There are always hundreds of headphones and earbuds released every year that tend to fly under the radar, but it's much rarer that you get a 12-month period that's as filled with flagship releases from the likes of Sony, Bose and Apple as 2025 has been.

We've seen high-profile launches from Sony, with the WH-1000XM6 landing with thunderous applause. Bose has released updated versions of the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and Ultra Headphones, and there's been a surprise new entry that went straight to the top of our best headphones list in the Bowers & Wilkins PX7 S3.

So what has this year looked like for headphones — and what about the headphones we're still waiting for?

Headphones we did get

Sony WH-1000XM6

Sony's WH-1000XM5 were starting to look a little long in the tooth at the start

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