Top 8 Best Bluetooth Headphones Under $200

It’s true that buying expensive normally ends up saving you money in the long run. But, at some point, it also just becomes buying luxury, instead of buying smart.

There are plenty of great headphones on the market under $200 that provide premium build quality, features, and sound at a more affordable, but not budget, price. And we’ve searched far and beyond for the best deals, so you don’t have to.

So, without further ado, let’s go through the best Bluetooth Headphones under $200 and find the perfect pair for you…

Top 8 Best Bluetooth Headphones Under $200 in 2023

1 Plantronics BackBeat FIT 6100 – Best Bluetooth Headphones Under $200 for the Gym

The BackBeat FIT 6100 headphones are a somewhat rare occurrence. The fitness market has recently been pushing wireless earbuds as the go-to for fitness fanatics. It makes sense. Waterproofing the earbuds are easier and cheaper. Earbuds are also easier to wear when you are exercising because of the firm fit in your ears.

That doesn’t mean over-ear headphones can’t do the same, though…

Plantronics manage to make a great pair of headphones that are perfectly fit for the gym.

The IPX-5 rating makes them sweat and splash-proof. One of the most important features here due to their purpose. The memory foam earpads are covered in vinyl, which means you can easily just wipe them clean whenever needed. The headband is wrapped in a soft cloth that is very comfy, considering the strong force of the headphones clamping down on your head.

Take control…

The touch controls also had no issues registering our commands, even with sweaty hands. And the 40-mm drivers have a lot of boosted bass, perfectly fit for the gym or EDM lovers. Just don’t expect flagship quality or clarity here. AAC support is a nice addition, but there is no aptX for android users.

However, the microphone isn’t great. It’s not loud enough and de-emphasizes the low and lower mid frequencies to the point that any males with low voices will sound distant.

Long-lasting, but slow charging…

But battery life is great at 24 hours on a full charge. Unfortunately, it charges over micro-USB, so no fast charging.

If you would like more info on these headphones, then please check out our in-depth Plantronics Backbeat Fit 6100 review.

2 Sony WH-CH710N Noise Cancelling Headphones – Best Bluetooth Headphones Under $200 for Battery Life

The WH-CH710N is Sony’s budget alternative to the king of noise cancelling headphones, the Sony WH-1000XM3.

Yes, all these letters and confusing names are frustrating, and it seems Sony aren’t stopping with these names any time soon.

So, how do these compare?

At almost half the price, some corners have definitely been cut. What we can say though is the noise cancelling on here is great. These are perfect for anyone looking to block out people and cars during daily commutes or trying to focus in a busy office or café.

The headphones are surprisingly light, weighing only 218 grams. They don’t feel very strong, and you’d have to be careful just throwing these around. The earcups can swivel 90 degrees, but the headphones cannot fold up. So, if you are tight on space, these won’t help.

Nice and flat and superb for audiophiles…

The headphones have a very flat frequency response apart from a very gently bass boost. This will suit audiophiles who prefer to listen to music the way it was intended. It’s also to EQ them to your taste. Unfortunately, the highs are a little muddled and not as clear as we’d like.

There is AAC support for IOS, but no aptX or LDAC. The latter is Sony’s very own codec that is actually better than AAC and aptX. It’s a shame they did not include them on these headphones, but it seems they want to keep LDAC to the premium devices only.

The battery is an absolute beast, and you can expect over 35 hours of playback on a single charge. The USB-C quick charge offers an hour of playback on a 10-minute charge.

3 Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT – Best Sounding Budget Bluetooth Headphones Under $200

Audio-Technica is well known among music lovers. This is mainly due to their great build quality and excellent sound. The ATH-M50xBT takes all of that and offers it in a convenient wireless package.

Audio-Technica provides great sound over great features, which suites a lot of audiophiles. Having an easy to use, basic headset, that sounds exceptional is better than getting a feature-rich set that sounds average at best. It’s this mantra that allows these to be cheaper than most premium headsets, but sound equally as good.

Quality build…

The headset has a metal skeleton for added durability, but the foam earpads are a little thin and small. This makes listening on these for more than four hours a little uncomfortable.

The included carry pouch doesn’t do much to protect the headset from a fall, but will help protect it in a bag full of other things that might scratch it.

The controls on the headphone are physical buttons, much easier to use than touch gestures so many headphones are adopting.

Equalize to perfection…

The sound on here is a bit more consumer-friendly than an audiophile would prefer, but it is easily adjustable with the App.

