I tried a pair of $99 earbuds and they sound almost identical to my AirPods — I'm blown away

I'm at IFA 2025, which means I'm checking out all of the newest tech. I've also been able to try out products that haven't even been released yet, like the JLab JBuds Open Headphones.

And, amongst all the new audio gear announcements, I've found another truly special product: the EarFun Air Pro 4+. We awarded the predecessor, Air Pro 4, a coveted 4.5-star rating in our review. I'm calling it now — the Air Pro 4+ are some of the best budget earbuds money can buy.

It's actually quite hard to believe that these earbuds are just $99 — with an AI-powered model retailing at $129 — because of how truly excellent the sound is. Here's what happened when I went hands-on with the new EarFun Air Pro 4.

Possibly the best sound you can get for $99

When you think about it, $99 for earbuds is a really great deal. AirPods start from $129, and the AirPods Pro 2 — my personal earbuds — are $249. Popular earbuds like Sony WF-C710N are considered very affordable at $119, and Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 earbuds can run you up a pretty hefty $299 bill.

So $99 for earbuds of this caliber is, in my opinion, a bit of a steal. I spent about twenty minutes with the EarFun Air Pro 4+, and I loved every second. As soon as I pressed play on Qobuz, my jaw quite literally dropped. 'Cutthroat' by Shame was bassy and fierce, and 'Let It Happen' by Tame Impala was groovy, infectious, and so clear. I actually got my AirPods Pro 2 out and compared them directly — honestly, the Air Pro 4+ were 95% of the way there.

I review earbuds for a living, so I know what to expect when I try out $99 earbuds. The Air Pro 4+? Not what I expect when I try out $99 earbuds. I would assume these earbuds cost closer to $200, if not more.

Dual-driver for mind-blowing sound

The EarFun Air Pro 4+ have dual drivers: one 10mm composite dynamic driver, and one balanced armature driver.

Now, the Air Pro 4+ were not the only earbuds I saw at IFA with dual dynamic and balanced armature drivers. But they were the only dual-driver earbuds I actually got to test, so I can't speak for the proficiency of the other earbuds.

This is still unique stuff. It's very rare that I see earbuds, let alone budget earbuds, with audio tech like this. The existence of dual drivers basically means that the sound will be clearer and will be tuned better than alternative earbuds. Obviously, to give the earbuds the best chance you should listen on a hi-res streaming service with LDAC enabled (sorry, iPhone users).

And, considering the Air Pro 4+ are super super tiny, it's a marvel that everything fits inside.

So what's the catch?

Not really a catch per se, but the Air Pro 4+ isn't available to buy yet. EarFun's representative confirmed that hopefully the earbuds will ship in November. In the meantime, I'd recommend checking out the older-but-still-great EarFun Air Pro 4, or, if you want to spend as little money as possible, the $49 EarFun Air 2 (no, not a typo).

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