--- title: "Headphone brands in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the headphone and earbud brands people in the UK buy. Share of Search among Apple AirPods, Sony, Bose, Beats, JBL, Shokz, Skullcandy, Marshall, Soundcore, Sennheiser, Bowers & Wilkins and Jabra, the headphone brands Brandwave compares in the United Kingdom, 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/uk/categories/uk-headphone-brands" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Headphone brands in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most? Compare the headphone and earbud brands people in the UK buy. Share of Search among Apple AirPods, Sony, Bose, Beats, JBL, Shokz, Skullcandy, Marshall, Soundcore, Sennheiser, Bowers & Wilkins and Jabra, the headphone brands Brandwave compares in the United Kingdom, 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**: Headphone brands - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Brands compared**: 12 - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: Apple AirPods, 55.7% ## Which brand is most popular in search among headphone brands in the United Kingdom? - In September 2026, Apple AirPods was the most searched among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 368K branded searches, 55.7% of all searches for the 12 we track. - Sony is in 2nd place, 46.4 percentage points behind at 9.3%. - 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, Sony’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom decreased from 10.2% to 9.3%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bose’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom decreased from 10.1% to 8.9%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Beats’ share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom increased from 7% to 7.5%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, JBL’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom decreased from 8.7% to 6.5%. - 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. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sony’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 11.6% in April 2026 and was lowest at 9% in November 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bose’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 10.1% in October 2025 and was lowest at 8.3% in June 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Beats’ share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 7.5% in September 2026 and was lowest at 5.6% in May 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, JBL’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 8.7% in October 2025 and was lowest at 6.5% in November 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shokz’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 5.7% in June 2026 and was lowest at 2.7% in December 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Skullcandy’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 4.3% in April 2026 and was lowest at 2.7% in February 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Soundcore’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 1.7% in June 2026 and was lowest at 0.57% in November 2025. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Beats rose from 5th to 4th among headphone brands in the United Kingdom. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, JBL fell from 4th to 5th among headphone brands in the United Kingdom. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Soundcore rose from 10th to 9th among headphone brands in the United Kingdom. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sennheiser fell from 9th to 10th among headphone brands in the United Kingdom. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Shokz, Skullcandy, Marshall, Bowers & Wilkins and Jabra held steady: their share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom each moved less than 0.5 percentage points. ## Top headphone brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions, Sony and Bose appeared every time. Sony was recommended most often, coming first in every answer. Bose was second, and Sennheiser was third. Beats, which ranked fourth in searches, was not mentioned at all. 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. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [Apple AirPods vs Sony: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/airpods-vs-sony): 55.7% against 9.3% Share of Search. - [Apple AirPods vs Bose: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/airpods-vs-bose): 55.7% against 8.9% Share of Search. - [Apple AirPods vs Beats: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/airpods-vs-beats): 55.7% against 7.5% Share of Search. - [Apple AirPods vs JBL: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/airpods-vs-jbl): 55.7% against 6.5% Share of Search. - [Sony vs Bose: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/bose-vs-sony): 9.3% against 8.9% Share of Search. - [Sony vs Beats: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/beats-vs-sony): 9.3% against 7.5% Share of Search. - [Sony vs JBL: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/jbl-vs-sony): 9.3% against 6.5% Share of Search. - [Bose vs Beats: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/beats-vs-bose): 8.9% against 7.5% Share of Search. - [Bose vs JBL: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/bose-vs-jbl): 8.9% against 6.5% Share of Search. - [Beats vs JBL: compare search popularity](/demand/uk/compare/beats-vs-jbl): 7.5% against 6.5% Share of Search. ## 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. - In September 2026, Soundcore rose from 10th to 9th among headphone brands in the United Kingdom. - In September 2026, Sennheiser fell from 9th to 10th among headphone brands in the United Kingdom. