One size fits all takes on a new meaning with the Bang & Olufsen Portal headphones. They should fit any head size, but I'm actually talking about how they're handy for a load of different devices. They're able to connect to your PC, phone, handheld console, or otherwise wired up to anything else you might have—an old Zune, maybe—via Bluetooth, 2.4G dongle, or USB Type-C cable.
Usually there's a pretty big premium on this sort of multi-use gaming headset: anything that can claim to do the job of two headsets tends to come with a price tag equal to two headsets (or more). That's usually true of these B&O Portal cans—they'd usually set you back a whopping $499—but right now you can pick a pair up for $209 at Amazon.
It's worth stating that these cans were cheaper over Black Friday, but the discount has only dropped by $20, so it's still a great price for a stunning set of headphones. Usually these are available for well over $200, or even $300 from Amazon direct.
I use my pair of Portal headphones just about every day. I have them hooked up via Bluetooth to my phone and have the USB Type-C dongle plugged into my laptop. They switch between inputs seamlessly and I'm regularly walking around the house and still retaining a solid connection even many feet away from the device.
They offer built-in noise cancellation, and I've had many opportunities to test this feature out on noisy planes. I'm always impressed, and to be honest I sleep well with them on my head even on the noisiest old jets. You can adjust the level of noise cancellation using the slim trackpad-like sliders on the rear of the left earcup, and one the right you have another for volume control.
The noise cancellation comes from microphones build-in to the headset itself, which work surprisingly well considering there's no boom arm. Don't get me wrong, a boom arm will produce better results, but the microphone is a passable quality for most. I've even made a TikTok video (over on the PC Gamer TikTok channel) outside a loud Las Vegas casino with the built-in microphones on this headset and it came together pretty well. You can check that out for yourself here or in the embed below. I mean it wasn't anywhere near the quality of my usual XLR, but when needs must.
Below: a TikTok video I recorded using the B&O Portal's built-in microphones from an outdoor area of a busy Las Vegas casino.
@pcgamer_mag ♬ Blue jazz background music - Ayustat
My only major complaint with the Portal is that if you wear a hood over the top of these headphones, or even have a hood bunched up around your neck, the material can sometimes touch the volume or noise cancellation slider and activate it. In over a year of use, I've only had this happen a handful of times, but something to consider if you're an Elvis impersonator and often find yourself wearing massive collared shirts.
All in all, I have very few complaints about the Band & Olufsen Portal headphones. I can wear them for the entirety of a journey through an airport, on a flight, and back out the other side and not feel much fatigue on my ears. Similarly, the battery life is a solid day's worth of use, which isn't as long as say the HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless at 300 hours but I'm yet to have run out of juice mid-way through a long trip.
I would recommend these headphones more often, to be honest, it's just the MSRP is so high and the price usually still pretty up there that I don't. With this deal, it's a much easier recommendation. Take a look at our best Cyber Monday gaming headset page for more options, though mostly more 'traditional' gaming headsets you probably won't want to wear out the house.
