---
title: "Ear buds brands in New Zealand: Which are searched most?"
description: "Compare the ear buds brands people buy. Share of Search among Apple AirPods, JBL, Sony and Bose, the ear buds brands Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-ear-buds-brands"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Ear buds brands in New Zealand: Which are searched most?

Compare the ear buds brands people buy. Share of Search among Apple AirPods, JBL, Sony and Bose, the ear buds brands Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Ear buds brands
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Brands compared**: 4
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Apple AirPods, 55.3%

## Which brand is most popular in search among ear buds brands in New Zealand?

- In September 2026, Apple AirPods was the most searched among ear buds brands in New Zealand, with an estimated 83.7K branded searches, 55.3% of all searches for the four we track.
- JBL is in 2nd place, 29.3 percentage points behind at 26%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, JBL’s share of searches among ear buds brands in New Zealand increased from 24% to 26%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bose’s share of searches among ear buds brands in New Zealand decreased from 9% to 7.4%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple AirPods’ share of searches among ear buds brands in New Zealand peaked at 58.5% in March 2026 and was lowest at 48.6% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, JBL’s share of searches among ear buds brands in New Zealand peaked at 33.4% in December 2025 and was lowest at 22.3% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sony’s share of searches among ear buds brands in New Zealand peaked at 11.6% in March 2026 and was lowest at 9.8% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bose’s share of searches among ear buds brands in New Zealand peaked at 9% in October 2025 and was lowest at 7.2% in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple AirPods and Sony held steady: their share of searches among ear buds brands in New Zealand each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Top ear buds brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Apple AirPods and Sony appeared every time. Sony was recommended most often, coming first in every answer. Apple AirPods was second, and JBL was third.

Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options.

| Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sony | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 |
| Apple AirPods | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 |
| JBL | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 |
| Bose | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 |

## Every AI answer about ear buds brands

- Asked ChatGPT "Which ear buds brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. Sony, 2. Apple AirPods, 3. JBL
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the best ear buds brands in New Zealand?": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. JBL, 4. Apple AirPods
- Asked ChatGPT "What's the best ear buds brand in New Zealand for everyday listening?": 1. Sony, 2. JBL, 3. Apple AirPods
- Searched Google, AI Overview "best earbuds": 1. Sony, 2. Apple AirPods, 3. Bose

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Apple AirPods vs JBL: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/airpods-vs-jbl): 55.3% against 26% Share of Search.
- [Apple AirPods vs Sony: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/airpods-vs-sony): 55.3% against 11.3% Share of Search.
- [Apple AirPods vs Bose: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/airpods-vs-bose): 55.3% against 7.4% Share of Search.
- [JBL vs Sony: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/jbl-vs-sony): 26% against 11.3% Share of Search.
- [JBL vs Bose: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/bose-vs-jbl): 26% against 7.4% Share of Search.
- [Sony vs Bose: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/bose-vs-sony): 11.3% against 7.4% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for New Zealand ear buds brands in September 2026?

- In September 2026, JBL gained share of searches among ear buds brands in New Zealand, from 24.5% to 26%.
- In September 2026, Sony gained share of searches among ear buds brands in New Zealand, from 9.8% to 11.3%.
- In September 2026, Apple AirPods lost share of searches among ear buds brands in New Zealand, from 57.6% to 55.3%.
- In September 2026, Bose lost share of searches among ear buds brands in New Zealand, from 8.1% to 7.4%.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Apple AirPods | 55.3% | 83.7K | -0.9% | Apple |
| 2 | JBL | 26% | 39.3K | +9.5% | JBL |
| 3 | Sony | 11.3% | 17.1K | +18.8% | Sony |
| 4 | Bose | 7.4% | 11.2K | -5.3% | Bose |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Apple AirPods | 73.7K | 55.6% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | JBL | 31.8K | 24% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Sony | 15.2K | 11.5% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Bose | 11.9K | 9% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Apple AirPods | 97.9K | 54.3% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | JBL | 45.9K | 25.4% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Sony | 20.5K | 11.4% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Bose | 16.1K | 8.9% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Apple AirPods | 94.8K | 48.6% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | JBL | 65.1K | 33.4% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Sony | 19.2K | 9.8% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Bose | 16K | 8.2% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Apple AirPods | 66K | 52.6% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | JBL | 34.8K | 27.7% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Sony | 14.4K | 11.5% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Bose | 10.3K | 8.2% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Apple AirPods | 66K | 58.3% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | JBL | 26.2K | 23.1% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Sony | 12.8K | 11.3% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Bose | 8.2K | 7.2% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Apple AirPods | 72K | 58.5% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | JBL | 27.5K | 22.3% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Sony | 14.3K | 11.6% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Bose | 9.3K | 7.6% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Apple AirPods | 66.8K | 53.9% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | JBL | 33.1K | 26.7% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Sony | 14.3K | 11.5% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Bose | 9.7K | 7.8% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Apple AirPods | 75.5K | 56.6% | 1 |
| May 2026 | JBL | 32K | 24% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Sony | 15.2K | 11.4% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Bose | 10.8K | 8.1% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Apple AirPods | 77K | 56.6% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | JBL | 32.7K | 24% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Sony | 15K | 11% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Bose | 11.2K | 8.3% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Apple AirPods | 75.5K | 55.9% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | JBL | 33K | 24.5% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Sony | 15.6K | 11.6% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Bose | 10.8K | 8% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Apple AirPods | 84.5K | 57.6% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | JBL | 35.9K | 24.5% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Sony | 14.4K | 9.8% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Bose | 11.9K | 8.1% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | Apple AirPods | 83.7K | 55.3% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | JBL | 39.3K | 26% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Sony | 17.1K | 11.3% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | Bose | 11.2K | 7.4% | 4 |

## What is being compared

- **Apple AirPods**: Measured on the search terms “airpods”, “airpods 2”, “airpods 3”, “airpods 3 pro”, “airpods 4”, “airpods max”, “airpods pro”, “apple airpods”, “apple airpods 4”, “apple airpods max”, “apple airpods pro” and “find mine airpods”, summed into one figure.
- **Bose**: Measured on the search terms “bose”, “bose ear phones”, “bose qc”, “bose soundbar”, “bose soundlink”, “bose soundlink flex” and “bose speakers”, summed into one figure.
- **JBL**: Measured on the search terms “jbl”, “jbl bluetooth speaker”, “jbl boombox 4”, “jbl boombox3”, “jbl ear buds”, “jbl earbuds”, “jbl mic”, “jbl partybox”, “jbl partybox 320”, “jbl sound bar”, “jbl speaker” and “jbl wireless mic”, summed into one figure.
- **Sony**: Measured on the search terms “sony”, “sony camara”, “sony cyber shot”, “sony wh 1000xm4”, “sony wh 1000xm5” and “sony wh 1000xm6”, summed into one figure.

- [Apple AirPods](/demand/nz/brands/airpods)
- [Bose](/demand/nz/brands/bose)
- [JBL](/demand/nz/brands/jbl)
- [Sony](/demand/nz/brands/sony)

## Methodology

- [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among ear buds brands in New Zealand?

In September 2026, Apple AirPods was the most searched among ear buds brands in New Zealand, with an estimated 83.7K branded searches, 55.3% of all searches for the four we track.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Ear buds brands in New Zealand: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-ear-buds-brands

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-ear-buds-brands. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.