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We’ve been touting great deals on wireless earbuds for good reason. The technology has finally reached a point where these Bluetooth-powered tiny pods can offer both a convenient and rich listening experience (although they’ll never replace your Bose over-ear cans).
But the prices remain too damn high. AirPods are already pricey at $160, while our earbud favorites (Master & Dynamic’s MW07) are nearly twice that — and, ridiculously, the M&D-powered Louis Vuitton Horizon Earphones are close to a thousand.
Thankfully, you can now get a “good enough” pair of wireless ”˜buds for about $30-$120. You’ll sacrifice a bit of performance and style, but it’s nothing that the two hundred or so bucks you save won’t salve.
Five worthy, inexpensive earbuds we dig:
For people who crave an Apple experience: Soundcore Anker Liberty Air
These Bluetooth buds (in white or black) certainly evoke the design of AirPods, but with integrated touch controls, 20 hours of playtime and a price tag that beats Apple’s by 50%
For fit and fitness: Fonico by Tivoli Audio
Just launched this week, the water-resistant Fonico ”˜buds come with multiple sizes of earbud adapters and two different hook options.
For extra convenience: Anker Soundcore Liberty Lite
Anker’s new-ish wireless earbuds are a bit less powerful than the brand’s ZOLO Liberty and Liberty+ versions, but they fulfill all your basic sound needs quite well. They’re sweatproof, run on Bluetooth 5.0, feature graphene-enhanced drivers and both the buds and the charging case are lighter and more compact than anything Anker offers.
For long-lasting “noise cancellation”: MEBUYZ
We put the NC in quotes because even the company admits its not “active” noise cancellation, but user reviews suggest these buds really can tune out most of your outside environment. Plus, the charging case can power up your earbuds and your phone. And they’re currently 50% off.
For pure savings: SoundPEATS
They’re under $30 (and a coupon gets you an additional 5% off) and yet somehow run on the latest Bluetooth 5.0 tech and earn a very solid four-star review on Amazon. Worst we can say is they’re maybe a bit clunky and lack a few frills (like volume control on the buds themselves).
Photos: (Top to bottom) Tivoli Audio; Amazon; Tivoli Audio; Amazon (3)
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