Buying the right pair of headphones can be a complicated affair. With a large number of options and choices in the market, and coupled with the fact that you could be upgrading from an already decent pair of headphones that you are comfortable listening to, there could be a lot of things to consider before you make the right pick. Add to that, the best headphones to buy in India also cost a pretty penny, which makes it even more important for you to choose wisely.
Here, we break down the factors to consider before buying a pair of premium headphones and give you the list of the best headphones to buy in India right now.
Premium headphones vs budget headphones
With budget earphones and headphones offering competitive features such as noise cancellation and multi-driver audio, should you really be spending a premium to get one of the best headphones to buy in India? Here’s a breakdown.
Better audio drivers
The first and foremost reason for you to invest in one of the best headphones to buy in India is audio quality, and that is defined by the drivers in use. Look through the spec sheet of all the headphones to wish to consider, and compare the size and specifications of its audio driver. This gives you the first clue in terms of how big an upgrade could your new headphones be, over basic ones.
Adjustable noise cancellation
Premium headphones today offer noise cancellation that could be adjusted to your preference. You can choose to keep it light, in order to not feel claustrophobic. You can also choose to turn it up if you prefer more silence. All of this can be done through companion apps — something that basic headphones don’t offer.
Programmable sound signature
The companion apps also let you choose the right audio quality for your preference. This can be done through preset equalisers, and also manual adjustment of sound quality based on your personal ear profile. This can improve your listening quality by miles over basic earphones.
Longevity of product
One reason why the best headphones always cost more is their longevity. Most of the premium products, contrary to the basic ones, will last you for over five years at the very least — while budget ones are likely to develop audio, battery, fit and connectivity issues within about two years.
Comfort of usage
Finally, the premium headphones offer a fit and design that is more likely to fit you well, than budget earphones. The comfort of wearing the right pair of earphones, especially if you are a heavy user, could be a major factor in the long run. This makes it worth paying more for a product if you are to choose the right one for long-term usage.
On this note, here are the best headphones to buy in India right now.
Best headphones to buy in India
| Product | Price |
| Sony WF-1000XM4 | Rs 19,990 |
| Sony WH-1000XM4 | Rs 29,990 |
| Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 | Rs 34,500 |
| Shure Aonic 50 | Rs 23,500 |
| Apple AirPods Max | Rs 59,900 |
| Bowers & Wilkins PI5 | Rs 26,000 |
| Master & Dynamic MW07+ | Rs 24,999 |
| Jabra Elite 85t | Rs 9,999 |
| Apple AirPods Pro | Rs 24,900 |
| Jabra Elite 7 Pro | Rs 17,999 |
| Sennheiser Momentum 3 | Rs 34,990 |
| OPPO Enco X | Rs 9,990 |
| Bose Quitecomfort Earbuds | Rs 26,900 |
| Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 | Rs 24,990 |
| OnePlus Buds Pro | Rs 9,990 |
Sony WF-1000XM4
The Sony WF-1000XM4 is pretty much the king of the hill among mainstream consumer headphones today. It charges a reasonable price for the flagship offering and comes with an incredibly well-packed offering. Its audio drivers have improved to offer 360 Reality spatial audio, as well as lossless digital upscaling. You also get advanced, adjustable noise cancellation, all of which comes in a far more compact body than its predecessor. The earbuds also look good and offer sufficiently good battery life to make it an all-around affair.
Buy: Amazon | Headphone Zone
Pros
- Excellent sound
- Great noise cancelling
- Superb feature set
Cons
- Can feel bulky
Sony WH-1000XM4
Buy: Amazon | Headphone Zone Pros
:
- Excellent sound quality
- Great feature set
Cons
- Not a lot of changes over the previous generation
Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700
The one big thing that really works in favour of the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 is its light build despite all the features on offer. While the audio quality has an added hint of bass, it’s the noise cancellation performance that you should buy this one for. You get 11 levels of noise cancellation, which in turn can be programmed through the app for you to customise. You also have its light build, which combines with the flexibility of noise cancellation to make it among the easiest use pairs of flagship headphones in the market.
- Superb noise cancellation
- Highly comfortable build
Cons
- Audio balance could have been better
Shure Aonic 50
The Shure Aonic 50 is hailed widely by audiophiles, offering a massive upgrade in terms of the drivers they offer, and the entire overall package. The 50mm drivers offer an excellent dynamic range of sound, producing impressive clarity, great depth of tone, and a very premium listening experience thanks to its build. The volume levels are amply loud, and you get all the necessary connectivity requirements for lossless, high-resolution playback. You also get reliable noise cancellation, making it one of the best pairs of wireless headphones to use.
