Believe it or not, even though wireless headphones are a specific category of headphones, there are still a lot of differences between them.

The first wireless headphones were wireless because they used Bluetooth. Bluetooth is a technology that digitally encodes sound and transmits it wirelessly over certain (short) distances.

Bluetooth is NOT WiFi (wireless internet), by the way. They are similar in daily use, but not the same; you could use Bluetooth without an internet connection, and visa versa.

To an extent, all wireless headphones are “smart” headphones, because they can connect digitally. But even then, some are more basic, and some are more advanced.

So on that note:

As said, there’s a range in how “smart” wireless headphones are. Sounds funny, right? Aren’t they all Bluetooth?

Well, yeah, actually. But, some are designed to be used in conjunction with smart devices, which themselves also support Bluetooth connections.

Additional characteristics include having the headphones manufacturer provide an app for mobile devices and/or computers, to go along with the headphones; and having extra features related to filtering noise and voices in and out, or a lot of touch controls.

So, there isn’t exactly a clear dividing line between smart and non-smart wireless headphones. It’s really a spectrum, a question of “more” or “less” smart.

Some people may NOT want smarter headphones for specific reasons:

One of them might be privacy. Smarter headphones find a lot of their utility in connecting to voice assistants from Amazon and Google. Some people prefer to avoid such devices, and those people would find a lot of the additional functionality wasted on them.

Plus, like I said, a lot of smarter headphones have you install apps from the company. Those apps may require you to give away privacy permissions so you can even use the headphones.

But another reason some may not want smarter wireless headphones, is just a personal preference for simplicity.

To some people, wireless headphones should just be wireless headphones; that is, just like normal tethered headphones without the tether.

Such people would argue that a lot of extra features appear to make things easier, but actually make the user experience more annoying and complicated, especially when done poorly.

For example, tap-based volume controls are a frequent source of complaints on basically all wireless headphones, even the best. Let alone more complicated tap-based commands.

Plus, some people would only use their wireless headphones on a few select devices that they would probably use a headphone cord with anyway, like a phone, tablet, or computer: those people probably don’t have a huge need for super advanced headphones in general.

If you want to use your headphones with a smart TV though?

Well, generally, as long as your smart TV has Bluetooth capability, you could still connect it to wireless headphones. However, some smart wireless headphones still offer additional features that make pairing with smart TVs even better.

Lastly, the final major dividing line between the smartest wireless headphones and the most basic is…

Price. Of course. The more advanced your headphones, the more expensive they are.

There are intermediate options and exceptions here and there, but for the most part: the standard feature set of “smart” wireless headphones will start around $300. Less advanced ones frequently fall under $100, sometimes being as affordable as around $60.

So why would anyone get smarter wireless headphones at all?

Well, again, they’re great if you use voice assistants or other smart home products. Also, advocates would argue that once you get used to the controls, they’re far easier and more intuitive than anything else.

Plus, though smarter does NOT necessarily mean higher-quality, usually more advanced wireless headphones are also better in connection and sound quality. Meaning, a lot of people aren’t paying only for smart features, but top-tier quality plus features

You might have noticed that every headphone on this list has some level of noise cancellation. Most wireless headphones will list noise cancellation as a feature.

But, some companies are just referring to the basics of how headphones work, which is that they block out the environment by their physical design. It’s a bit of a marketing ploy.

If noise cancellation is what you’re really after, it’s best to pay attention to active noise canceling (ANC).

ANC headphones have systems for using the built-in microphone to listen to the surrounding environment. To “cancel” noisiness in your surroundings, the headphones emit specific soundwaves that neutralize specific soundwaves outside.

That might raise concerns from people who think it’s cool, but dangerous—what if you’re in an area where you need to be more attentive to your surroundings?

Well, basically all ANC headphones have an ability to turn off ANC. So if you want to be more mindful, or if you’re mostly working in a quiet environment, you can just switch it off. Some headphones even have different ANC levels.

ANC isn’t going to be 100% perfect, but it definitely can be better or worse. It’s worth paying attention to what customers say here, if active noise canceling is something you’re prioritizing.

One final note on this, however; good ANC generally is more expensive.

That doesn’t mean all expensive wireless headphones have great ANC, or that cheap ones always have poor ANC. But, generally, good ANC wireless headphones will start around $100 and typically cost $200-$350.