If you’re like me, you may have poked around Amazon looking for cheaper audio alternatives to Apple’s AirPods, wireless earbuds that start at $159 a pair and hit $199 a pair if you want wireless charging — which beats the alternative when battery life gets low. (Read our in-depth review of the AirPods Pro here.) There are plenty of bargain wireless earphones out there with high user ratings for iPhones, Android phones and everything in between, but are these cheap earbuds alternatives really any good? In my experience, most of the time sports earbuds, noise-canceling earbuds and other wireless bluetooth earbuds are just all right, not elite — and some aren’t good for listening to music at all. An increasing number of wireless headphone models beat the “meh” cheap AirPods alternatives classification, however, and a few are actually decent wireless earbuds. Here’s a look at the best among the current crop of budget true-wireless earphones I’ve tested — all are under $100 a pair, while several are under $50 a pair. All of these earphones feature Bluetooth 5.0 and maintain solid wireless audio connections; I encountered minimal Bluetooth audio pairing hiccups while listening to music with them. Most wireless buds aren’t great for making phone calls but they do work well enough in quieter environments. I also provided information on the earbuds’ battery life and charging. I’ll update this list and my list of best AirPod alternatives as I test more earphones. Read more: How to choose the best earbuds If you love AirPods but don’t want to spend a lot of money, here are a few wireless headphone options.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Sarah Tew/CNET
What’s most impressive about the EarFun Free earbuds are the features: Bluetooth 5.0, both USB-C and wireless charging and fully waterproof (IPX7), according to their specs. Is the audio elite? No, but the bluetooth earbuds sound pretty good — it’s not just noise coming out of the speaker. They don’t have the audio clarity of higher-end true wireless earbuds that cost $150 a pair or more, but they do have plump bass and enough audio detail to make you think you got your money’s worth and then some. The earbuds are also pretty solid for making calls. The battery lasts six hours at moderate volume levels and the case provides four charges on the go. An elite value at $45.
Read our EarFun Free first take.
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AirPods and other name-brand truly wireless earbuds cost $160 a pair and up. But the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 earbuds have an appealing design and deliver solid audio quality at $100 for a nice listening experience. Available in black or white, this second-gen model offers USB-C charging, better battery life (up to seven hours of battery life after charging fully, in fact) and good call quality. Except for active noise cancellation, the device offers much of what the AirPods Pro do for a lot less, including a compact charging case that has a nice matte finish. The earbuds’ noise-isolating audio design seals out a lot of ambient noise passively and it’s an elite set of earbuds for making calls around noise — very close to the performance level of the AirPods Pro.With an IPX5 water-resistance rating (they can sustain a steady stream of sweat and water but can’t be fully submerged), these earbuds are suitable for the gym and running.
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Half the price of Anker’s Soundcore Liberty Air 2 with similar features, the Soundcore Life P2 earbuds are an excellent value option. The buds charge horizontally in their case rather than vertically, and there’s a slightly cheaper feel to both the case and the buds compared with the Liberty Air 2. Their sound doesn’t have the presence boost in the treble that the Liberty Air 2 buds have, so they’re not as clear-sounding with well-recorded tracks and the bass isn’t quite as well defined. But they’re warmer and more forgiving, which I appreciated, and they sound more like the original Liberty Air. (I would buy these instead of the Liberty Air, which are now $60.) It’s also worth noting that instead of controls they feature physical buttons, which some people may prefer. Like the Liberty Air 2, they have four microphones, two of which are supposed to help with noise reduction when making calls in noisier environments. They do a decent job of reducing background noise when making calls, but my voice didn’t sound as clear to callers as it did with the Liberty Air 2.While there’s no wireless charging, you do get USB-C charging. Battery life is rated at seven hours and they have an IPX7 water-resistance rating, which means they can be fully submerged in water to a depth of three feet and survive. They’re arguably the best value in the Anker true wireless line right now. An almost identical version to these earbuds is sold at Target under the name Soundcore Life Note.
Read our Anker Soundcore Life P2 review.
