Christmas gifts for tech lovers: the best headphones and earbuds

In a busy city like Hong Kong with its cacophony of buses, trams and cars – let alone the constant chatter – escapism is as easy as putting on a pair of headphones. But only if they’re any good. From the latest wireless urban products and activewear to travel-friendly earbuds and noise-cancelling devices for completely shutting out the world, we’ve scoured the stores for the very best headphones available today.

The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, that were launched a few months ago, do not use wired headphones. Without a standard 3.5mm audio jack, all audio is routed through the Apple Lightning port, and though there is an adaptor in the box for attaching headphones, it may have started a new trend. Other wireless headphones will doubtless follow in 2017.

Cue a surge in Bluetooth-enabled over-ear headphones.

Ironically it’s the Apple-owned Beats by Dr Dre that does the best business, with its Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones (HK$2,288, apple.com/hk) that have an impressive battery life (40 hours) and bass-heavy sound. Are these insanely popular headphones in danger of looking generic? Perhaps, but there are endless colour options, making this option, perfect for fashionistas.

For a more affordable alternative, try Sony’s MDR-XB650BT (HK$1,180, sony.com.hk). More refined over-ear alternatives include the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 Wireless headphones (HK$1,799, fortress.com.hk), which keep going for 22 hours on one charge, and the B&W P7 Wireless headphones (HK$3,688, price.com.hk), which can last 17 hours.

In 2016, Bluetooth spawned a new genre of earphones that could well prove to be the shape of things to come; totally wireless two-piece earbuds without neckbands or cords.