solo 4 for up to 50 hours on a single charge. All of this is for a reasonable $199.
Luxurious, but affordable: Cambridge Melomania M100
Cambridge has a long lineage of top-notch audio equipment, and its first set of earbuds are some of the best that you can get period, but at the price of $169, you’d be crazy not to hop on them. We reviewed these earbuds, and at the time, they were $299. So, you’re getting a pair of premium earbuds for the price of a pair of mid-rangers.
Everything about the Melomania M100 is high-quality, and this goes for the audio. Cambridge fitted these earbuds with some truly astounding drivers that deliver a rich and highly detailed sound. Everything you’re listening to from music to podcasts to TV shows will sound great. The thing about the audio is that the company paid attention to the low tones, mids, and high tones.
You’re getting an immersive experience, and one thing that adds to that is the amazing noise cancelation. These earbuds use Adaptive Hybrid noise cancelation, which means that the noise cancelation will automatically adjust itself depending on your environment. For instance, if you are indoors, the noise cancelation will automatically turn to its low setting. However, when you walk outside, it will kick up to cancel the additional noise in your environment.
If you’re a serious music listener, you’ll love the incredible 33-hour battery life of these earbuds (this is including the charging case, of course).
Best affordable headphones
The options mentioned above are great, but the person you’re shopping for doesn’t need fancy features or top-of-the-line audio. They just need a pair of headphones to shoot audio into their skulls. Well, there are plenty of headphones out there for under $100 that still offer a nice experience. There are some hidden gems out there that provide some surprisingly good features for their price.
Premium at a palatable price: TOZO HA1
You’re only paying a cool $49 for these headphones, but that doesn’t mean that you’re getting a cheap experience. In fact, these headphones have some rather nice features for their price. Starting off with the sound, you’re not getting ultra-premium audio. However, you’ll still get some decent sound with some nice detail. You can count on some powerful and rich bass.
While these headphones are affordable, you’ll still get some nice features, and one of them is the dedicated app. Using it, you can switch between different modes and customize your audio profile. For example, you can switch to the gaming mode for when you need low-latency audio.
Another great feature is the EQ button on the headphones. Using this button, you can quickly switch between three EQ presets that will adjust the audio. You’ll be able to choose the preset that suits your mood. With most other headphones, you’ll need to dig into the app to change EQ presets.
These are comfortable headphones that won’t weigh your head down too much. This way you’ll be able to wear them all day. Speaking of wearing these headphones all day, the TOZO HA1 have an incredible 70-hour battery life. So, you’ll be able to wear them for as long as you want before charging them.
These earbuds cover the basics: Soundcore by Anker P20i
Chances are that you’re buying multiple Christmas presents this year. As such, you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a pair of earbuds. You want a pair that covers all of the fundamental bases with a few neat additions. Well, look no further than the $39.00 Soundcore by Anker P20i. Obviously, they’re not going to have the best drivers or noise cancelation on the market. But, that doesn’t mean that you need to sleep on these earbuds.
They have a pair of nicely tuned 10mm drivers that give you a decently good sound. They’re definitely the earbuds to get if you’re looking for some powerful bass.
Just because they’re affordable, it doesn’t mean that they don’t have any good features. There’s still an app that you can use to adjust your listening experience. For example, there are a whopping 22 EQ presets that you can choose from to cater the sound to your liking. That’s amazing for any price range, not just the sub-$100 price.
What’s also impressive is the 30-hour battery life that you can get with the charging case included. If they run out, you can get up to 2 hours of battery life from a 10-minute charge.
We can’t forget about the five beautiful colors that these earbuds come in. There’s a Black, Blue, Light Blue, Pink, and White color.
