Best for bass and battery
CMF Headphone Pro
Best for: Bass fans who forget to charge
- Up to 50 hours of quiet
- Headphone cable in the box
Catch: Plastic build creaks a little.
Best noise-cancelling headphones under £100
Three over-ears under £100 that each last two days or more per charge.
Updated 5 November 2026
Best for tight budgets
Illustration of a noise-cancelling headphones; no product photo shown
JBL Tune 780NC
Best for: Everyday listening for the least money
- About 50 hours per charge
- Physical buttons, folds up
Catch: Clamps firmly on long listens.
Best for natural sound
Sennheiser Accentum Wireless
Best for: Listeners who prefer balance over boom
- Clean, even-handed sound
- Sharper sound on Android phones
Catch: No case, and it doesn't fold.
Good to know
What matters at £100, and the trade-offs to expect.
Battery claims
All three are rated for around 50 hours with noise cancelling on, so a week of commuting is realistic on one charge.
Your phone
LDAC and aptX HD only work on Android phones that support them. iPhones use AAC, which all three handle.
Fit
Two reviews found the JBL grips tightly over hours. Try it on first if you have a large head or wear glasses.
The trade-offs that matter
Rumble yes, chatter no
All three take the edge off buses and trains. None blocks office voices or keyboard taps the way a flagship does.
Bass-heavy out of the box
The CMF and JBL lean on bass by default. Each app has an EQ to calm it; the Sennheiser needs it least.
Wired listening
The CMF takes a normal 3.5 mm cable and the JBL ships with a USB-C adapter cable. The Accentum has no headphone socket.
Final buying advice: Take the CMF Headphone Pro for fun, bassy sound and huge battery. The JBL Tune 780NC suits anyone who wants real buttons and the lightest pair that folds. Choose the Sennheiser Accentum if you want a calmer, more natural sound and don't need them to fold.
How they compare
Specs from each maker. Price levels come from shop prices we checked recently; tap through for today's price.
| Model | | Illustration of a noise-cancelling headphones; no product photo shown Best for tight budgetsJBL Tune 780NC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price level | Budget | Budget | Budget |
| Battery, noise cancelling on (claimed) | Up to 50 hours | Up to 50 hours | Up to 50 hours |
| Weight | 283 g | 225 g | 222 g |
| Bluetooth codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC | SBC, AAC, LC3 | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD |
| Two devices at once | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Folds / case | Folds flat, soft pouch | Folds, no case | Doesn't fold, no case |
| Headphone cable | Yes, 3.5 mm (powered on) | USB-C to 3.5 mm cable | No |
| Shop | Check price on Amazon ↗ | Check price on Amazon ↗ | Check price on Amazon ↗ |
Questions people ask
Is the JBL Tune 780NC better than the Tune 770NC?
Only slightly. Les Numériques found the noise cancelling close to the older model. The 780NC adds Bluetooth 6.0 with LE Audio and Auracast, but drops the 3.5 mm socket in favour of a USB-C adapter cable.
Does the CMF Headphone Pro work wired when the battery is flat?
No. Reviewers found the 3.5 mm input only works with the headphones switched on, so a flat battery means no music, even on a cable.
Which of these is best for an iPhone?
All three work fully over AAC. The extra codecs on the CMF and Sennheiser only help Android phones, so on an iPhone pick by sound, fit and price.
Related guides
How we reached this
We shortlisted noise-cancelling headphones that independent reviewers rate well and that we saw selling under £100 at a major shop, then compared them on the makers' specs.
We haven't tested these products ourselves. Our picks weigh independent expert reviews against each maker's published specs and the prices we checked. Opinions are ours; facts link to where they come from. How we choose.
Sources: Nothing UK: CMF Headphone Pro, TechRadar: CMF by Nothing Headphone Pro review, SoundGuys: CMF Headphone Pro review, JBL UK: Tune 780NC, HIFI.DE: JBL Tune 780 NC im Test, Les Numériques : test JBL Tune 780NC, Sennheiser: introducing Accentum Wireless, What Hi-Fi?: Sennheiser Accentum Wireless review, Tom's Guide: Sennheiser Accentum review.