Best Noise Cancelling Headphones Under £100 UK 2026

The price on the box is not the number that matters with budget noise cancelling headphones. What matters is how much of a train, a bus engine or an open-plan office actually disappears, and how long your ears can stand the pads. On those terms, the best noise cancelling headphones under £100 in the UK now come close enough to the £300 flagships that most commuters will struggle to justify paying three times as much.

A note on method before the picks. This guide is built from the published lab measurements and long-term reviews from What Hi-Fi?, TechRadar and SoundGuys, plus manufacturer specifications, rather than from a stopwatch and a decibel meter of our own. Where a figure comes from one of those reviews, we say so. Where prices have moved since we first wrote this in April, we have corrected them, and you should still check a live retailer listing before you buy.

The short answer: three pairs, three kinds of buyer

If you want one recommendation, buy the Sony WH-CH720N. If your priority is the strongest possible hush for the money and you can find the Soundcore Space Q45 under £100, buy that instead. If you mostly listen to bass-heavy music and never wear headphones for exercise, the JBL Tune 770NC is the one to look at, ideally in a sale.

Model	Battery (ANC on)	Weight	Best for	Main weakness
Sony WH-CH720N	35 hours	192g	All-round value and comfort	Bass is boosted by default; ANC is not flagship level
Soundcore Space Q45	About 50 hours claimed (SoundGuys measured just under 56 in its test)	About 281g (SoundGuys)	Strongest ANC at the price	Average sound; fiddly app
JBL Tune 770NC	44 hours	232g	Bass-heavy music, long battery	Warm ear cups; no wear detection

The weights, battery figures and verdicts above come from the reviews linked in each section below. Weight matters more than it looks on a spec sheet. A 90g gap between the lightest and heaviest pair is the difference between forgetting the headphones are there and noticing them by mid-afternoon.

Why this category got so good, so quickly

A few years ago, sub-£100 active noise cancelling (ANC) meant a faint hiss and a muffled sound. The shift came from cheaper noise cancelling chips and fierce competition between Sony, Anker’s Soundcore brand and JBL. The result is that features once reserved for premium models, such as adjustable ANC, app-based EQ and 30-plus hour batteries, are now standard on cheap pairs.

There is still a ceiling, and it is worth being clear about where it sits. What Hi-Fi? says the more premium Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose QuietComfort 45 block external noise more effectively than the WH-CH720N. SoundGuys makes the same point about the Space Q45 and the XM5. In practice, budget ANC is very good at steady, low-frequency noise (engines, air conditioning, train rumble) and noticeably weaker at sudden or high-pitched sound such as voices, cutlery and sirens.

Sony WH-CH720N: best overall

What Hi-Fi? calls the WH-CH720N “a truly budget bargain” and rates it five out of five for value, comfort, features, sound quality and battery life, with four for design. It is a What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025 winner for budget wireless headphones. At 192g it is the lightest here, and it shows: these are the headphones you can wear through a full working day without a pressure point.

The noise cancelling is described as decent for the price, dampening road rumble effectively though not completely. You get two modes, noise cancelling and ambient sound, switched from the on-ear toggle or the Sony Headphones app. Battery life is up to 35 hours with ANC and Bluetooth on, and up to 50 with them off. A three-minute quick charge adds up to 60 minutes of playback, which rescues the morning you forgot to plug in.

Sound is punchy and energetic, with a strong sense of rhythm. What Hi-Fi? notes the default bass is over-enthusiastic, which the EQ in the app can tone down, and that it suits rock, hip-hop, big orchestral pieces and lively pop better than quiet, subtle recordings.

Price: What Hi-Fi? tested it at £99 and says the UK price is now £89, with lows of £78 at some retailers. That is higher than the £59 we quoted in April, so treat anything under £80 as a good deal. Battery: 35 hours (ANC on) | Weight: 192g

Soundcore Space Q45: best noise cancellation

SoundGuys rates the Space Q45 7.3 out of 10 and calls it a great pair of ANC headphones with good value, but only adequate sound. Its ANC is “fairly solid” and will not match the Sony WH-1000XM5, though it adequately blocks train and traffic noise. The site scored isolation at 4.2 and ANC at 6.5.

Battery life is the headline. Anker advertises 50 hours with ANC on, and SoundGuys measured 55 hours 48 minutes in its own test. Five minutes of charging gives about four hours of playback. The microphone is also a quiet strength: SoundGuys found few $150 headphones rejected unpredictable background noise as well in its simulated office test, which matters if you take calls on the move.

The compromises are real. SoundGuys lists average sound quality as the biggest issue, with exaggerated sub-bass, a recessed midrange and uneven highs, all adjustable with EQ. It also calls the app finicky, notes the pleather pads are less breathable than ideal, and rates durability at 6.0 out of 10. Anker offers an 18-month warranty.