Buy: Amazon | Headphone Zone Pros
- Great sound
- Excellent design
- Good battery life
Cons
- Control buttons are flimsy
- Heavy
Apple AirPods Max
- Good sound
- Impressive spatial distribution
Cons
- Expensive
- Polarising design
Bowers & Wilkins PI5
Yet another premium wireless earphones. The Bowers & Wilkins PI5 is among the most versatile true wireless earbuds in the market. Its drivers produce a very well-balanced sound signature through 9.2mm drivers, and you also get support for most connectivity standards to enable high resolution, lossless audio streaming. You also get a sophisticated noise cancellation control system and fast charging as well. There’s also wireless charging on offer and sensors that can detect when you take them off. The only factor – despite its premium offering, it lacks the novelty factor that many others in this segment bring.
Buy: Headphone Zone
Pros
- Good audio quality
- Great set of features
Cons
- Looks ordinary
- Too expensive
Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus
Master & Dynamic’s true wireless earbuds offer a super premium overall experience, going beyond just the sound. You get rich, detailed, clean and deep sound from its dynamic drivers, thereby making it highly recommendable. However, you also get it as a lifestyle purchase, complete with colours such as tortoiseshell, and a rather uniquely shaped, stainless steel charging case that looks more like a miniature snuff box. What makes it worth owning is its novelty factor, which makes it feel like a premium lifestyle gadget – more than just an audio product.
Buy: Amazon | The Audio Co Pros
- Super premium design
- Great overall sound
Cons
- Audio performance comparable with lesser-priced alternatives
Jabra Elite 85t
The Jabra Elite 85t is one of the most versatile and underrated pairs of earphones in the market. With an excellent 12mm dynamic driver set that produces rich bass, clear mids and smooth highs, the Elite 85t are a perfect fit for a wide range of audio choices. Through the app, you also get access to a slider-based noise cancellation control, while both the fit and battery life are among the best in the industry, too. All said and done, the Jabra Elite 85t offers users a flagship audio product without breaking the bank.
Buy: Amazon | Headphone Zone Pros
:
- Great sound
- Good noise cancellation
Cons
- Works like any other in non-Apple devices
Apple AirPods Pro
- Seamless multi-device connectivity
- Great noise cancellation
- Versatile sound
Cons
- Others sound better
- Benefits limited to Apple users
Jabra Elite 7 Pro
Jabra Elite 7 Pro is one of the best-sounding flagship TWS from the Jabra brand. The excellent voice call feature is among the many highlights of earphones. Jabra Elite 7 Pro now come with Multisensor Voice technology, which uses four microphones and the Voice Pick Up (VPU) sensor present in each of the buds to offer you clearer voice calls than ever. Moreover, the buds also feature ‘bone conduction’ technology – which picks up your voice through the vibrations in your jawbone and combines it with Jabra’s algorithms to cancel out any wind or outside noise – giving you the next level of clarity to the voice calls. And what’s more, you don’t have to fiddle through complicated earbuds settings to activate this feature; the whole process is made to offer elevated convenience to users and activates automatically when it detects outside disturbances while on a voice call.
You also get an equally impressive 5-level ANC, which is combined with Jabras’s excellent HearThrough technology that allows you to selectively block outside noise. The TWS buds also feature excellent battery backup, offering up to 8 hours of runtime on a single charge. Additionally, with the charging case, the total playback time can be expanded up to 30 hours. Jabra also has an intuitive app to seamlessly control and customise the Jabra Elite 7 Pro. If you’re the type of user who always stays on the move, Jabra Elite 7 Pro are the perfect earbuds to have.
Buy: Amazon | Flipkart | Headphone Zone | TATA CLiQ
Pros
- Excellent noise-free voice call experience with Multisensor Voice technology
- Adjustable 5-level noise cancellation through HearThrough
- Excellent sound quality
- USB-C
- IP57 rating
- Excellent battery life
Cons
- No high-quality audio codecs support such as AptX or LDAC
Sennheiser Momentum 3
The Sennheiser Momentum 3 wireless over-the-ear headphones retain the same sleek and modern design as its predecessor, the Sennheiser Momentum 2. Apart from featuring an excellent sound that you expect from Sennheiser, you also get Smart Pause feature, which tuns the headphones off when you take them off and resumes music when you wear them again. Another highlighting feature here is the Transparent Hearing, which amplifies your surrounding noise so you can easily hear the outside world while still listening to your music, that way, you don’t have to take headphones off to listen to an important conversation and still keep yourself immersed in music. Moreover, you also get good ANC built-in coupled with dense yet comfortable earpads to block out most outside noises.
