While companies like Sony seem to be looking ahead to a highly anticipated third AirPods generation expected to adopt premium noise cancellation technology, the more basic second edition continues to dominate the thriving global wireless headphones market.

Released just a few months ago in two variants, the refreshed Apple AirPods are typically priced at $159 and up, which isn't exactly affordable. Of course, Sony's brand-new WF-1000XM3 (with noise cancellation) and Apple's own Beats Powerbeats Pro (with a water-resistant design and stellar battery life) are even costlier, at ...