The best cheap wireless earbuds
10 Cheap Wireless Earbuds
We tested out some truly wireless earphones that promise to deliver the freedom you desire for much less than some of the more pricy earbuds that have recently launched. But with so many models on the market, we ordered the top-sellers from Amazon and pitted them against one another to see how they stacked up.
Here are our cheap wireless earbuds picks, ranked from best to worst. We evaluated each set based on their design, ease of use and pairing, sound quality, controls and battery life.
JLab JBuds Air Wireless Earphones
JLab’s fitness earbuds have bass-forward sound and modern features that should warrant a higher price tag. The JBuds Air come programmed with three EQ settings (Balanced, Bass Boost, and Signature) that customize the audio output. Bass Boost is most ideal for workouts and packs punchy lows, while Signature makes minor adjustments to frequency response for better midrange. Battery life is rated at 4 hours, which is slightly below standard, but the accompanying charging case gets you an extra 10 hours of use. An IPX55 certification means these earbuds are built to withstand sweat and splashing as well.
The design is a bit bulky and can create some discomfort when worn for long stretches, but it’s sufficient for workouts. You’re only able to take calls on one earpiece as well.
Rating: 4 stars
Soul ST-XX
The ST-XX blends together form, function, and fashion surprisingly well. Bass is tighter to give lows and mids more transparency. IPX5 certification gives the buds weatherproof protection, making them ideal for outdoor activities and excessive sweating. The ST-XX is also available in several bold colors to accessorize with your outfits.
A Transparency Mode was programmed into the buds to let listeners hear their surroundings better, but you’ll want to keep it disabled since it compromises the sound quality. While battery life is rated at 5 hours on a full charge, it’s realistically about 3.5 hours when factoring in calls and high volume. Thankfully, the charging case carries up to 4 charges for around 15 hours of additional playback.
Rating: 4 stars
Enacfire E18 True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds
The Enacfire E18 is an attractive option with reliable sound and even better wireless features. Mids and highs are bright, whereas lows are a mixed bag depending on the music genre. The earbuds come digital assistant-ready with the built-in microphone picking up vocals clearly to execute basic Google Assistant and Siri commands. I’m also a fan of the stylish, super-light charging case that provides up to 15 extra hours of music time, greatly supplementing the E18's 3 hours of charge.
Call quality isn’t the greatest and it’s a bummer that you can only hear in mono through one earbud when screening calls. Still, the pros and cons balance out performance overall.
Rating: 4 stars
TaoTronics TWS TT-BH053
At $50, TaoTronics’ newest truly wireless earbuds offer better sound and battery life than you might expect. Mids are clear and detailed, and bass reproduction is on par with the AirPods. TaoTronics claims 5 hours of playtime on a single charge, although it’s closer to 4.5 hours. That’s still more generous than other models in its class, not including the 36 hours provided by the charging case.
The controls and fit could be better, though. The tap gestures were highly sensitive and often misinterpreted taps to raise the volume or enable the digital assistant. Speaking of which, there was some lag present when I called up Siri and Google Assistant; I often had to wait a few seconds before speaking or else the digital assistant wouldn’t recognize my commands.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Anker Soundcore Liberty Neo
Very similar in performance to the Soundcore Liberty Air, these Anker buds possess impressive battery life and sound quality that should place them in a higher price bracket. Dynamic bass and treble will fuel fitness freaks at the gym. An IPX5 rating makes them sweat/water resistant as well. Many earbuds in its category advertise 3.5 hours of playtime on a single charge and fail to deliver, but the Liberty Neo is one of the few that hits that mark. The accompanying charging case stores 9 additional hours.
Comfort is where the Liberty Neo struggles, as the sturdiness of the buds makes them unpleasant to sport for long stretches. I wouldn’t recommend them for at-home listening or travel. The accompanying ear wings also don’t provide a secure fit and left me worried that the buds would fall out during outdoor runs.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Tranya T1 Sports Wireless Earbuds
Wireless earbuds are an acquired taste, but the T1 delivers enough flavor to make ordering them a savory gamble. The soundstage is dominated by deep, rumbling bass, which is cool for those who favor hard-hitting lows, but it can also silence distinct sounds meant to be heard the way they were recorded. Each earpiece is powered by Bluetooth 5.0 and stabilizes connection even when slightly out of range.
These headphones do come digital-assistant-ready, with instant access to Google Assistant and Siri. The built-in mic does a nice job of picking up vocal commands, but I experienced some random dropout on the left earpiece, and being able to screen calls only in mono through one earbud was disappointing. Battery life was mediocre, at 3 hours, which is common for most wireless earbuds, but the charging case promises up to four extra charges, giving listeners an estimated 15 hours of battery life.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Losei Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds (3 stars)
With a decent build and robust bass, the Soul Emotion is a casual pair of earbuds built for the weekend warrior. The low end isn’t overpowering and maintains a strong presence throughout the soundstage to appease bass lovers. The earbuds are light and only weigh 5 grams, making them convenient for travel. Auto-pairing right out of the case is another feature that shouldn’t be overlooked by owners.
Battery life running at only 3 hours isn’t anything to brag about. The bundled charging case only offers about 4 hours of extra playtime, which pales in comparison to other models. Also, the built-in microphone isn’t great for calls and picks up a lot of ambient noise.
Rating: 3 stars
Treblab X2
Those who want a sporty AirPods alternative for cheap could do a whole lot worse than these buds. The Treblab X2 comes bundled with several ear tips and fins to ensure stability during workouts. Battery life holds up strong at about 4.5 to 5 hours, with the stylish charging case holding enough power for an extra two charges. Audio is warm. However, recessed lows weaken the soundstage.
Functionality is where the X2 falters. Instead of touch controls, these buds feature physical buttons on the side, which makes the control scheme awkward since it requires the users to hold the bud to operate it. Tactility isn’t great, either. The left bud also experiences dropout on occasion, sometimes even losing connection, while the mics do a poor job with speech recognition when you’re using Siri or Google Assistant.
Rating: 2.5 stars
Cshidworld Wireless Earbuds
The Xiaowu wireless earbuds deliver acceptable sound, but it was a struggle to pair them to my phone. On the plus side, the lightweight design and secure fit held up to vigorous workouts, such as biking and running on the treadmill. The sound quality was decent across all ranges, though the Xiaowu had challenges reproducing lows, and the highs sounded thin.
These wireless earbuds offered fairly clear-sounding calls, performing well even in noisy areas. The battery life came in at a decent 3 hours before I had to drop the Xiaowu into the included charging station. The multifunction button on the earbuds makes it easy to control basic call and music functions, such as power/pairing, answer/hang up, skip track and pause. I liked the overall fit and feel of the Xiaowu, but the mixed sound quality and connectivity issues keep it from a higher rating.
Rating: 2.5 stars
iFrogz Airtime Truly Wireless Earbuds
iFrogz true wireless debut is a disappointing one bogged down by performance issues. The Airtime suffers from poor connectivity, resulting in lots of dropout from the left earbud that leaves you with mono sound. Audio is sufficient enough to vibe along with on commutes, but the bass levels don’t carry much oomph. Three EQ settings (Signature, Podcast and Bass) come programmed into the buds, but not one does a good job of balancing out the frequencies.
What the Airtime does have is a durable, secure fit with several tips to accommodate different ear sizes. The charging case stores 4 extra charges and has quick charging to get you 1.5 hours of play on a 10-minute charge. You’re going to need it, considering the Airtime’s mediocre 3-hour run time.
Rating: 2 stars