Making a list of the best Bluetooth headphones is difficult. Hear me out. The audio space is so competitive right now that almost every flagship headphone is performing at almost the same level. Almost all of them have a very balanced sound signature, great comfort and fit, and come with great battery life put together in a package that will serve you well. All you need to do is pick the right one for you. The differences are subtle, but if you are spending so much, then why not get the exact product you want? If you do not mind having ANC and prefer very close to neutral sound, then the Audio-Technica M50X-BT2 are the best for you. And, if you are looking for headphones with ANC, then the best over-ears are the Sony WF-1000XM5, followed closely by the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless. If you want TWS earbuds, you can go for the Sony WF-1000XM4 or the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. So here’s our list of the best Bluetooth headphones you can get in India right now. Read through and decide which one you are getting for your next birthday!
- 1.
- Exceptional Active Noise Cancellation, Supremely comfortable, LDAC codec support, Great battery life, Convenient features like Multipoint and Quick Attention
- Slightly boosted bass and low mids, Less portable than before, No IP rating
Probably one of the best Bluetooth headphones to have been released in the last few years, the Sony WH-1000XM5 make for a great pair of headphones if you have the budget. They come with exceptional ANC, their fit is something that would put most headphone designers to shame, and the battery lasted about 30 hours with Noise cancellation on and AAC codec active. As for the sound quality, we found that the signature was well-rounded, with the bass giving the right amount of punch, with balanced mids and sparkly highs. We could not get enough of listening to high-quality FLAC files on these headphones. Their microphone performance was also stellar, with their eight-microphone array working wonders during our calls.
- 2.
- Balanced and crisp sound, Classy design, Incredible battery life, aptX and aptX adaptive support
- Doesn’t fold up, ANC doesn’t match some competitors, No IP rating
The closest competitors of the Sony WH-1000XM5, the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless headphones, also make a great case for themselves. I spent some time with the headphones when they showed up at the Test Centre, and the comfort and the sound quality was excellent. Every part of the frequency spectrum was well-balanced, and I could go on playing back audio on these headphones for up to 60 hours with ANC turned on, which by the way was very impressive too. This is one of the best in class. Their overall design is a bit funkier than the 1000XM5 headphones, with the headband having a fabric finish, a shiny metallic Sennheiser logo, a white stem attaching the cans to the band, and the pad, complimenting the headband with its dark grey colour.
- 3.
- Impressive sound quality, LDAC codec supported, Sony Headphones Connect app is fantastic, Excellent ANC performance, IPX4 water resistance
- No multipoint connectivity, Bulky earbuds
Carrying Sony’s baton in the TWS earbuds space is the Sony WF-1000XM4. They continue leading the charts as the best TWS earbuds you can get your hands on. Granted that the earbuds are slightly bulky, but the included foam tips make sure that you get a secure and tight fit, which is great because their sound signature and ANC performance depends on it. Once you get the right fit, you don’t have to worry about that, though, as both their ANC and sound signature is arguably one of the best that is available in TWS earbuds. Their battery life is also great, meaning that you will ideally not run out of juice through a single workday.
- 4.
- Detailed sonic representation
- Effective Active Noise Cancellation
- Coaxial dual drivers
- Compact size
- Underwhelming battery life
- Fit is a hit-and-miss
- No multipoint connectivity
- Limited touch controls customisability
Samsung’s flagship TWS earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro fall behind their counterpart from Sony by a small margin. Their sound signature is practically one of the best there is, and ANC also works like a charm in most environments. Be it extremely noisy outdoors, a window seat next to an aircraft’s wings, or your office, the ANC will make sure your listening experience is not hampered a lot. The dual drivers make sure that our claims of these headphones having one of the best sound signatures of all the TWS earbuds available in the market hold true. And, all of this comes in a very pocketable package.
- 5.
- Open, detailed sound, Great noise cancellation, Premium build and design, Qi wireless charging support, aptX and aptX Adaptive
- Mediocre battery life, Lacking EQ bands, Bulky charging case
As it was with the Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS earbuds, the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds had a lot of expectations to live up to. And, as expected, they did, for the most part. Let me explain. While their sound signature, features, and noise cancellation was very much in line with what their competitors have to offer, they lost a lot of ground when it came to their battery life and the bulky case. In our testing, we saw that these earbuds lasted about 4 hours and 25 minutes, which is nowhere close to the numbers posted by the competition. The size of the case is huge by the standards set by players like Apple and Samsung in this space. With those two complaints out of the way, these are a great pair of TWS earbuds in their own respect.
- 6.
Another pair of TWS earbuds in a similar situation as the Sony and the Sennheiser earbuds, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, come from a brand that fans hold in very high regard. Their ANC and sound signature, in our time testing these earbuds, was great. The sound was well-balanced, with the bass providing a nice punch, and the mids and highs holding their own. But, their polarising fit makes them a product that not everyone can buy on a whim. You need to go and try them out with different tips to make sure that you are getting the first that will help you make the most of what is there on offer.
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Dhriti Datta
Perpetually sporting a death stare, this one can be seen tinkering around with her smartphone which she holds more dear than life itself and stuffing her face with copious amounts of bacon. View Full Profile
