By Finding the best affordable wireless earbuds is similar to finding a needle in a crowd. You may go through hundreds of inexpensive models before you find that one hidden treasure that works flawlessly with your gadgets.
Popular companies like Anker, Jabra, JBL, and Samsung have seen notable price reductions in recent months on a number of their models. Furthermore, several new companies, including OnePlus and Nothing, are entering the market with incredibly low-cost headphones, wireless earbuds, and noise-cancelling headphones that rival some of the best available options. Apple, are you hearing that? The race for the greatest headphones discounts of the year is heating up – quickly.
Many considerations were made to compile this list of the top affordable wireless earbuds, including overall design, sound quality, battery life, and unique features. Most importantly, we felt that $100 was a fair pricing point for most customers, thus we capped our list at that amount.
Which inexpensive wireless earbuds work best for pairing with a laptop, tablet, smartphone, or gaming system? Continue reading to learn more.
Best Low-Cost Wireless Earbuds Overall
1. Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
Size: 0.7 x 0.8 x 0.8 inches
inches Weight: 0.2 ounces (per bud)
Battery life (Rated): 5 hours with ANC on (20 hours with charging case), 7.5 hours with ANC off (29 hours with charging case)
Bluetooth range: 40 feet (12 meters)
Special features: Active noise cancellation, adjustable ambient listening mode, Wireless Power Share charging
Regarding portable aural companionship, Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners can’t beat the affordable yet powerful Galaxy Buds 2. You can adjust the amount of external sound you want to hear with the powerful ANC and ambient modes, and the dynamic two-way speaker produces clear highs and rich lows. Owners of Galaxy smartphones enjoy exclusive benefits such as Samsung’s Scalable Codec support, which improves music quality over the SBC codec, and the low-latency Gaming Mode. The Galaxy Wearable app also adds further functionality, like an EQ with six well-designed settings and an accessibility mode that allows you to assign ANC to a single earphone.
These buds aren’t as water-resistant as those made by competitors due to their lower IPX2 durability, and the more expensive Galaxy Buds Pro have a more appealing look. All things considered, it’s a reasonably priced option for anyone interested in Samsung’s mobile environment.
2. Google Pixel Buds A-Series
Size: 0.8 x 1.2 x 0.7 inches
inches Weight: 0.8 x 1.2 x 0.7 inches
Battery life (Rated): 5 hours 25 hours (with charging case)
Bluetooth range: 30 feet (10 meters)
Special features: Adaptive sound technology, Google Translate, Find My Buds
Although the second generation of Pixel Buds was a significant improvement over the company’s initial try at wireless earbuds, the Pixel Buds A-Series is what has kept the Pixel Buds business alive. These smart earbuds, which retail for $99, match the brand’s well-liked Pixel smartphones in appearance and functionality. With the A-Series Google Assistant connectivity, you can effortlessly issue hundreds of voice queries, something that no other buds can equal. Another plus is that you can wear the buds for extended periods without getting sore. Moreover, Google’s Adaptive Sound technology optimizes audio quality by altering the volume based on your surroundings for comfortable listening.
Except for wireless charging, the Pixel A-Series performs almost exactly like its more expensive sister. Because of this, it is a superior buy for every Android user.
3. Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro
Size: 1.5 x 0.9 x 0.9 inches
Weight: 0.4 ounces
Battery life (Rated): 6 hours (with ANC on), 6.5 hours (with Transparency Mode on), 7 hours (all modes off), 26 hours (with charging case)
Bluetooth range: 35 feet (10 meters)
Special features: Active noise cancellation, customizable EQ, wireless charging
A favorite of Laptop Magazine, the original Liberty Air 2 boasted superb connectivity, great audio quality, and useful listening modes. With its replacement, the Liberty Air 2 Pro, Anker raised the stakes by introducing new features (like the Tip Fit Test and LÜM music service) and adaptive noise cancellation, which is designed to block out background noise in a variety of settings and can also be adjusted by the user. Both the upgraded wireless charging case and the buds’ battery life are rated higher than those of the AirPods Pro.
Though audiophiles may find these buds’ lackluster high-end problematic, the sound is rich and powerful. Fortunately, there’s an EQ with 22 presets and a personalized profile to adjust the sound to your preferences. The only major problem with these buds, aside from their expensive price tag, is their touch controls, which have slow response times and little motion input.
4. Creative Outlier Pro ANC
Size: 0.98 x 0.79 x 1.04 inches (per bud); 3.23 x 1.81 x 1.21inches (charging case)
Weight: 0.24 ounces (per bud); 2.57 ounces (charging case)
Battery life (Rated): 10 hours (ANC on); 15 hours (ANC off); 40 hours (charging case with ANC on); 60 hours (charging case with ANC off)
Bluetooth range: 40 feet (12 meters)
Special features: 3D audio, active noise cancellation, Equalizer with numerous presets
While Creative has released several inexpensive wireless earbuds, none of them compare to the Outlier Pro ANC. These buds include an impressive array of high-performance audio features, including a 10mm graphene-coated driver, an infinite number of EQ presets, and Super X-Fi compatibility to enhance music for 3D sound, in addition to having among of the longest battery lives in the category. Some restrictions apply; for example, Super X-Fi can only be used with music files that are stored on your mobile device and in the SXFi app. Still, the element works well and adds a more organic feel to the music. Included is hybrid active noise cancellation (ANC), which reduces noise to a greater degree than most wireless earbuds that aren’t luxury.
Although the huge design can be uncomfortable at times and the controls aren’t the most dependable, these are acceptable trade-offs given the price.
5. Sony WF-C500
Size: 1.2 x 1.1 x 0.9 inches
Weight: 0.2 ounces (per bud)
Battery life (Rated):10 hours, 20 hours (with charging case)
Bluetooth range: 80 feet (24 meters)
Special features: 360 Reality Audio, custom EQ, Digital Sound Enhancement Engine support
The WF-C500, which was originally priced at $100, is currently available for as low as $69, making it one of the greatest true wireless offers available. Several Sony-exclusive technologies, including Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) and 360 Reality Audio, which enhance the naturalness of music, were successfully integrated into these earbuds. Users can customize the earbuds in several ways with access to the Sony Headphones Connect app (we suggest using the EQ customization feature). Few competitors at any price range can match 10 hours of use on a single charge.
Sony was forced to reduce the battery life on the charging case to meet the low MSRP; 20 hours is less than the industry standard (24 hours). One advantage is that it is more stylish and portable than the AirPods case.
