Best Cheap Wireless Earbuds for 2023

Premium wireless earbuds like Apple’s AirPods Pro 2, Sony’s WF-1000XM4, and Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds 2 are wonderful, yet many people cannot afford them (or do not believe they are worth the price). The good news is that there are an increasing number of affordable and even downright cheap wireless earbuds that not only provide decent audio quality but also perform well overall, with solid battery life, dependable Bluetooth connectivity, and good voice call quality for both Apple and Android devices.

I examined a number of low-cost true-wireless headphones and discovered several excellent AirPods options for thrifty shoppers. All of my selections for the best inexpensive wireless earbuds are around $100, and some of these Bluetooth true-wireless earbuds are under $50.

I’ve included information about battery life, audio quality, and crucial features, such as whether they have active noise cancellation or not, as well as their IPX water-resistant classification in case you want to use these for jogging or working out at the gym.

This list will be updated when new best Cheap wireless earbuds are introduced.

Earfun Air Pro 3

During the last several years, Earfun has released a number of Best wireless earbuds that all have one thing in common: they’re excellent buys, made even better by periodic reductions. The Earfun Air Pro 3 earbuds, which are new for 2023, have the newest Qualcomm QCC3071 system-on-a-chip with aptX Adaptive for Android and other devices that support the new LE Audio standard and the LC3 audio codec, which is superior to the SBC codec (they also support AAC for Apple devices).

Lightweight and easy to wear — Using the highest ear tip size, I received a nice seal; they aren’t a huge improvement over the Earfun Air S, but they’re better. They have somewhat bigger wool-composite drivers (11mm versus 10mm), slightly greater noise cancellation, and a longer battery life (up to seven hours with noise cancelling on, according to Earfun).

In conclusion, the Earfun Air 3 provide excellent value for money, with substantial bass, superb clarity, and a somewhat wide soundstage. They also have several features, such as a wireless charging case and “multi device” connection. (I could pair them to two devices at the same time, but I had to pause the music on one and press play on the other for the audio to switch.) They’re IPX5 splash-proof and operate decently, if not especially well, as a call-making headset.

Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS

What sets these Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS buds apart is that they sound remarkably fantastic for open earphones, coming close to the sound quality of Apple’s AirPods 3. Furthermore, they support Sony’s LDAC audio codec for devices that support it. There aren’t many cheap open earbuds with nice sound, but these Soundpeats provide excellent bass response and clarity. They can also make calls and feature a low-latency gaming mode.

The Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS are open earphones that function remarkably well at a reasonable price. Its list price is $50, however there is a 20% discount on-page coupon available that reduces the price to $40 for a short time.

Earfun Air S

We’ve previously praised Earfun’s AirPro SV and Air Pro 2 as superb affordable noise-cancelling earphones (and they’re still great buys). The new-for-2022 Earfun Air S, with multipoint Bluetooth connection and the newest Qualcomm QCC3046 processor with the aptX audio codec for Android and other devices that support it, may be the finest of the three. These use the same 10mm wool drivers as the AirPro SV and deliver surprisingly good sound for the price. They also function effectively as a headset for making phone calls, with good background noise suppression. The buds are splashproof and can survive a continuous spray of water, according to an IPX5 water-resistance rating.

Take note that the earphones start at $49 USD.

Tranya T20

The Tranya T20 earbuds are similar to a less expensive version of Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 without the noise cancellation. They’re simple and lack features like ear-detection sensors, which automatically silence music when you remove a bud out of your ears. Yet they sound pretty good considering the price. These fit quite flush with your ears if you establish a good seal, and they offer a great battery life — up to eight hours at moderate volume settings. They also make good phone calls and are IPX7 waterproof.

The cover has a shoddy feel to it, and the buds are light. The Galaxy Buds 2 definitely have a more quality feel to them. The buds, on the other hand, are well-tuned and offer a reasonably wide soundstage. Don’t anticipate much from them, and I believe you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Earfun Air Pro 2

The Earfun Air Pro 2 earbuds provide good active noise cancellation and a good sound for their budget, with overall well-balanced sound, acceptable clarity, and solid bass performance. Some of Earfun’s buds have had a touch too much treble push, known as “presence boost,” but these mainly avoid it. These sound superior than the original Air Pro earphones.

They offer some added features, including an ear-detection sensor that pauses music when you remove the buds out of your ears and a case with USB-C and wireless charging, which is uncommon at this price. They include Bluetooth 5.2, an IPX5 rating, and can last up to seven hours on a single charge at moderate volume settings, though you’ll probably get closer to six hours with noise cancelling enabled.

There is also a transparency setting that allows ambient sound to pass through. It sounds fairly realistic and is closer to the great transparency mode of the AirPods Pro earphones than I expected. Unfortunately, there is no accompanying app that allows you to customise the sound or change the firmware.