The Momentum 3 also features simple yet effective controls, which are situated around the earcup, making controlling the music and taking calls, for instance, a hassle-free and intuitive experience. Lastly, the brand is also offering the Sennheiser Smart Control App, which lets you further fine-tune the sound via the EQ if needed. The app also lets you control various aspects of the headphone. If you’re prioritising comfort as well as great sound, the Sennheiser Momentum 3 are worth considering.
Buy: Flipkart | Amazon | Reliance Digital
Pros
- Condoratable Earcup cushioning
- Excellent sound
- Good selection of audio codecs such as SBC, AptX Low Latency, and AAC
- Excellent build quality
Cons
- Expensive
- Bulky
Oppo Enco X
While Oppo is nowadays known primarily for their smartphones, they used to make some great audio hardware back in the day. With the Oppo Enco X, the company is again trying to attract audiophiles from around the world. Oppo Enco X feature immersive sound, which is tuned by the Danish Hi-Fi brand Dynaudio. The company is also using its improved DBEE 3.0 Sound System to power these earbuds, which is claimed to offer a next-level of sound immersion. Its excellent Dual-Driver design and triple-layer composite dynamic driver produces punchy bass, clear mids, and sparkling highs. Audiophiles will love how great the earphones handle multiple instruments with its expansive soundstage. And the LHDC (Low Latency High-Definition Audio Codec), which can offer bit rates of up to 900kbps, adds the cherry on top.
Equally impressive is the Enco X latency. The earbuds are using Bluetooth 5.2 and Binaural Low-Latency Bluetooth Transmission to offer near imperceptible latency for a much-improved gaming and music listening experience. You also get excellent noise cancellation built-in that ensures there are no outside disturbances. There are touch controls like a double, triple tap, and long-press to control the earbuds and tracks. The Oppo Enco X also feature swipe gestures to increase/decrease the sound, without using your smartphone. If you want one of the best-sounding audiophile TWS earphones under the budget of Rs 10,000, the Oppo Enco X are worth buying.
Buy: Flipkart | Oppo Store
Pros
- Immersive and expansive soundstage with Dual-Driver design
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Solid build
- IP54 rated
- Good ANC
- Wireless charging
Cons
- Average battery life
Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds
As the name would suggest, the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are designed to offer great noise cancellation (ANC) as well as comfort for long listening hours. And as expected from Bose you also get terrific sound along with High-Fidelity audio certification. Its Aware Mode lets you hear the outside voices while you’re enjoying your music with ANC. As for the battery life, the earbuds can last up to 6 hours on a single charge, and the case can offer up to 12 hours of additional juice. The Bose QuiteComfort earbuds also offers the flexibility to choose between USB-C charging or wireless charging. Other features of the wearables include intuitive touch controls like tap, touch, and swipe and Bluetooth v5.1 for a wide-range connectivity. To sum it up, if you’re prioritising comfort and noise cancellation along with excellent sound quality, then the Bose QuietComfort will definitely satisfy your needs.
Buy: Amazon, Flipkart, Soundscape
Pros
- One of the best noise-cancelling earbuds
- Comfortable and offer secure fit
- USB-C and Qi wireless charging support
- IPX4
- Good battery life
Cons
- Bulky case design
- Expensive
- Only SBC and AAC support
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3
The Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 are hailed as one of the best TWS around, and for all the right reasons. Featuring a balanced sound that the audiophiles will surely love, the Momentum True Wireless 3 also feature good ANC along with high-quality craftsmanship and an excellent companion app that lets you further fine-tune the buds using EQ, select suitable presets, and much more. Sennheiser has also included support for high-quality codecs like AAC, SBC, aptX and aptX Adaptive. The buds also gets an IPX4 rating so you can also wear them while working out in gym. The Momentum True Wireless 3 are also extremely comfortable to wear for long hours and comes with acceptable battery life. Additionally, the TWS also include USB-C charging, wireless charging support, responsive touch controls, and convenient features like Smart Pause, Anti-Wind, and Auto-accept call. All this make using the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 earbuds an intuitive experience.
Buy: Amazon
Pros
- Comfortable to wear for long hours and offer a secure fit
- IPX4 rated
- Good battery life
- Excellent sound with an expansive sound stage
- Good selection of high-quality audio codecs
Cons
- Audio output is not as detailed as the competition
- No multi-point connectivity
- Little on the expensive side
OnePlus Buds Pro
- Excellent bass
- Custom audio profiles
- Super fast charging
Cons
- Sound balance could have been better
