The 6 Best Travel Headphones - Summer 2020
Reviews

The best travel headphones we've tested so far are the Sony WH-1000XM3. They have a sleek, high-end design and one of the best active noise cancelling features we've seen to date. They provide a feature-packed listening experience that can help bring peace and quiet to your travels, whether you're riding the subway to work or catching a flight to your next getaway.

Out-of-the-box, these Bluetooth headphones have a warm, slightly bass-heavy sound profile that's very well-suited to EDM, hip-hop, and jazz. You can also customize the way they sound in great detail with their excellent companion app, which provides not only an EQ but a number of unique surround sound effects. Their 27-hour battery life will outlast even the longest flights, and you can also use them wired if you prefer.

While their touch-sensitive controls are easy enough to use under most conditions, they tend to register unwanted commands in colder weather. Their auto-off timer also only triggers once they're disconnected from their Bluetooth source, so if you fall asleep on the plane listening to music on your phone in your pocket, their battery will keep draining since they won't turn off. That said, they're still the best commuter headphones we've seen to date thanks to their excellent noise cancelling and premium customization features.

The best commuter headphones we've tested so far for those who prefer in-ears are the Apple AirPods Pro. They have a surprisingly powerful active noise cancelling feature for such tiny truly wireless earbuds, making them a portable option if you're looking to reduce noise on-the-go. They're comfortable, well-built, and fit securely enough to not fly out your ears if you have to sprint to catch the bus.

These truly wireless in-ears have a very well-balanced, neutral sound signature that lends itself well to music of a very wide range of genres. Some might find them a bit light on bass, but this can vary from person-to-person. They cancel an exceptional amount of noise, especially for wireless earbuds, and don't leak much sound. This means you can raise your listening volume a bit to help block out more noise without having to worry too much about bothering those around you, which is nice when you're stuck in a crowded subway car.

On the downside, their battery only lasts for around 5 hours of continuous playback. This shouldn't be too much of an issue if you make sure to keep them in their wireless charging case when they're not in use but can be a bummer if you want to watch your favorite movies back-to-back on the plane. That said, it's a small price to pay for the freedom that truly wireless earbuds provide, especially while traveling.

The best travel headphones under $200 that we've tested so far are the Razer Opus. These ANC Bluetooth over-ears prove that you don't need to spend a fortune to get an impressive ANC feature packaged in a well-built and premium design. They look very similar to the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless and are just as comfortable. Their 33-hour battery life lasts longer than all of the other recommendations on this list, and they have easy-to-use physical buttons, come with a great hard carrying case, and look and feel very durable and well-built.

Their default sound profile is very well-balanced and accurate, making them versatile enough for most genres and content. While fans of genres like EDM or hip-hop may find they lack a bit of bass, their sound profile can easily be adjusted via a graphic EQ and presets within their dedicated companion app. Their ANC performance is remarkable, and they block low-bass sounds like bus or plane engines even better than the much more expensive Bose QuietComfort 35 II/QC35 II Wireless 2018.

Unfortunately, if you take a lot of phone calls while on-the-go, these may not be the best choice as their microphone performance is only mediocre overall. They also lack some additional features, like the ability to pair to two devices at once, making it more difficult to quickly switch between your phone and laptop. That being said, these headphones provide an outstanding price-to-performance ratio and are a great travel companion if you don't want to spend a ton on a pair of premium headphones.

The best travel headphones we've tested so far in the budget range are the Mpow H10. They don't have the same premium design as our top recommendations, but they're still a very good choice for commute and travel thanks to their great active noise cancelling feature and long battery life. They're comfortable, fairly easy-to-use, and provide good value overall.

These budget Bluetooth headphones might not isolate noise as well as the Sony WH-1000XM3 Wireless, but they still do an impressive job at cutting through the deep rumble of a bus or plane engine. They have an excited, yet still fairly well-balanced sound profile, and great 23-hour battery life. They also have a standby mode to help save power when they're not in use, which is a welcome surprise at this price point.

Unfortunately, they look and feel like cheap headphones. While they don't feel like they'll instantly break if you happen to drop them, their build quality doesn't inspire confidence, especially when folding the ear cups inwards. They also tend to leak quite a bit of sound at higher volumes, which can be an issue if others are sleeping on the train. The Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Wireless feel much better-built and leak far less, but their noise cancelling isn't quite as good, giving the Mpow a slight edge for traveling.