There is some low-end boosting to give the bass and kick drums some extra oomph. In general, these offer superior clarity to most competing headphones and earbuds. There is also AAC and aptX support, which is great for IOS, and Android users who want high-quality streaming.

Massive battery length…

Battery life is good. Listening with the volume at 50%, we got just over 30 hours of playback. However, they charge using a micro-USB, which isn’t great.

Looking for even more info on these great sounding headphones? No problem, take a look at our comprehensive Audio Technica ATH M50XBT review.

4 Bose Soundlink On-Ear Headphones – Most Comfortable Bluetooth Headphones Under $200

Bose is one of the most well-known audio brands worldwide. However, the Soundlink On-Ear headphones are quite a bit cheaper than their premium headphones like the QC35. It also trims off a lot of the extra features and has some slightly questionable build quality.

Plastic construction, but incredibly comfortable…

The headphones are completely made of plastic, with analog buttons on the sides to control volume, playback, and Bluetooth. The frame and overall build don’t feel cheap, but the earcups feel like they might snap off with the slightest of tension.

If you can look past the build quality, you’ll find the comfort levels to be up to Bose’s immensely high standards. The velvet padding is soft to the touch and feels great on your ears. The headset applies just enough pressure on your head, without ever becoming uncomfortable, even after hours of listening to music.

But what about the sound?

Well, that’s pretty great. Bose opts for some boosted low-end frequencies and also boost the highs quite a bit.

This makes the headphones sound not only loud but very powerful and clear. There is also no loss of clarity at higher volumes like some cheaper headphones suffer from. For on-ear headphones, the soundstage is also very good. There is more than enough room for all the different instruments to come through clearly.

There is no aptX or AAC, but Bose does provide video streaming without any audio lag with Bluetooth.

Short battery life…

You can expect up to 15 hours on a single charge, which is a lot less than most of the headphones on this list. It’s also a shame that Bose is still using the micro-USB charging on these. It makes what is already poor battery performance, even more sour.

To find out more, check out our review of the Bose Soundlink On Ear Wireless headphones.

5 Philips Noise Cancelling Headphones – Best Budget Bluetooth Headphones Under $200

Philips truly takes a shot at creating a budget noise cancelling pair of headphones rivaling it’s much more expensive competitors like the Bose QC35 and Sony WH-1000XM3.

So, how do they compare?

Let’s just get this out of the way. The noise cancelling feels more like a gimmick than a useful feature. So, if true noise cancellation is what you are after, then these aren’t for you. The noise cancelling is noticeable, but it doesn’t provide enough to numb the sound of a bus on a daily commute. Instead, it can offer some relief from an office aircon blowing.

The design itself feels reminiscent of the WH-1000XM3 from Sony. It’s obvious that Philips is trying to replicate it at a cheaper price point.  It features the same folding design, matte-black coating, and the same shape earcups.

Get’s a little hot…

The padding is nice and soft, but the vinyl wrapped around it seems to get hot much faster than any of its rivals. This might be due to a thinner amount of padding. The same goes for the headband, which can feel a little uncomfortable, but nothing serious.

The sound performance is great, though. The headphones offer very clear and crisp high-end frequencies. Whilst maintaining enough low end to make the bass sound distinct and warm. However, it does seem a little flat and lifeless sometimes, especially if you enjoy EDM/Dance music.

Good battery life…

Philips has put some decent battery life in here, with up to 30 hours of playback on a full charge. If your battery is flat, a 10-minute charge will get you two hours. It’s unfortunate that they are using micro-USB instead of USB-C.

6 JBL E55BT – Loudest Bluetooth Headphones Under $200

The JBL E55BT are just under $100, and it shows. The design is pretty simple and mostly plastic, for cost reasons obviously. You do get to choose between five colors, which means there is most likely a color for everyone.

Better for shorter listening sessions, than longer ones…

The vinyl padding is quite thin, and you don’t really feel it when you are wearing it. It doesn’t clamp down too hard, but because of the big 50-mm drivers and the lack of padding, the headphones become uncomfortable after about two hours of use.

The three different buttons on the side are all the same size. This made distinguishing one from the others quite difficult. Therefore, changing the volume was always a guessing game.

Speaking about volume…

These headphones are very loud, even at 50%, they were too loud to listen to safely.