Price: listed at £79.99 when we checked in April, against a US launch price of $149.99 per SoundGuys. Confirm the current UK price. Battery: around 50 hours (ANC on) | Weight: about 281g

JBL Tune 770NC: best for bass lovers

TechRadar calls the Tune 770NC “reliable” rather than exciting, rates it four out of five for value, and says the ANC is “surprisingly good” for the price. The 40mm drivers give a wide soundstage and a slightly bass-heavy sound, though TechRadar says it is close to, but not quite as good as, the cheaper Sony WH-CH520, and that the mids and trebles could be more precise.

Battery life is 44 hours with ANC on and up to 70 with it off, and a five-minute quick charge returns three hours. At 232g it is lighter than the Soundcore but heavier than the Sony.

The downsides are practical. TechRadar found no wear detection, a plasticky, dull design with a noisy adjustable headband, and foam ear cups that get warm and sweaty. That last point makes them a poor choice for workouts.

Price: launched at £119.99 in August 2023 per TechRadar. We recorded £69 in April, and sale pricing varies, so check before buying. Battery: 44 hours (ANC on) | Weight: 232g

Which one for which journey

Daily train or bus commute. The Sony is the easy choice. Its low weight and quick charge suit a routine where you put the headphones on and off several times a day, and What Hi-Fi? found it dampens road rumble effectively. If your route is long and loud, the Soundcore’s stronger cancelling is worth the extra weight.

Long-haul flights and trips away. Battery life becomes the deciding factor, and the Soundcore leads on that, with SoundGuys measuring almost 56 hours in its test. A pair that rarely needs charging is one less cable in the bag.

Working from home with calls. The Soundcore’s microphone held up best in SoundGuys’ simulated office test, though a dedicated headset will still sound clearer to the person on the other end.

Listening at your desk for hours. Weight and pad material decide this. The Sony’s 192g is the safest bet, while TechRadar’s note about warm foam ear cups on the JBL and SoundGuys’ note about less breathable pleather on the Soundcore both point the same way.

Four myths about cheap noise cancelling headphones

“More ANC is always better”

Not on a quiet street. Full-strength cancelling can create a pressured, in-the-head feeling that some people find tiring. This is why adjustable levels, which the Soundcore app offers, matter more than a single maximum number.

“Battery life is the same as the box says”

Manufacturers quote best-case figures. Sony’s 50 hours is with ANC and Bluetooth off; the figure that applies to most people is 35 hours. The Soundcore is the unusual case where an independent test (SoundGuys) beat the claim.

“Cheap ANC will fix a noisy office”

It will take the edge off air conditioning and distant traffic. It will not remove colleagues talking nearby. If speech is your main problem, a pair of over-ear headphones with a good seal and some low-level music or white noise does more than a higher ANC setting. Our guide to home office soundproofing covers fixing the room rather than the headphones.

“You need LDAC to hear a difference”

High-bitrate codecs help only with compatible Android phones and good source files. For streaming on a commute, comfort, seal and EQ make a larger audible difference than codec choice. Check each manufacturer’s spec sheet for current codec support, as it varies by model and firmware.

Who should skip these

If you run or train with your headphones, none of these are right: foam or pleather pads get warm, and over-ear designs move around. Look instead at the best open-ear headphones or in-ear options. If you want something pocketable, our guides to the best noise cancelling earbuds under £100 and the best wireless earbuds under £100 cover the in-ear route. And if you spend most of your day on video calls, a dedicated office headset will usually beat any consumer ANC pair for voice pickup.

A quick buying checklist

Check the weight first: under 250g is comfortable for all-day wear. Look for adjustable ANC rather than a simple on or off switch. Confirm a physical fold or a case if you travel; our family travel tech roundup has more kit for trips. Make sure the app works on your phone, because EQ is how you fix the default bass on all three of these pairs. Finally, buy from a UK retailer with a clear returns policy, because fit and pad comfort are personal and only show up after a few hours.

Frequently asked questions

Are noise cancelling headphones under £100 worth buying?

For commuting and general use, yes. What Hi-Fi? gave the Sony WH-CH720N five out of five for value, and SoundGuys calls the Soundcore Space Q45 good value. You give up some cancelling strength and sound refinement compared with models costing three times as much.

How long do budget noise cancelling headphones last?

We do not have long-term durability data for these specific models. Battery wear is the usual limiting factor in any wireless headphone. SoundGuys rated the Space Q45’s durability at 6.0 out of 10 and Anker’s warranty is 18 months, so keep your receipt.

Can cheap noise cancelling headphones block office noise?

They handle steady low-frequency sound such as air conditioning hum and traffic better than speech or sharp noises. The Space Q45’s strong ANC and microphone performance make it the best of this group for noisy workplaces, according to SoundGuys.

Do I need the companion app?

You can use them without it, but the app is where you change ANC level, adjust EQ and update firmware. Given that the Sony and Soundcore both ship with boosted bass, five minutes in the app is worth it.

Sources: What Hi-Fi? Sony WH-CH720N review, SoundGuys Soundcore Space Q45 review, TechRadar JBL Tune 770NC review.