Wireless over-ear headphones

Why pick a headband model

A larger housing fits a larger driver and a larger battery — which is where the two main advantages over earbuds come from: sound and running time.

• 30–60 hours of battery. Charging once a week rather than every day; a 5-minute top-up gives a couple of hours of music.
• Noise cancelling. The cushion around the ear blocks noise physically and ANC adds to it — on a plane or train the difference from earbuds is obvious.
• Fit. Over-ear is more comfortable for long sessions, on-ear is lighter and more compact.
• Multipoint. Connected to two devices at once: a laptop meeting and a phone call without re-pairing.
• Codec. AAC for iPhone, aptX/LDAC for Android when stream quality matters.

Open-ear models

This page also holds clip-on open-ear models (Huawei FreeClip, Sony LinkBuds Clip, Lenovo X500). They leave the ear canal open, so you still hear traffic and colleagues — handy for running and for the office.

See also

For something smaller, see true wireless earbuds; for studio work and play, wired headphones and gaming headsets. The full range is in headphones.

Frequently asked questions

Is ANC worth it in an office? Yes — steady noise such as ventilation and background talk is exactly what it removes best.

Over-ear or on-ear? Over-ear is comfier for long use and isolates better; on-ear is lighter and packs smaller.