The headphones form a decent seal, but the bass is boosted to the point it starts to mask the higher frequencies. It’s not ideal for any sort of audio referencing, but it is a great consumer-friendly sound for lovers of bass.

Loads of low end…

The excellent isolation also means that a lot of the low-end stays put, which gives it an even stronger presence. This heavily bass influenced sound might be exactly what you are looking for, and hey, good for you. It won’t be impressing any audiophiles, though.

There is also an audio-visual lag, almost one second, to be more precise. This is when the video plays before the audio reaches the headphones and then your ears. AptX support would have easily fixed the problem. For now, you will need to use the included 3.5 mm cable to watch movies perfectly in sync.

Fast charging…

The battery life on offer here is just under 20 hours on a full charge. The micro-USB seems to be a common theme among the cheaper headphones, is discouraging, but these charge up quite fast. It takes two hours to fully charge the headset.

7 Sennheiser HD 4.50 – Best Budget Bluetooth Headphones Under $200 for Android Users

The Sennheiser HD 4.50 isn’t quite premium, but still costs a pretty penny, and it’s one of the more expensive headphones on the list. It walks a fine line between the premium features and sound found on its more expensive counterparts and yet, still being affordable.

Excellent isolation…

The leatherette feels cheaper here, although the earpads are well padded and offer great comfort. The vinyl just gets hotter a little faster than some of the premium leather found on the more expensive models.

However, the thick padding and leatherette do provide great isolation, and the headset clamps down just enough to provide optimal isolation and comfort.

These are some of the cheapest noise cancelling headphones with the Sony WH-CH710N and Philips noise canceling headphones. They are much better than the Philips but are pretty much on par with the Sony’s.

But what about the sound?

Well, it lacks some depth and bass, especially when the noise cancelling mode is turned on. It’s here where the Sennheiser seems to falter a bit. That doesn’t mean it sounds bad, especially considering the great job the noise cancelling does, it’s easy to look past losing a bit of audio quality at this price.

However, they do have a slight edge over the Sony’s when it comes to supported audio codecs. The Sony’s support IOS devices with AAC. Great for Apple users, but it has no aptX for Android users. The Sennheiser is the exact opposite, with aptX for Android users, but no AAC.

Won’t last a full day…

The battery is good, but nowhere near the Sony’s with 20 hours of playback before we needed to recharge. It also features the outdated micro-USB, hurray!

8 Bose Soundlink On-Ear Headphones (Updated version)

The updated Soundlink On-Ear headphones are still cheaper than their premium counterparts. The design has been kept relatively the same with a few adjustments.

The headphones are still fully plastic, with analog buttons on the sides to control volume, playback with the Bluetooth button on its own on the side of the earcup. The accents look nice and adds an extra layer of premium feel to the headset.

Nice firm yet comfortable fit…

The build quality is still tedious and where the most money is saved. The sound remains the primary focus for Bose here. The velvet padding is a little thicker and feels nice, with the weaved fabric in the middle allowing your ears to breath better. The fit is still firm and won’t fall off your head easily.

The sound is very much a Bose sound with boosted lows and highs. It sounds loud and warm, with minimal loss of clarity at higher volumes. The proprietary Bose Active EQ and TriPort technology give these headphones a crisp sound that most don’t have at the lower price point.

Immersive…

The sound staging remains the same as the previous version with the on-ear design providing some decent virtual space for the instruments to become their own. There is no aptX or AAC, but streaming videos, we had no audio lag issues.

Battery performance has not changed much with 15 hours on a single charge, which is a lot less than most of the headphones.

Looking for more great Headphone Options?

If so, check out our reviews of the Best aptX Bluetooth Headphones, the Best Waterproof Bluetooth Headphones, the Best Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, the Best Headphones with Microphone, the Best Bluetooth Headphones under 100 Dollars, and the Best Sony Headphones currently available.

Our review of the Best Bluetooth Headphone Adaptors may also be worth a read if you have some older headphones that you want to bring up to date.

So, what are the Best Bluetooth Headphones Under $200?

Well, we’ve to the end of our review, and it’s time to announce the winner of the best overall headphone, which is the…
Sennheiser HD 4.50
It offers great noise cancellation for the people who want to escape the daily hustle, a good sound, and aptX support for Android. And all this for a very affordable price!

However, if you are an IOS user, you can get all the same, with a bit of extra sound quality with the…
Sony WH-CH710N noise cancelling headphones
It has AAC support for IOS users, but not aptX for Android users.

Happy listening.