Odi Productions
We flight-tested 30+ wireless noise cancelling headphones across 100+ hours in the air. Here are the 7 best travel headphones for silencing plane cabin noise, international flight comfort, and packability in 2026. I’m also a professional audio engineer and expert headphone reviewer with over 10 years of experience, and run the RecordingNow YouTube channel dedicated to reviewing headphones and earbuds with over 25,000+ subscribers and over 7 million views.
This list includes brands like Apple, Sony, Bose, Sennheiser, Anker Soundcore, and more.
This article will cover the following categories:
- Best Long-Haul Comfort
- Best Travel Earbuds
- Best Battery Life
- Most Compact
- Best for Apple Users
- Best Value
- Best Overall
These headphones are ALL wireless headphones and earbuds which we’ve reviewed and thoroughly tested individually on the website for hundreds of hours in total. You can read our review for each headphone inside the individual product boxes below.
Best Long-Haul Comfort: Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen
The Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen is one of the lightest premium over-ear headphones we’ve tested to date, weighing in at just 237.3 grams.
For reference, the AirPods Max 2 weighs in 147 grams heavier at 384.4 grams.
Even the lightweight Sony WH-1000XM6 weighs more at 252.8 grams.
Finally, the flagship Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen model weighs in about 25 grams heavier at 262.2 grams.
Not only is the Bose QuietComfort 2 incredibly light, but it has a relaxed clamping force with plenty of interior earcup space, so my ears are free inside, unlike the cramped Sony XM6.
Factor all of this together, and the Bose QuietComfort 2 is the easy choice for international long-haul flights and unbeatable comfort.
See our Full Bose QuietComfort 2 Review on YouTube below
Best Travel Earbuds: Sony WF-1000XM6
Sony has some of the best noise cancelling technology implemented into both their flagship headphones and earbuds.
The Sony WF-1000XM6 is their newest flagship earbud, and easily their best earbuds ever created.
I’m still a big fan of their previous-generation XM5 earbuds, but the XM6 has made noticeable improvements in noise cancelling, ergonomic fit, and sound quality.
I find the XM6 earbuds to have some of the strongest noise cancelling performance in the earbud class, alongside the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2 and AirPods Pro 3.
In addition to the noise cancelling, the XM6 also has some of the best audiophile-level sound quality to go along with it.
Lastly, these have over 8 hours of battery life with ANC on in a single charge, compared to the class average of about 6 hours with ANC on. This number increases to 24 hours total if you include the charging case, which is easily more than enough for any international flight.
See our Full Sony WF-1000XM6 Review on YouTube below
Best Battery Life: Sennheiser Momentum 5
When traveling, especially on long-haul international flights and layovers, battery anxiety can be a real thing.
If there’s one brand that stands above the rest for battery life, it’s Sennheiser.
While most of these over-ear noise cancelling headphones average between 24 to 30 hours on a single charge with noise cancelling turned on, the Sennheiser Momentum 5 is rated at a whopping 57 hours with noise cancelling on.
Sennheiser also has 2 other models that reach up to 60 hours, the Momentum 4 and HDB 630, but the Momentum 5 has the best noise cancelling, portability, and practicality of the three.
I’d gladly sacrifice those 3 hours for the Momentum 5’s superior noise cancelling and more compact case. Not to mention, it’s also the most comfortable as it’s the lightest of the three.
I would be remiss not to mention that the Momentum 5 also has incredible sound quality for its sub-$400 pricetag.
Overall, while there is stronger noise cancelling and slightly better comfort out there, those headphones from Apple, Bose, and Sony don’t handle a candle to the Momentum 5’s battery life and sound quality combo.
See our Full Sennheiser Momentum 5 Review on YouTube below
Most Compact: Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen
While we could technically put a 3-way tie here between the Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen, Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen, and Sony WH-1000XM6, the Bose QC2 is the lightest of the three.
All 3 of the aforementioned headphones have a foldable and collapsible design, along with some of the most compact cases in the class, which is perfect for travel and taking up minimal luggage or bag space.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Bose headphones were designed for the frequent flier or traveler in mind, and it shows in their product design.
Sony also improved heavily here by reverting back to the foldable design in the WH-1000XM6, which they perplexingly abandoned with the previous generation XM5 headphones, leading to it having one of the bulkiest cases out there. The older XM4 was quite compact and foldable as well.
These headphones are much more convenient compared to something like the AirPods Max 2 that does not fold or collapse, doesn’t have a fully enclosed hardshell case, and instead just covers the earcups leaving the headband exposed.
Best for Apple Users: Apple AirPods Max 2 or AirPods Pro 3 (Tie)
If you’re an Apple ecosystem user and prioritize convenience with seamless connectivity and multi-device switching, then the current AirPods lineup is the best choice.
Surprisingly, it’s a bit of a tougher decision choosing between the flagship AirPods Max 2 over-ear headphones versus the flagship earbuds in the AirPods Pro 3, as they’re both quite strong products.
If you want the maximum noise cancelling performance, 20 hours of battery life on a single charge, and the superior sound quality, then the AirPods Max 2 is my recommendation.
If you want a smaller form-factor, pretty good noise cancelling, and a better dollar value at less than half the cost, then the AirPods Pro 3 is a sneaky good alternative.
If you frequently do 8+ hour international flights, then you might want to go with the AirPods Max 2 because the AirPods Pro 3 is limited to about 8 hours on a single charge with noise cancelling turned on.
This number increases to about 24 hours if you include the charging case, but that’s less convenient than the AirPods Max 2’s 20 hours on a single charge.
Best Value: Soundcore Space 2
At just over $100 USD when on sale (and a full retail price of $129.99), the Soundcore Space 2 is arguably the best overall headphone under $200 currently.
If you haven’t heard of Soundcore, they are Anker’s consumer audio line of products that excels in the budget price range for both headphones and earbuds.
The Space 2 is one of their newest releases and has an excellent combo of comfort, noise cancelling performance, and sound quality for its budget price tag.
Where the Soundcore brand excels is in having above-average noise cancelling in a price range where the noise cancelling is typically below average for the budget headphones.
The Space 2 has noise cancelling performance that competes with headphones costing 2-3x as much.
Add in its excellent comfort and decent sound quality, and the Space 2 is an easy recommendation from me for those looking to get the most value for their dollar.
Read the FULL Review: Soundcore Space 2 Review
Best Overall: Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen
Although the “regular” Bose QuietComfort 2nd Gen is our winner for comfort, mainly due to being lighter than the flagship QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen, the Ultra ultimately wins as a whole.
So what do you get by upgrading to the QC Ultra 2nd Gen?
The QC Ultra 2 has 30 hours of battery life compared to the 24 hours on the QuietComfort 2. This extra battery life translates to less charging and more trips without the battery going dead.
You also get more premium materials and build quality, as the QC Ultra 2 has stainless steel headband core and aluminum hinges compared to mostly plastic on the QuietComfort 2.
This durability becomes a factor in the long-term longevity of the headphones.
Lastly, the QC Ultra 2nd Gen has the superior audiophile sound quality and aptX Lossless support, which the QuietComfort 2 does not support.
Essentially, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen was the most comfortable headphone we had tested until the QuietComfort 2, but factor in all of the differences outlined above, and the QC Ultra 2 is still the better overall headphone.
See our Full Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2nd Gen Review on YouTube below
How We Tested and Our Methodology
RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.
We currently purchase all of the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.
After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment. Noise cancelling performance is tested in the real-world, primarily on airplane flights, coffee shops, and walking around large metropolitan city environments.
ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.
Post Update History
- September 2026: Original publication date.
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