Amazon has slashed the price of these top-rated headphones and earbuds – here are the 12 best deals I'd buy from $38

If anyone asks me for a great pair of cheap earbuds, then the newest Sony WF-C710 is always my go-to answer. They're light and comfortable, provide excellent sound quality for the cost, and have a battery life of up to 30 hours with the charging case. Our audio experts agree, too, awarding these 4.5 out of five and calling them 'the best earbuds for noise cancellation you can get for the price' in our Sony WF-C710 review.

Want a good pair of super-cheap headphones? There isn't a better option than these Sony WH-CH520, which are down to a great low price in the back-to-school sale. They offer high-quality sound for the cost and a comfortable fit for all-day use. Of course, they lack some premium features found in more expensive cans, but these are an excellent buy if you're on a tight budget.

The Bose QuietComfort are the manufacturer's mid-range noise-cancelling headphones, and they are $120 off at Amazon's Memorial Day sale. In addition to the excellent ANC to block out unwanted noise, you get high-fidelity audio and an EQ control to customize bass, mid-range, and treble. The QuietComfort lasts up to 24 hours on one charge and can get back 2.5 hours of playtime in 15 minutes.

Bose is the best brand around for providing excellent active noise cancellation features, and you can now get their fantastic and affordable earbuds for a great low price. With the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds, you get fewer options than the high-end range, but you still get up to 8.5 hours of battery life, the ability to adjust the equalizer and a very comfy fit. They’ll instantly make your commute, your runs, or your walks far more enjoyable.

The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have all the power and sound quality you’d expect from a Bose-branded item while providing the benefits of an open-ear form factor. The immersive audio is excellent and there’s up to seven hours of play time – or up to 48 hours in total of standby time. Although they have been under $200 in the past, this is still a great price for what we think are the "best-sounding open-ear buds yet", according to our Bose Ultra Open Earbuds review.

If you want to get your hands on Apple's latest AirPods 4, you can find them on sale for just $10 more than the previous record-low price at Amazon. The AirPods 4 feature a new design for all-day comfort and pack Apple's H2 chip, which supports personalized spatial audio and voice isolation. You also get a redesigned case with 30 hours of battery life and support for USB-C for wireless charging. The version with active noise cancellation is also reduced to $148.99 – again, just $10 more than the lowest-ever price.

The latest generation Apple AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C support have been slashed to a great low price at Amazon – but they have been down to $153.99 on Black Friday. As well as that more universal connection option, Apple's newest premium earbuds come with sought-after improvements to audio quality and noise cancellation. In our AirPods Pro 2 review, we said that these upgrades ensured they were a big step up compared to the originals and helped them truly compete with other high-end buds.

The Beats Studio Buds Plus are our pick for the best Beats earbuds. These earbuds build on the standard Studio Buds with better active noise cancellation, larger mics for clear, crisp calls, and longer battery life up to 36 hours with the charging case. It also lets you customize the fit with four pairs of silicone tips. All that, plus the stylish good looks, make it a great deal for mid-range buds under $100.

This saving brings the popular over-ears from Beats down to within $20 of the lowest-ever price. As you'd expect, the design is gorgeous, but they're also easy to use and offer good overall sound quality, according to our Beats Studio Pro review. So, if the lack of multipoint pairing (they do auto-switch with Apple devices, though) and wearer detection don't bother you, this is a very solid deal on some mid-range headphones.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro are back down to a record-low price at Amazon. We awarded them four stars in our Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro review, praising the refinement over the previous model with AirPods-like ear sticks, active noise cancellation, an 11mm driver, and AI-powered features like a voice-call booster and a translation tool – provided you have a modern Samsung phone. They look and feel good in your ears, too, with up to five hours of battery life with ANC on, so they’re good for your commute or workout.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are the most advanced earbuds that Google has produced and the first to use the powerful Tensor A1 chips. That might not mean much by itself, but in reality, it means twice as much noise cancellation and improved overall audio quality. Alongside cracking performance, they also provide up to 12 hours of battery life for all-day listening – and up to 30 in total with the charging case.

If you want some super-cheap noise-cancelling headphones, then I'd go with the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 while they're under $40 at Amazon. As our four-star Anker Soundcore Life Q20 review explains, there's decent sound quality, excellent battery life and a comfortable fit. Of course, you can't expect the highest quality audio and bass power for this price, but they impress as an entry-level pair of noise-cancelling cans.