Best headphones for iPhone in 2023: our top 3

Don’t you like AirPods and do you really want to enjoy music? We tell you what the best headphones are for your iPhone in 2023!

The best headphones for your iPhone in 2023

If you’re looking for good headphones for your iPhone (and you really don’t want earbuds), you’ll soon end up with the AirPods Max. But is this also the best choice? Not necessarily, but which headphones should you have in 2023?

That’s why we compared three of the best headphones of the moment. The three headphones are the Sony WH-1000XM5the Sennheiser Momentum 4 and the AirPods Max. In terms of sound quality, all three are really good, so it is mainly the details such as noise reduction and ease of use that you should pay attention to. Any headphones in this top 3 are a good choice, but which of the three is really the best?

Sony WH-1000XM5

The WH-1000XM5 (from 326 euros) is the most recent version of Sony’s popular series of headphones. It is striking that you can no longer ‘fold’ this new version, as was still possible with the previous versions.

Included is a handy storage box, with a 3.5 mm audio cable and a USB-C charging cable. It’s a hefty box, but it protects your headphones well against scratches when you want to take them with you.

Battery life and ease of use

If you use an audio cable, the headphones also work wired. Of course you still need an adapter cable to connect it to your iPhone. It used to be in the box of the iPhone, nowadays you can buy it for a tenner from Apple. That is no different with the other headphones.

With a full battery, the Sony headphones last about 30 hours (this is with noise canceling on). After just 3 minutes of charging, you can enjoy your favorite songs for another 3 hours. To fully charge the battery, you have to hang the headphones on the charger for 3.5 hours.

The right earcup is touch-sensitive. This means, among other things, that you can adjust the volume or go to the next song by swiping. At the bottom of the right shell are two buttons, a power button and one to set the noise canceling.

Handy here is that you can adjust the extra functions with one of these two buttons. Although the options are rather limited, it is nice that you can immediately start a song on Spotify (or go to another song) with a double click.

Sony WH-1000XM5 excels in noise cancelling

The sound quality is fine, but where the Sony headphones excel is the noise cancelling. Sounds are excellently eliminated and especially constant background noise such as the roar of a car or the rumble of a train are almost impossible to hear, especially if you listen to music in the meantime. Voices are also filtered well, but you sometimes hear them a bit.

Furthermore, the Sony headphones can of course also be used for telephone conversations. The noise reduction then ensures that the background noise is properly filtered out. This means you can be heard clearly, but sometimes your voice drops out for a while with a loud background noise.

Finally, the accompanying app is clear and offers many options for adjustments. The equalizer has many options for more bass or better speech, among other things. The Sony is also the lightest headphone in this top 3. That’s why the ear cups are very comfortable and you can wear them for longer without them irritating.

Sennheiser Momentum 4

The Sennheiser Momentum 4 (from 305 euros) is slightly heavier than the Sony headphones. As a result, the ear cups clamp a bit tighter around your head. The Sennheiser also comes with a storage box, in which the headphones easily fit. In the box you will find a USB-C cable, a headphone cable and an airplane adapter. You already figured it out, but the Sennheiser can also be used with a cable.

The Momentum 4 has only one button on the headphones. You can adjust the volume or skip to the next song with the touch controls on the (right) earcup.

Controls, sound quality and equalizer

Striking and intuitive is that you can also change the degree of noise canceling with a pinch. No other headphones for your iPhone have that in this top 3 of 2023. The noise reduction is very good, but not as good as Sony’s. Especially at low tones, the Momentum 4 has to lose out to its competitor. In terms of sound quality, the Sennheiser performs as well as its two competitors.

In the app you can use the equalizer to adjust the sound to your liking. Do you like more bass? Then you give them a big boost here. Phone calls are fine with the Momentum 4. The noise reduction during calls is a bit less than that of Sony, but your voice can be heard a bit better.

Momentum 4 has the best battery life in the test

What is really excellent about the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is the extremely long battery life. With a full battery you can listen to music for up to 64 hours (this is with noise reduction). Full charging is also quite fast: the battery is completely full after two hours. Do you charge the headphones for 5 minutes? Then you can listen to music for about 4 hours.

AirPods Max

With the AirPods Max you don’t really get a storage box, but more like a case where you place the headphones. It is therefore a lot less well protected than the Sony and Sennheiser. As a result, it remains somewhat more compact.

Do you want to use the AirPods Max with a cable? That is possible, but then you have to dig into your pockets even more. You then need a special cable, a lightning-to-mini-jack audio cable for about 40 euros. Of course, you also need the lightning-to-mini‑jack adapter (which comes with your iPhone) to connect it to your iPhone.

Perfectly integrated into the ecosystem

With the AirPods Max you can listen to music for about 20 hours with a full battery (with noise reduction on). That is shorter than the Sony and a lot less than that of Sennheiser. Nowadays you can expect a bit more for iPhone headphones in 2023. Do you charge the AirPods Max for 5 minutes? Then you can listen to music for 1.5 hours again.

The big advantage of the AirPods Max is the integration into Apple’s ecosystem. Have you connected the AirPods Max to your account and, for example, your iPhone? Then it is very easy to switch to, for example, your iPad or Mac. In addition, the AirPods Max can also use Spatial Audio in Apple Music. In any case, the sound quality of the AirPods Max can only be described with one word: excellent. An equalizer constantly adjusts the sound to the conditions below on the earcups. That way you always get a perfectly adapted sound. The other headphones don’t have that.

Specifics of the AirPods Max

Furthermore, the AirPods Max feel a little more premium, because they are made of aluminum, among other things. This also has the disadvantage that they are somewhat heavier. The price is also there, because the AirPods Max are the most expensive headphones in our top 3 best headphones for the iPhone in 2023.

On the side of the AirPods Max is the Digital Crown, which we know from the Apple Watch. You use this button to operate the over-ear headphones. By turning the Digital Crown you control the volume and you activate Siri by holding down the button. The AirPods Max does not have touch controls on the ear cup, which the Sony and Sennheiser do have.

Conclusion: the best headphones for your iPhone 2023

To get straight to the point: the Sony WH-1000XM5 are the best all-round headphones for your iPhone in 2023. Especially the noise canceling (noise reduction) comes out best in this test. Especially when you also keep the higher price of the AirPods Max in mind, and the small price difference with the Sennheiser, the Sony comes out as the winner.

Yet the Sennheiser Momentum 4 is almost as good and therefore ends up just below the Sony. The noise reduction is slightly less good (you will notice this in the low tones) but is still excellent.

In one area, Sennheiser’s headphones are a lot better than Sony’s WH-1000XM5. The Momemtum 4 has a battery life of 60 hours. That’s twice as long as Sony’s. The AirPods Max gives up even after 20 hours. Is battery life important to you? Then you should choose the Momentum 4.

The AirPods Max are good headphones, but they are really starting to show their age. The limited battery life, disappointing accessories and high price ensure that an AirPods Max 2 really has to come soon.

However, the AirPods Max also has an advantage: its integration into Apple’s ecosystem. If you use a lot of Apple devices, the AirPods Max can easily switch between your iPad, iPhone and Mac, for example. In addition, you also have access to Spatial Audio from Apple Music and the slightly better sound quality. Do those advantages outweigh the high price and poor battery life? We think not.

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