Brandwave

Beats vs Soundcore:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Beats had more branded searches than Soundcore among headphone brands in New Zealand. Beats had about 5,820 branded searches, while Soundcore had 880. Beats made up 3% of all headphone brand searches we track, and Soundcore accounted for 0.46%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about headphone brands, Soundcore appeared in three of the five answers and Beats in none.

Among headphone brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Beats, about 7 searches for every 1 for Soundcore

Beats 5.8K searchesSoundcore 880 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Soundcore, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Beats in 0

Soundcore in 3 of 5Beats in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Soundcore, the only one of the two named

Soundcore first in 3Beats never named

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Top headphone brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Soundcore was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Beats did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Sony1st
  2. Bose2nd
  3. Sennheiser3rd
  4. JBL4th
  5. Apple AirPods5th
  6. Soundcore6th
  7. Skullcandy7th
  8. Beats–
  9. Jabra–
  10. Marshall–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Sony5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Bose5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Sennheiser5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • JBL3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Soundcore3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Apple AirPods2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Skullcandy1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Beats0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Jabra0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Marshall0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about headphone brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 19, 2026.

Is Beats or Soundcore more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Beats and Soundcore by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten headphone brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Beats and Soundcore among headphone brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Beats, Soundcore. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthApple AirPodsJBLSonyBoseSennheiserSkullcandyBeatsJabraSoundcoreMarshall
Oct 202544.7%22.2%13.6%8.9%3.5%3%2.2%1.1%0.44%0.38%
Nov 202544.3%23.4%14.1%8.8%3.2%2.7%2%0.8%0.33%0.41%
Dec 202540.1%30.4%12.6%8%3%2.6%1.9%0.67%0.3%0.39%
Jan 202642.7%25.6%14%7.9%3.2%2.8%2%0.99%0.38%0.41%
Feb 202647%22.3%13.4%7.2%3.3%3%2%1%0.42%0.37%
Mar 202646.9%21.1%14%7.5%3.6%3.1%2%0.96%0.47%0.42%
Apr 202643.7%24.8%13.5%7.8%3.6%2.9%2%0.95%0.39%0.42%
May 202645.1%22.7%13.4%8%4.1%3%1.9%0.92%0.43%0.44%
Jun 202645.4%22.1%13.1%8.3%4.6%3%1.7%0.79%0.52%0.45%
Jul 202644.4%23%13.4%8%4.7%3%1.8%0.84%0.42%0.35%
Aug 202645.6%22.5%12.4%8.3%4%3.7%1.9%0.8%0.47%0.36%
Sep 202643.8%23.7%13.4%7.3%3.6%3.6%3%0.7%0.46%0.42%

How has the Beats and Soundcore comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Beats was ahead of Soundcore in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Beats’ share of searches among headphone brands in New Zealand moved from 2.2% to 3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.7K to 5.8K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Soundcore’s share of searches among headphone brands in New Zealand moved from 0.44% to 0.46%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 720 to 880.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand headphone brands in September 2026?

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Beats gained share of searches among headphone brands in New Zealand, from 1.9% to 3%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Soundcore in New Zealand rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 720 to 880 in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

9 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Beats’ and Soundcore’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Beats

8 branded search terms

  • beats anc headphones
  • beats audio headphones
  • beats by dre
  • beats earbuds
  • beats headphones
  • beats pro headphones
  • beats wireless headphones
  • binaural beats headphones

Soundcore

1 branded search term

  • soundcore

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among headphone brands

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

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