Let’s face it: while some of the best headphones we’ve tested sound incredible, they don’t come cheap. Believe it or not, there are plenty of affordable options out there that sound good and don’t require you to spend hundreds of dollars.
This list specifically shouts out some of the best headphones that are under $200 that Gizmodo has reviewed, there are plenty more headphones under $200 that we haven’t reviewed.
Check out the non exhaustive list below.
Best Overall — Sony WH-CH520
Think of the Sony WH-CH520s as a modest, decent pair of headphones that fulfill all your needs without making a big deal about it. They don’t offer much frills, nor are they even close to being flashy. They’re your everyday pair of boring but extremely functional cans.
At just 0.3 pounds, these might be one of the most lightweight headphones you can find, which makes them extremely comfortable to wear all day long. The clamping force is quite decent, too, which adds to their comfortability. There are only buttons—no touch-capacitive controls—on these headphones. Some folks prefer physical controls for their reliability, while others are bothered by compromising their fit a little each time they have to press a button. You should have nothing to worry about unless you belong to the second category.
Sound-wise, don’t expect to be blown away by $78 headphones. The sound is good but won’t push you out of your seat. The same can be said about calls on this device. You can rely on them for basic everyday call needs for less than $200
Best for Android Devices — Anker Soundcore Space One
Anker’s $135 Soundcore Space One over-ear headphones offer a surprisingly fair amount of features for the price. They sport impressive ANC, a comfortable fit, and a decent design, but they also offer some bells and whistles that you’d expect from more expensive headphones.
You get multi-point connectivity for up to two devices and support for AAC, LDAC, and SBC codecs. The LDAC support allows for hi-res streaming on Android devices, but it isn’t common at this price point. The Space One lasts 55 hours on a full charge, but with LDAC enabled, that number goes down to 46.
Buy at soundcore.
Best for ANC — Anker Soundcore Life Q30 Wireless
Anker’s Soundcore Life Q30 headphones offer shockingly good ANC, considering their very cheap $130 price. Their earcups do an excellent job at passive noise isolation, even without enabling ANC. However, the earcups alone are better at cancelling high-frequency sounds. The ANC, when activated, is great at picking up and muting most of your low and mid-frequency noise.
The Life Q30 headphones are very serious about silencing your surroundings. They offer three ANC modes: indoor, outdoor, and transport. Indoor and outdoor modes provide relatively weaker cancelling compared to the transport mode, which is able to catch everything the passive noise isolation on the headphones misses.
Best comfortable – JBL Live 770NC
They’re very comfortable, good for bass, sport well-thought-out controls that are easy to get used to, offer impressive mics for calling, and have a huge battery life.
They’re priced just under $200, at $199.99. Buy at JB Hi-Fi.