The legendary Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones can be yours for under £200 from Amazon
A fab set of wireless ANC headphones.
Noise-cancelling headphones are arguably a must for anyone that's out and about in 2023. They provide you with the benefit of blocking outside noise so you can focus on what you're listening to - whether you're on the train, on a plane, or just walking around. Sony's legendary WH-1000XM4s are some of the absolute best noise-cancelling headphones available, and today they're down to £199 at Amazon. That's still a decent chunk of change, but it marks a historic low price that's £150 below UK RRP and £50 below what you'd normally pay for this model in 2023.
The benefits of ANC are as I've described above - being able to cancel out everything from the hum of a train to crowd noise at will has a lot of advantages. What's more, these cans from Sony have industry-leading noise cancellation, in terms of both passive and active methods, while still sounding great when listening to music, podcasts or games. There are multiple ANC levels to choose from within the accompanying app, too, which is handy, including a transparency mode you can quickly activate to carry on conversations or be more aware of your surroundings. There's even an optional Speak to Chat function that automatically pauses playback and engages Transparency Mode when you start talking.
As well as offering some of the best noise cancellation money can buy, the WH-1000XM4 also make for some of the best-sounding wireless headphones out there. While these aren't my personal headphones of choice, I've got friends who own them, so I've had the chance to listen to them pretty extensively. They offer good low-end punch with a robust bass response, while providing a smooth mid-range and detailed top-end, too. Add to this the convenience of 30 hours of battery life, a folding chassis (which is notably absent from the newer XM5 model), some plush padding that makes the XM4s supremely comfortable and a handy travel case, and you've got one a brilliant set of wireless headphones for travel and all sorts else.
With the release of Sony's newer (but curiously not as well-received) XM5s last year, these are technically last-gen models, but the XM4s still offer one of the best overall packages for wireless headphones at this price point.