--- title: "Apple AirPods: search popularity in the United Kingdom" description: "AirPods are Apple’s wireless earbuds and headphones. 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/uk/brands/airpods" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Apple AirPods: search popularity in the United Kingdom AirPods are Apple’s wireless earbuds and headphones. 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 - **Brand**: Apple AirPods - **Owned by**: Apple - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among headphone brands**: 55.7% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Headphone brands | 1 | 55.7% | 368K | - [Headphone brands](/demand/uk/categories/uk-headphone-brands) ## Top headphone brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions, Apple AirPods was mentioned in two out of three: in two of the three ChatGPT answers. Apple AirPods is the fourth most recommended of the 12. 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 | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Sony | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Bose | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 | | Sennheiser | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | Apple AirPods | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 | | JBL | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 | | Soundcore | 6th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 | | Beats | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | | Shokz | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | | Skullcandy | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | | Marshall | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | | Bowers & Wilkins | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | | Jabra | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 | ## Every AI answer about headphone brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which headphones should I buy in the UK?": 1. Sony, 2. Sennheiser, 3. Bose - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best headphone brands?": 1. Sony, 2. Bose, 3. Sennheiser, 4. Apple AirPods, 5. JBL, 6. Soundcore - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best wireless earbuds?": 1. Sony, 2. Apple AirPods, 3. Bose Not named in any answer: Beats, Shokz, Skullcandy, Marshall, Bowers & Wilkins and Jabra. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 26, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Apple AirPods changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Apple AirPods in the United Kingdom held steady at 368K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple AirPods’ share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom increased from 51.9% to 55.7%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple AirPods’ share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 57.7% in November 2025 and was lowest at 48.2% in April 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom headphone brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Beats overtook JBL to rank 4th among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, with 7.5% of the searches. - In September 2026, Apple AirPods gained share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, from 54.6% to 55.7%. - In September 2026, JBL lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, from 7.8% to 6.5%. - In September 2026, Shokz lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, from 4% to 3.4%. - In September 2026, Skullcandy lost share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, from 4% to 3.4%. - Bose’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 8.3% to 8.9% in September 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Headphone brands | 368K | 51.9% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Headphone brands | 673K | 57.7% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Headphone brands | 550K | 54.1% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Headphone brands | 368K | 52.4% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Headphone brands | 301K | 54.1% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Headphone brands | 301K | 52.3% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Headphone brands | 246K | 48.2% | 1 | | May 2026 | Headphone brands | 246K | 50.8% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Headphone brands | 246K | 52.1% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Headphone brands | 246K | 53.1% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Headphone brands | 301K | 54.6% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Headphone brands | 368K | 55.7% | 1 | ## How are Apple AirPods’ branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apple AirPods’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “airpods” ## Which headphone brands compete with Apple AirPods? - [Sony](/demand/uk/brands/sony): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/airpods-vs-sony - [Bose](/demand/uk/brands/bose): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/airpods-vs-bose - [Beats](/demand/uk/brands/beats): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/airpods-vs-beats - [JBL](/demand/uk/brands/jbl): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/airpods-vs-jbl - [Shokz](/demand/uk/brands/shokz): Head-to-head: /demand/uk/compare/airpods-vs-shokz - [Skullcandy](/demand/uk/brands/skullcandy) - [Marshall](/demand/uk/brands/marshall-audio) - [Soundcore](/demand/uk/brands/soundcore) - [Sennheiser](/demand/uk/brands/sennheiser) - [Bowers & Wilkins](/demand/uk/brands/bowers-wilkins) - [Jabra](/demand/uk/brands/jabra) ## Who owns Apple AirPods? Apple AirPods is owned by Apple. Brandwave also tracks Apple iPad, Apple iPhone, Apple MacBook and Apple Watch, owned by the same company, in the United Kingdom. - [Apple](/demand/uk/companies/apple): Owns 35 tracked brands. ## 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 ### Who owns Apple AirPods? Apple AirPods is owned by Apple. Brandwave also tracks Apple iPad, Apple iPhone, Apple MacBook and Apple Watch, owned by the same company, in the United Kingdom. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Apple AirPods: search popularity in the United Kingdom". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/airpods This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/brands/airpods. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.