--- title: "Apple AirPods vs Sony: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is Apple AirPods or Sony more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Headphone brands set in the United Kingdom. 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/compare/airpods-vs-sony" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Apple AirPods vs Sony: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is Apple AirPods or Sony more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Headphone brands set in the United Kingdom. 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 - **Compared**: Apple AirPods and Sony - **Competitive set**: Headphone brands - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Apple AirPods Share of Search**: 55.7% - **Sony Share of Search**: 9.3% ## Is Apple AirPods or Sony more popular in search? - In September 2026, Apple AirPods had more branded searches than Sony among headphone brands in the United Kingdom. Apple AirPods had about 368,000 branded searches, while Sony had 61,600. Apple AirPods made up 55.7% of all headphone brand searches we track, and Sony accounted for 9.3%. - Apple AirPods was ahead of Sony in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple AirPods’ share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom moved from 51.9% to 55.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 368K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sony’s share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom moved from 10.2% to 9.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 72.6K to 61.6K. ## Top headphone brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions, Sony appeared in all three answers. Apple AirPods was mentioned in two out of three: in two of the three ChatGPT answers. Sony was listed before Apple AirPods in every answer. 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 did search popularity change for United Kingdom headphone brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Apple AirPods gained share of searches among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, from 54.6% to 55.7%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Sony in the United Kingdom fell 15.2% over 12 measured months, from 72.6K to 61.6K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Apple AirPods estimated searches | Apple AirPods Share of Search | Apple AirPods rank | Sony estimated searches | Sony Share of Search | Sony rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 368K | 51.9% | 1 | 72.6K | 10.2% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | 673K | 57.7% | 1 | 105K | 9% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | 550K | 54.1% | 1 | 105K | 10.4% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | 368K | 52.4% | 1 | 72.6K | 10.3% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | 301K | 54.1% | 1 | 61.6K | 11.1% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | 301K | 52.3% | 1 | 61.6K | 10.7% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | 246K | 48.2% | 1 | 59.4K | 11.6% | 2 | | May 2026 | 246K | 50.8% | 1 | 50.4K | 10.4% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | 246K | 52.1% | 1 | 50.4K | 10.7% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | 246K | 53.1% | 1 | 48.6K | 10.5% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | 301K | 54.6% | 1 | 50.4K | 9.1% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | 368K | 55.7% | 1 | 61.6K | 9.3% | 2 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apple AirPods’ and Sony’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. - **Apple AirPods**: Measured on the search term “airpods”. - **Sony**: Measured on the search terms “sony earbuds” and “sony headphones”, summed into one figure. - [Apple AirPods profile](/demand/uk/brands/airpods) - [Sony profile](/demand/uk/brands/sony) - [All headphone brands in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-headphone-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 12 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 ### Is Apple AirPods or Sony more popular in search? In September 2026, Apple AirPods had more branded searches than Sony among headphone brands in the United Kingdom. Apple AirPods had about 368,000 branded searches, while Sony had 61,600. Apple AirPods made up 55.7% of all headphone brand searches we track, and Sony accounted for 9.3%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Apple AirPods vs Sony: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/airpods-vs-sony This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/airpods-vs-sony. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.