Beats vs Sony:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Sony had more branded searches than Beats among headphone brands in the United Kingdom. Sony had about 61,600 branded searches, while Beats had 49,500. Sony made up 9.3% of all headphone brand searches we track, and Beats accounted for 7.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about headphone brands, Sony appeared in all three answers and Beats in none.
Who do people search for more?
Sony, about 24% more searches than Beats
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Top headphone brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions, Sony appeared in all three answers. Beats did not appear in any of the three answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
- Sony1st
Bose2nd
Sennheiser3rd
Apple AirPods4th
JBL5th
Soundcore6th
Beats–
Shokz–
Skullcandy–
Marshall–- +2 more
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Sony3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
- Bose3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
- Apple AirPods2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
- Sennheiser2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
- JBL1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
- Soundcore1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
- Beats0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
- Shokz0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
- Skullcandy0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
- Marshall0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
See every answer about headphone brands
3 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which headphones should I buy in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best headphone brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best wireless earbuds?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“headphones”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“wireless earbuds”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 26, 2026.
Is Beats or Sony more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Beats and Sony by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 headphone brands we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.
Share of searches by month for Sony, Beats. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Apple AirPods | Sony | Bose | Beats | JBL | Shokz | Skullcandy | Marshall | Soundcore | Sennheiser | Bowers & Wilkins | Jabra |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 51.9% | 10.2% | 10.1% | 7% | 8.7% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 2.6% | 0.76% | 1.4% | 0.62% | 0.51% |
| Nov 2025 | 57.7% | 9% | 10.1% | 6.3% | 6.5% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 0.57% | 1% | 0.46% | 0.31% |
| Dec 2025 | 54.1% | 10.4% | 9.9% | 7.3% | 7.4% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 0.8% | 1.2% | 0.53% | 0.35% |
| Jan 2026 | 52.4% | 10.3% | 9.6% | 7% | 7.5% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 2.6% | 0.94% | 1.4% | 0.63% | 0.51% |
| Feb 2026 | 54.1% | 11.1% | 8.6% | 5.9% | 7.4% | 4% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 0.97% | 1.5% | 0.65% | 0.52% |
| Mar 2026 | 52.3% | 10.7% | 8.3% | 7% | 7.5% | 4.7% | 3.1% | 2.6% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 0.63% | 0.5% |
| Apr 2026 | 48.2% | 11.6% | 9.4% | 6.5% | 8.4% | 5.3% | 4.3% | 2.9% | 1.1% | 1.3% | 0.57% | 0.47% |
| May 2026 | 50.8% | 10.4% | 9.9% | 5.6% | 7.6% | 4.6% | 3.7% | 3.1% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 0.74% | 0.5% |
| Jun 2026 | 52.1% | 10.7% | 8.3% | 5.7% | 7.5% | 5.7% | 3.1% | 2.6% | 1.7% | 1.4% | 0.61% | 0.51% |
| Jul 2026 | 53.1% | 10.5% | 8.5% | 5.9% | 7.6% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 2.6% | 1.4% | 1.4% | 0.63% | 0.52% |
| Aug 2026 | 54.6% | 9.1% | 8.7% | 6% | 7.8% | 4% | 4% | 2.2% | 1.2% | 1.2% | 0.65% | 0.44% |
| Sep 2026 | 55.7% | 9.3% | 8.9% | 7.5% | 6.5% | 3.4% | 3.4% | 2.2% | 1.2% | 1% | 0.54% | 0.36% |
How has the Beats and Sony comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Sony was ahead of Beats 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 the United Kingdom moved from 7% to 7.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 49.5K.
- 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.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom headphone brands in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Beats overtook JBL to rank 4th among headphone brands in the United Kingdom, with 7.5% of the searches.
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.
How are branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Beats’ 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.
Other head-to-heads among headphone brands
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