Earfun touts the Air Pro 2 model’s voice-calling features (three mics in each earbud), and I felt call quality was decent, but they didn’t eliminate background noise as well as the new Soundpeats T3, which are also good for the money ($40). While the Soundpeats T3 are better for calls, the Earfun Air Pro 2 earbuds feature greater noise-cancelling and transparency modes, and the Soundpeats lack an ear-detection sensor. Also, the Earfun Air Pro 2 buds provide a deeper, more dynamic sound.

Jabra elite3

The Jabra Elite 3 headphones are the company’s most cheap true-wireless earbuds to date, with a pretty simple feature set that provides good sound and call quality for the price. They have 6mm drivers, four call microphones, and Jabra’s HearThrough transparency mode. Qualcomm aptX HD audio is supported on devices that support aptX.

At moderate volume settings, the battery life is advertised at up to seven hours on a single charge, with the case holding an additional three full charges (28 hours total). They feature an IP55 water-resistance certification, which indicates they can withstand a continuous spray of water and are dust-resistant. You can utilize either bud individually in a mono mode, as you do with many other new buds.

While they lack features like active noise cancellation, the Elite 3 earbuds provide decent performance and a pleasant fit at a fair price.

Sony WF-C500

Sony’s entry-level C500 earbuds lack active noise cancellation and are rather basic in terms of earbuds, lacking ear-detection sensors and transparency mode. Yet, the buds are small and light, fit easily, and sound nice for an entry-level model.

While these earphones reduce background noise during voice calls, each earbud only has one microphone. Many earphones now have two or more microphones to better handle ambient noise while still capturing your voice.

They are similar to Jabra’s new $80 Elite 3 earbuds in some aspects, giving decent sound quality for less than $100 (although you’ll want to get them for less than $60). The C500 don’t have the richer, more refined – and dynamic – sound of the high-end WF-1000XM4, but they do have plenty of bass and decent clarity, thanks to Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine technology, which it claims helps “restore high-frequency sound to create a more authentic listening experience.”

The earbuds are splash-proof and have a battery life of up to 10 hours at moderate volume levels on a single charge. That’s fantastic.

Ugreen HiTune X6

True, Ugreen’s HiTune X6 buds are unusual in appearance, but they should fit most ears comfortably and come with a variety of ear tip sizes (I went with large). Its charging case is sturdy, and the buds do not appear or feel cheap. They are splash-resistant to IPX5, have active noise cancellation (which muffles a significant amount of ambient noise), but their finest feature is likely their sound. They have superb clarity, a broad soundstage, and extremely plump bass that is not boomy. These have the same sound quality as many buds that cost more than $100, and sometimes even $150. To receive the $26 price on Amazon, be sure you click the coupon box on the product page.

There are several limitations. First, I observed that with the noise canceling turned off, things sound better (they lose some clarity with it on). Also, while the provided tips should fit most people’s ears, I replaced them with a set of my favorite tips and obtained an even tighter seal, which boosted sound quality. Read our original perspective on the Ugreen HiTune X6.

Fiil CC2

I never tested the original Fiil CC earphones, but the next-generation CC2 outperforms them, with longer battery life (five hours on a single charge) and no audio lag concerns when viewing videos.

One of its defining qualities is their open casing, which makes it simple to access and replace the buds. They keep securely in the case thanks to some embedded magnets; you can even turn it upside down and the buds won’t fall out. Unlike the AirPods, they feature square, rather than circular, stems, which appears odd at first, and they fit in your ears significantly differently as a consequence.

Earfun Free Pro 2

I used to like Earfun’s previous Free Pro earbuds, which had terrific quality and small sport fins that assist holding them in your ears firmly. Earfun has now announced the Earfun Pro 2 buds, which have aluminium alloy caps, enhanced noise cancellation, and a number of additional microphones to increase voice-calling performance.

The Free Pro 2 has good sound for its low price, with good clarity and deep yet well-defined bass. They have a somewhat large, open sound. They lack features like an ear-detection sensor that automatically pauses music when you pull one or both earbuds out of your ears, as well as an app that lets you upgrade their software. Nonetheless, they are lightweight, should fit most ears comfortably, and include adequate noise cancellation as well as a transparency mode. (It’s not as fantastic as the transparency option on the AirPods Pro, which is difficult to surpass.)

I thought the voice-calling performance was adequate but not exceptional. They performed an adequate job of minimising background noise and picking up my speech in busy places, but they aren’t necessarily at the top of their game in this regard. They have a six-hour battery life, are IPX5 splash-proof, and have a tiny and lightweight elongated casing that charges wirelessly. It’s more attractive than the Free Pro case.