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Apple AirPods | 55.7% | 368K | +22.3% | Apple | | 2 | Sony | 9.3% | 61.6K | +22.2% | Sony | | 3 | Bose | 8.9% | 58.6K | +22.3% | Bose | | 4 | Beats | 7.5% | 49.5K | +49.5% | Beats | | 5 | JBL | 6.5% | 43K | 0.0% | JBL | | 6 | Shokz | 3.4% | 22.2K | 0.0% | Shokz | | 7 | Skullcandy | 3.4% | 22.2K | 0.0% | Skullcandy | | 8 | Marshall | 2.2% | 14.8K | +22.3% | Marshall | | 9 | Soundcore | 1.2% | 8.1K | +22.7% | Anker | | 10 | Sennheiser | 1% | 6.6K | 0.0% | Sennheiser | | 11 | Bowers & Wilkins | 0.54% | 3.6K | 0.0% | Bowers & Wilkins | | 12 | Jabra | 0.36% | 2.4K | 0.0% | Jabra | Bowers & Wilkins sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “bowers and wilkins headphones”. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Apple AirPods | 368K | 51.9% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | Sony | 72.6K | 10.2% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | Bose | 71.7K | 10.1% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | JBL | 61.6K | 8.7% | 4 | | Oct 2025 | Beats | 49.5K | 7% | 5 | | Oct 2025 | Shokz | 22.2K | 3.1% | 6 | | Oct 2025 | Skullcandy | 22.2K | 3.1% | 7 | | Oct 2025 | Marshall | 18.1K | 2.6% | 8 | | Oct 2025 | Sennheiser | 9.9K | 1.4% | 9 | | Oct 2025 | Soundcore | 5.4K | 0.76% | 10 | | Oct 2025 | Bowers & Wilkins | 4.4K | 0.62% | 11 | | Oct 2025 | Jabra | 3.6K | 0.51% | 12 | | Nov 2025 | Apple AirPods | 673K | 57.7% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Bose | 118K | 10.1% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | Sony | 105K | 9% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | JBL | 75.3K | 6.5% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | Beats | 74K | 6.3% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | Shokz | 33.1K | 2.8% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | Skullcandy | 33.1K | 2.8% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | Marshall | 27.1K | 2.3% | 8 | | Nov 2025 | Sennheiser | 12.1K | 1% | 9 | | Nov 2025 | Soundcore | 6.6K | 0.57% | 10 | | Nov 2025 | Bowers & Wilkins | 5.4K | 0.46% | 11 | | Nov 2025 | Jabra | 3.6K | 0.31% | 12 | | Dec 2025 | Apple AirPods | 550K | 54.1% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Sony | 105K | 10.4% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | Bose | 101K | 9.9% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | JBL | 75.3K | 7.4% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | Beats | 74K | 7.3% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | Marshall | 27.1K | 2.7% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | Shokz | 27.1K | 2.7% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | Skullcandy | 27.1K | 2.7% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | Sennheiser | 12.1K | 1.2% | 9 | | Dec 2025 | Soundcore | 8.1K | 0.8% | 10 | | Dec 2025 | Bowers & Wilkins | 5.4K | 0.53% | 11 | | Dec 2025 | Jabra | 3.6K | 0.35% | 12 | | Jan 2026 | Apple AirPods | 368K | 52.4% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Sony | 72.6K | 10.3% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | Bose | 67.6K | 9.6% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | JBL | 52.6K | 7.5% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | Beats | 49.5K | 7% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | Shokz | 27.1K | 3.9% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | Skullcandy | 22.2K | 3.2% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | Marshall | 18.1K | 2.6% | 8 | | Jan 2026 | Sennheiser | 9.9K | 1.4% | 9 | | Jan 2026 | Soundcore | 6.6K | 0.94% | 10 | | Jan 2026 | Bowers & Wilkins | 4.4K | 0.63% | 11 | | Jan 2026 | Jabra | 3.6K | 0.51% | 12 | | Feb 2026 | Apple AirPods | 301K | 54.1% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Sony | 61.6K | 11.1% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | Bose | 47.9K | 8.6% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | JBL | 41.2K | 7.4% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | Beats | 33.1K | 5.9% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | Shokz | 22.2K | 4% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | Marshall | 14.8K | 2.7% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | Skullcandy | 14.8K | 2.7% | 8 | | Feb 2026 | Sennheiser | 8.1K | 1.5% | 9 | | Feb 2026 | Soundcore | 5.4K | 0.97% | 10 | | Feb 2026 | Bowers & Wilkins | 3.6K | 0.65% | 11 | | Feb 2026 | Jabra | 2.9K | 0.52% | 12 | | Mar 2026 | Apple AirPods | 301K | 52.3% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Sony | 61.6K | 10.7% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | Bose | 47.9K | 8.3% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | JBL | 43K | 7.5% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | Beats | 40.5K | 7% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | Shokz | 27.1K | 4.7% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | Skullcandy | 18.1K | 3.1% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | Marshall | 14.8K | 2.6% | 8 | | Mar 2026 | Sennheiser | 8.1K | 1.4% | 9 | | Mar 2026 | Soundcore | 6.6K | 1.1% | 10 | | Mar 2026 | Bowers & Wilkins | 3.6K | 0.63% | 11 | | Mar 2026 | Jabra | 2.9K | 0.5% | 12 | | Apr 2026 | Apple AirPods | 246K | 48.2% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Sony | 59.4K | 11.6% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | Bose | 47.9K | 9.4% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | JBL | 43K | 8.4% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | Beats | 33.1K | 6.5% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | Shokz | 27.1K | 5.3% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | Skullcandy | 22.2K | 4.3% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | Marshall | 14.8K | 2.9% | 8 | | Apr 2026 | Sennheiser | 6.6K | 1.3% | 9 | | Apr 2026 | Soundcore | 5.4K | 1.1% | 10 | | Apr 2026 | Bowers & Wilkins | 2.9K | 0.57% | 11 | | Apr 2026 | Jabra | 2.4K | 0.47% | 12 | | May 2026 | Apple AirPods | 246K | 50.8% | 1 | | May 2026 | Sony | 50.4K | 10.4% | 2 | | May 2026 | Bose | 47.9K | 9.9% | 3 | | May 2026 | JBL | 37K | 7.6% | 4 | | May 2026 | Beats | 27.1K | 5.6% | 5 | | May 2026 | Shokz | 22.2K | 4.6% | 6 | | May 2026 | Skullcandy | 18.1K | 3.7% | 7 | | May 2026 | Marshall | 14.8K | 3.1% | 8 | | May 2026 | Soundcore | 8.1K | 1.7% | 9 | | May 2026 | Sennheiser | 6.6K | 1.4% | 10 | | May 2026 | Bowers & Wilkins | 3.6K | 0.74% | 11 | | May 2026 | Jabra | 2.4K | 0.5% | 12 | | Jun 2026 | Apple AirPods | 246K | 52.1% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Sony | 50.4K | 10.7% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Bose | 39.2K | 8.3% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | JBL | 35.2K | 7.5% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | Beats | 27.1K | 5.7% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | Shokz | 27.1K | 5.7% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | Skullcandy | 14.8K | 3.1% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | Marshall | 12.1K | 2.6% | 8 | | Jun 2026 | Soundcore | 8.1K | 1.7% | 9 | | Jun 2026 | Sennheiser | 6.6K | 1.4% | 10 | | Jun 2026 | Bowers & Wilkins | 2.9K | 0.61% | 11 | | Jun 2026 | Jabra | 2.4K | 0.51% | 12 | | Jul 2026 | Apple AirPods | 246K | 53.1% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Sony | 48.6K | 10.5% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Bose | 39.2K | 8.5% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | JBL | 35.2K | 7.6% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | Beats | 27.1K | 5.9% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | Shokz | 18.1K | 3.9% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | Skullcandy | 18.1K | 3.9% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | Marshall | 12.1K | 2.6% | 8 | | Jul 2026 | Sennheiser | 6.6K | 1.4% | 9 | | Jul 2026 | Soundcore | 6.6K | 1.4% | 10 | | Jul 2026 | Bowers & Wilkins | 2.9K | 0.63% | 11 | | Jul 2026 | Jabra | 2.4K | 0.52% | 12 | | Aug 2026 | Apple AirPods | 301K | 54.6% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Sony | 50.4K | 9.1% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Bose | 47.9K | 8.7% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | JBL | 43K | 7.8% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | Beats | 33.1K | 6% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | Shokz | 22.2K | 4% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | Skullcandy | 22.2K | 4% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | Marshall | 12.1K | 2.2% | 8 | | Aug 2026 | Sennheiser | 6.6K | 1.2% | 9 | | Aug 2026 | Soundcore | 6.6K | 1.2% | 10 | | Aug 2026 | Bowers & Wilkins | 3.6K | 0.65% | 11 | | Aug 2026 | Jabra | 2.4K | 0.44% | 12 | | Sep 2026 | Apple AirPods | 368K | 55.7% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Sony | 61.6K | 9.3% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | Bose | 58.6K | 8.9% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Beats | 49.5K | 7.5% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | JBL | 43K | 6.5% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Shokz | 22.2K | 3.4% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | Skullcandy | 22.2K | 3.4% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | Marshall | 14.8K | 2.2% | 8 | | Sep 2026 | Soundcore | 8.1K | 1.2% | 9 | | Sep 2026 | Sennheiser | 6.6K | 1% | 10 | | Sep 2026 | Bowers & Wilkins | 3.6K | 0.54% | 11 | | Sep 2026 | Jabra | 2.4K | 0.36% | 12 | ## What is being compared - **Apple AirPods**: Measured on the search term “airpods”. - **Beats**: Measured on the search term “beats headphones”. - **Bose**: Measured on the search terms “bose earbuds” and “bose headphones”, summed into one figure. - **Bowers & Wilkins**: Measured on the search term “bowers and wilkins headphones”. - **Jabra**: Measured on the search term “jabra earbuds”. - **JBL**: Measured on the search terms “jbl earbuds” and “jbl headphones”, summed into one figure. - **Marshall**: Measured on the search term “marshall headphones”. - **Sennheiser**: Measured on the search term “sennheiser headphones”. - **Shokz**: Measured on the search term “shokz”. - **Skullcandy**: Measured on the search term “skullcandy”. - **Sony**: Measured on the search terms “sony earbuds” and “sony headphones”, summed into one figure. - **Soundcore**: Measured on the search term “soundcore earbuds”. - [Apple AirPods](/demand/uk/brands/airpods) - [Beats](/demand/uk/brands/beats) - [Bose](/demand/uk/brands/bose) - [Bowers & Wilkins](/demand/uk/brands/bowers-wilkins) - [Jabra](/demand/uk/brands/jabra) - [JBL](/demand/uk/brands/jbl) - [Marshall](/demand/uk/brands/marshall-audio) - [Sennheiser](/demand/uk/brands/sennheiser) - [Shokz](/demand/uk/brands/shokz) - [Skullcandy](/demand/uk/brands/skullcandy) - [Sony](/demand/uk/brands/sony) - [Soundcore](/demand/uk/brands/soundcore) ## 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 headphone brands in the United Kingdom? In September 2026, Apple AirPods was the most searched among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 368K branded searches, 55.7% of all searches for the 12 we track. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Headphone brands in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-headphone-brands This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/categories/uk-headphone-brands. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.