We've currently bought and tested 28 pairs of Skullcandy headphones. They're a fashion-forward brand with a decent variety of models for casual listening, sports, and gaming.
For lightweight and portable headphones, the best Skullcandy wireless earbuds are the Skullcandy Push Active True Wireless. These sports-oriented headphones have an ear hook design to help keep the buds stable in your ears while you're running. They have a comfortable fit and are rated IP55 for dust and water resistance. Thanks to their bass-heavy sound profile, the extra thump, rumble, and boom added to mixes can help keep you pumped up during your workout. Their companion app has a graphic EQ and presets if you prefer a different sound. You can also access Skull-iQ in the app, a smart feature that allows you to make voice commands.
The buds have a continuous battery life of over nine hours, and their carrying case holds roughly 3.4 additional charges. Unfortunately, they lack active noise cancelling (ANC) and do a mediocre job blocking background noise, like the low rumble of bus and plane engines. You may find this a benefit if you want to stay aware of your surroundings, like when you're on a run on busy city streets. Overall, they're versatile earbuds suitable for lots of different listeners.
The Skullcandy Smokin' Buds/Buds XT True Wireless are a more affordable alternative. These headphones have a more traditional earbud design, so you won't find ear hooks for added stability like with the Skullcandy Push Active True Wireless. Still, they're more than suitable for most workouts and are even rated IPX4 for water resistance. With three different ear tip sizes to choose from, their fit is decently comfortable, although they can feel fatiguing in your ears over time. They also lack a noise cancellation feature, so they can only passively block out some background noise.
These simple, wallet-friendly headphones offer a good sound for the price, with lots of extra emphasis in the bass range to bring out the punch in genres like EDM and hip-hop. You can always switch between different EQ presets like Music, Podcast, and Movie if you prefer a different sound. If you prefer cheap earbuds with a more neutral sound out-of-the-box, check out the Skullcandy Dime 2 True Wireless. Their battery life doesn't last as long as the Smokin' Buds, though, and they lack EQ presets.
The Skullcandy Sesh ANC True Wireless is a great option for those who want earbuds that can block out background noises. These headphones come with an excellent ANC (active noise cancellation) feature that can protect against a lot of ambient sound, like the low rumble of bus engines and the chatter of those around you. With this feature on, the battery lasts for over seven hours, and the portable charging case brings four extra charges to help you power up on the go.
These headphones are comfortable and well-built. They don't have ear hooks like the Skullcandy Push Active True Wireless, though, so they aren't quite as stable in your ears during more intense workouts. Their default sound is still quite balanced, so you get a clear and detailed representation of voices and lead instruments. You can adjust their sound with the graphic EQ and presets in their companion app, which is nice.
The best Skullcandy headphones we've tested are the Skullcandy Crusher Evo Wireless. These headphones are a versatile pick, and they're especially well-suited to bass lovers thanks to their haptic bass slider, which lets you increase the bass to your liking. On the lowest setting, mixes have more warmth and boom without muddying vocals and lead instruments. In their highest setting, they deliver a very intense thump, rumble, and body, which will please fans of EDM and hip-hop. If you still prefer a different sound, their companion app offers three EQ presets to help you adjust their sound to suit your tastes.
These headphones have over 34 hours of continuous battery life, and you can even use them passively with their 1/8" TRRS cable if you run out of battery life. They're also well-built and decently comfortable, but the ear cups can trap some heat over time. Unfortunately, they have a poor noise isolation performance and struggle to block out the low rumbles of bus and plane engines around you, though this may not matter to you if you plan to use them in quieter environments. It's worth noting that their bass and treble delivery can vary depending on fit, seal, and positioning. You may also notice a drop in bass if you have thick hair or wear glasses.
Anker and Skullcandy are both well-known in the budget-friendly to mid-price range for their bassy in-ears and over-ears. Anker's product range delivers a wider array of features like multi-device pairing, Hi-Res Audio support, and LDAC. Some of their headphones also have powerful noise cancelling, which rivals higher-end brands, but don't expect the same flashy look or graphic collaborations as Skullcandy.
If you've been looking for affordable headphones, you've probably come across JBL alongside Skullcandy. JBL's lineup offers more choices for fans of neutral sound since they don't usually have the more bass-heavy sound common to Skullcandy headphones. Most have a companion app with a parametric EQ and presets, so they also tend to offer more robust sound customization features. You may still prefer Skullcandy's bass-heavy sound, especially for genres like EDM or hip-hop. Skullcandy also have flashier and more colorful headphones, but they feel more plasticky.
Overall, Skullcandy delivers a decent variety of fashion-forward headphones that come in many unique colors to match your taste, style, and preferences. They have sports and gaming headphones at an affordable price, too. Unfortunately, they don't have the best build quality, and their sound isn't the most balanced as they favor a bass-heavy audio reproduction over a neutral one.
Skullcandy has a specific name for each model they release, so it can be unclear how their headphones are categorized. Sometimes, there are feature-specific variants of that model available. For this brand, we consider these variants (and their base model) as constituting a lineup. This includes the following:
Within these lineups, headphones come in feature-specific variations or colorways. Brand collaborations that impact design tend to be included in the headphones' name, like the Doritos Dime 2 True Wireless Earbuds. Following the lineup name, feature-related variants are denoted by the following:
In addition, there are also a handful of standalone models available. There may have been additional variants or previous generations of this model available in the past, but now there's only one model currently available from this manufacturer:
Sep 29, 2023: The Skullcandy Venue Wireless are discontinued, so we've replaced them with the Skullcandy Crusher Evo Wireless as the 'Best Over-Ears'. We've added the Skullcandy Sesh ANC True Wireless as the 'Best Noise Cancelling'. The Skullcandy Smokin' Buds/Buds XT True Wireless replace the Skullcandy Dime 2 True Wireless as 'Best Cheap'.
Jul 27, 2023: We've validated the picks on this list and made minor updates to the text to improve its clarity. There hasn't been a change in our recommendations.
Jun 02, 2023: We've added a comparison between the Skullcandy Push Active True Wireless and the Skullcandy Sesh ANC True Wireless. However, our picks haven't changed.
Apr 03, 2023: Checked that the picks are relevant and that the products are in stock.
Jan 31, 2023: We've added comparisons between Skullcandy, Anker, and JBL to this article to provide a better overview of the market. We've also made minor changes to the text for accuracy, but our picks haven't changed.
Skullcandy makes fashion-forward headphones. They have a large selection of headphones for casual listening, sports, and gaming but lack a more specific lineup geared toward audiophiles. Unfortunately, they're not the ideal brand for those seeking a more neutral frequency response since most of their headphones favor a bass-heavy sound profile. They're also not as sturdy or as durable as some other headphones in their price range. On the upside, their models are relatively affordable.