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During the holidays last year, JLab had its JBuds Air true wireless buds on sale for $30 or $20 off their list price of $50. That was a decent deal. Now we get the Go Air, which is 20% smaller, lists for $30 and is otherwise similar to the Air. It’s available in four color options.Like the Air, for the money ($30), the Go Air is pretty good. Battery life is rated at five hours (there’s an integrated USB cable on for charging), the sound is better than you might expect for fake AirPods and they’re sweatproof with an IP44 rating (meaning splashproof). While there’s no app for adjusting bass and treble, you can toggle through a few preset EQ settings — JLab Signature, Balanced and Bass Boost modes — by tapping either bud twice (yes, they have touch controls). I went with Bass Boost to take some of the edge off the treble and give them a slightly warmer sound. There’s no top to the charging case, but the buds stay inside the case just fine thanks to magnets. To be clear, these aren’t fantastic — and they work only OK for making calls — but you’re not going to do much better for $30. And they did fit my ears well — I was able to get a tight seal from the largest of the three included ear tips.
Under-$40 stick-style model
TaoTronics SoundLiberty 53
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The TaoTronics SoundLiberty 53 look similar to the Anker Liberty Airs, with the same pipe design, but don’t sound quite as good as those wireless earbuds. However, they cost only around $35 and have better audio quality than you’d expect from a truly wireless model at this price. They offer solid wireless performance and five hours of battery life at moderate volume levels. Their wireless charging case delivers an extra five charges to your total battery life, which will be music to your ears.We reviewed the TaoTronics TWS TT-BH053. The only difference between that model and the newer SoundLiberty 53 is that the SoundLiberty 53 are fully waterproof with an IPX7 rating while the TWS TT-BH053 have an IPX6 water-resistance rating.
Read TaoTronics TWS TT-BH053 review.
Best under $50 for making calls
TaoTronics SoundLiberty 79
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TaoTronics’ SoundLiberty 79 list for $60 but sell for around $50. I don’t love their looks — the little chrome accent isn’t my thing — but they fit my ears well and sound decent for the money, with just enough definition and ample bass. All that said, where they really stand out is how they perform as a headset for making calls. They are five stars in that department, with excellent noise-reduction (people had no trouble hearing me on the noisy streets of New York). The company’s “Smart AI noise-reduction technology” does work. They are fully waterproof (IPX7 certified) and you can get up to eight hours of battery life at moderate volume levels. The charging case, which provides an extra 32 hours of juice on the go, feels a little cheap, but it’s compact and has USB-C charging.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Anker’s Soundcore Liberty Air earbuds have a more comfortable fit, but the Soundcore Liberty Neo buds sound as good and cost less (the model lists for $60, but can be found on sale for $35). These true wireless earbuds are similar to the Tribit X1 but are a little heavier and seem a little sturdier. As with the Tribit, how good you find the audio is dependent on how good a seal you get from one of the included ear tips, which are meant to drown out ambient noise. The battery life is rated for three and a half hours of listening time after charging (a little short) with an additional eight hours or so of battery life from the charging case.
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I don’t really know how stylish the 1More Stylish True Wireless earphones are (yes, that’s their name), but these wireless earbuds do sound good. With a list price of $100, they’re among the most expensive of the models on this list (Anker’s Soundcore Liberty Air 2 are also $100). 1More made a name for itself with its wired earbuds, the Triple Drivers, which sound great and were a good value when wired headphones were still a thing. The same clear, balanced sound is present in 1More’s Stylish earphones — they don’t sound as good as the Triple Drivers, but they sound good for true wireless Apple AirPod alternatives.This pair of earbuds has more of an audiophile sound profile, with more “accurate” sound, so deep bass lovers may be a little disappointed listening to music, but I liked it. Of course, it helped that the ergonomic design was able to give me a tight seal with one of the included ear tips. However, the stabilizer fin did nothing for me; I just jammed the tip into my ear to get a secure fit. The earbuds’ battery life is rated at up six and a half hours (expect closer to five hours of battery life if you like listening to music at higher volumes), with an extra 17 hours or so of battery life available from the wireless charging case.
Read 1More Stylish True Wireless review.
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