6 brilliant, budget-friendly headphones for students — including 5-star earbuds, and Sony cans that deliver ‘flagship-level features’ for an astoundingly low price

• August 19, 2026

Great headphones don’t need to cost the earth. If you’re heading back to school and in need of a budget-friendly pair of cans or earbuds to help you block out distractions while you study, I’m here to help.

At TechRadar, we review dozens of pairs of headphones every year, and while we’ve tested some superb premium models, we’ve also been blown away by a few budget-friendly options. Below, I’ve rounded up the affordable headphones we rated most highly in our tests, and the ones we’d recommend to any student seeking maximum auditory bang for their buck.

If it’s over-ears you’re after, our top pick is the CMF Headphone Pro, which our tester commented “could easily cost twice as much”, after being impressed with their “surprisingly zealous and bass-hungry sound quality” and “outstanding battery life”. For in-ears, the Nothing Ear (a) are our #1 recommendation — they earned a perfect five stars in our tests.

Read on for more brilliant, budget buys — and hit the ‘Read more’ button for a rundown of what we thought of each one.

Affordable audio

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Great headphones don’t need to cost the earth. If you’re heading back to school and in need of a budget-friendly pair of cans or earbuds to help you block out distractions while you study, I’m here to help. At TechRadar, we review dozens of pairs of headphones every year, and…