The best noise-cancelling headphones in 2026 · Doxlore

Buying guidesSony WH-1000XM6 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones AirPods Max (USB-C)Sonos Ace Sony Apple

The best noise-cancelling headphones in 2026

Posted 16h ago

Four premium options, and a clear winner for most people.

Best overall, Sony WH-1000XM6

Best-in-class ANC, folds for travel, the deepest app, great calls. The pick for most people, most of the time.

Most comfortable, Bose QuietComfort Ultra

The nicest to wear for hours, with a more natural cancellation feel and the best spatial audio.

For iPhone owners, AirPods Max (USB-C)

Heavy and expensive, but the build is unmatched and the integration with Apple devices is seamless.

For Sonos households, Sonos Ace

Great sound and the TV Audio Swap trick, if you already own a Sonos soundbar.

The verdict: Buy the Sony XM6 unless comfort (Bose), ecosystem (AirPods Max) or a Sonos soundbar (Ace) tips you elsewhere.

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Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs Sony WH-1000XM6

Bose for comfort and a more natural cancellation feel; Sony for the app, the features and slightly stronger ANC. The case for Bose The QuietComfort Ultra is the more comfortable headphone for long wear (lighter clamp, plusher pads), and its noise cancellation has a less "pressurised" feel that some people strongly prefer. Its Immersive Audio spatialisation is the best in the category. The case for Sony The XM6 cancels marginally more noise overall, has the deeper feature set and the better app, folds smaller for travel, and takes better calls. The verdict: You will not be unhappy with either. Try both on your head, because comfort and ANC feel are personal and that is where they differ. Sources GSMArena specifications

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ReviewsSony WH-1000XM6 Sony

Sony WH-1000XM6 review: the folding hinge is back, and so is the crown

The best all-round noise-cancelling headphones again, now with the practicality the XM5 threw away. Our score: 9 / 10 At a glance Spec Detail ANC 12-microphone array, new processor Folding Folds flat and into the cups again Battery Around 30 hours with ANC Codecs LDAC, AAC, SBC; multipoint Price Around $449 Sony listened The XM6 brings back the folding hinge the XM5 inexplicably dropped, so it packs down small for travel again. It adds a 12-microphone ANC array and a dedicated processor, and keeps the class-leading companion app, multipoint pairing and battery life. The sound and the competition Noise cancellation is now clearly ahead of the AirPods Max and a nose in front of the Bose QuietComfort Ultra. The default tuning is warm and a little bass-forward; the app’s EQ fixes that in a minute. Call quality is excellent. The good and the bad What works Best-in-class ANC Folds flat for travel again Superb app, EQ and multipoint Great call quality What doesn’t $449 Warm default tuning needs EQ No lossless over USB-C Who it’s for Buy it if you want one pair of headphones for flights, commutes and calls and you want the best at each. Skip it if you prioritise wired lossless audio or the most neutral out-of-the-box sound. Alternatives worth a look Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, more comfortable, more natural ANC feel. AirPods Max (USB-C), for iPhone owners who want the build and integration. The verdict: The obvious default in the category once again. Sony fixed the one thing that was wrong. Sources Sony GSMArena specifications

16h agoRead discussion

ReviewsSonos Ace

Sonos Ace review: great headphones, complicated timing

A strong first pair of headphones from Sonos, launched into a company having a rough year. Our score: 8 / 10 The hardware is not the problem The Sonos Ace sound great, the ANC is competitive with Sony and Bose, the build is genuinely premium, and the "TV Audio Swap" trick (throwing your Sonos Arc’s audio straight to the headphones for private late-night watching) is clever and works well. The asterisk Sonos’s app overhaul was a mess, and trust in the company’s software direction took a hit. The Ace largely sidesteps the worst of it, but you are still buying into that ecosystem. The good and the bad What works Premium build and sound Competitive ANC TV Audio Swap with a Sonos Arc is excellent What doesn’t Best features need other Sonos gear Sonos app and software trust issues Late to the category Who it’s for Buy it if you own a Sonos soundbar and want headphones that integrate with it. Skip it if you have no other Sonos gear, in which case the XM6 or QC Ultra are safer buys. Alternatives worth a look Sony WH-1000XM6, the all-rounder. Bose QuietComfort Ultra, the comfort pick. The verdict: Good headphones with a real party trick, sold by a company you may or may not trust right now. Sources Sonos

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Buying guidesAirPods Max (USB-C)Apple

AirPods Max (USB-C) in 2026: the same headphones, one better port

Still the most beautifully built pair in the category, still heavy, still late to lossless. What changed and what did not The USB-C update swapped the Lightning port and added new colours. The drivers, the ANC and the aluminium-and-mesh build are unchanged, which is fine, because they were always excellent. The honest caveats It is around 385 grams, the case is famously pointless, and lossless wired audio arrived later via firmware rather than at launch. For Apple households that want the best-built headphones and seamless switching, none of that is a dealbreaker. Who it’s for Buy it if you are in Apple’s ecosystem and you want the premium build and integration. Skip it if you travel light or want the best value, where the Sony XM6 is lighter, folds, and costs less. Alternatives worth a look Sony WH-1000XM6, lighter, folds, better app, cheaper. The verdict: A luxury object with real trade-offs. Worth it inside the Apple ecosystem, questionable outside it.

16h agoRead discussion

FeaturesGoogle Pixel 11 Samsung Galaxy S26 Google Samsung Apple+1

Why "seven years of updates" quietly changed how to buy a phone

When a mid-range phone is supported into the 2030s, the case for buying a flagship gets weaker every year. How we got here Google started it, Samsung matched it, and Apple has effectively done it for years: seven years of OS and security updates is now the flagship standard, and it is trickling down to mid-range phones. What it does to the maths A ~$500 Pixel 11-class phone patched into the 2030s is a better long-term buy than an $1,100 flagship you replace every three years out of habit. The upgrade treadmill only works if you keep stepping on it. If you are willing to keep a phone for five or six years, the sensible money is on a well-supported mid-ranger, not the top of the range. The verdict: Long software support turned the mid-range into the value sweet spot. Buy for longevity and the flagship premium gets hard to justify. Sources GSMArena specifications

16h ago

OpinioniPhone 17 Pro Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Apple Samsung Xiaomi+1

The phone camera bump has officially gone too far

We asked for better cameras. We did not ask for phones that rock on a table like a see-saw. Look at what we are carrying The iPhone 17 Pro has a plateau spanning its top third. The S26 Ultra and the Xiaomi 15 Ultra are worse. Every flagship now ships with a case recommendation effectively baked into the industrial design, because the raw phone will not sit flat. Bigger sensors are real, but there is a limit Larger sensors genuinely take better photos; that trade-off is honest. But there is a point where the tail wags the dog, and a phone that cannot lie flat on a desk without wobbling has passed it. A modest, even bump across the whole back, the direction the iPhone 17 line went, is the sane compromise. The towering islands are not. The verdict: Give us the sensor. Just find a way to fit it that does not turn every phone into a novelty rocking chair. Sources GSMArena specifications

16h ago

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The best noise-cancelling headphones in 2026

Best overall, Sony WH-1000XM6

Most comfortable, Bose QuietComfort Ultra

For iPhone owners, AirPods Max (USB-C)

For Sonos households, Sonos Ace

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Similar topics

Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs Sony WH-1000XM6

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Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones vs Sony WH-1000XM6

Sony WH-1000XM6 review: the folding hinge is back, and so is the crown

Sonos Ace review: great headphones, complicated timing

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Why "seven years of updates" quietly changed how to buy a phone

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