Lexy Savvides / CNET
If you’ve set your heart on a pair of wireless earbuds, but can’t spend more than $ 100 on AirPods or Galaxy Buds Plus, you’re not alone. I myself wanted to see if I could find cheap radio buds that wouldn’t break the bank. While there are many dirt cheap options, you need to prepare to search websites like Amazon or Wish.
Look at that:
Try the best cheap wireless earbuds under $ 40
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But after some online sleuthing, I found some reliable gems. I picked the following four earbuds based on price (under $ 50), overall user rating (obviously positive), and the fact that they come from larger brands (no imitations here).
Don’t expect cheap wireless earbuds to offer as many features or sound quality as more expensive pairs. But as I found out, some of them are really good value for money. Watch the video above to see my full impressions.
Continue reading: How to choose the best earbuds
David Carnoy / CNET
These were the first options of all the buds I tested. By themselves, they don’t sound bad at all, but when you compare the sound quality to the other earphones in this bundle, they sound unbalanced. The bass can be distorted and I’ve experienced several dropouts and stuttering playback, especially when I’m connected to a laptop.
But I love the case’s built-in USB cable that plugs into a wall adapter or laptop. I wish the case itself had a cover as I would worry about throwing it into a pocket where dust or dirt could get into the earphones. Overall, however, the call quality for phone chats and zoom meetings was okay.
Continue reading.
Lexy Savvides / CNET
The only pair in the group that I tested that has elongated stems like the original AirPods and AirPods Pro. These were also the lightest in my ear for longer wearing times. Unfortunately, the touch panels were incredibly sensitive and a movement like brushing my hair off my ear stopped the track.
Despite these annoyances, the T13 actually turned out to be the roundest option for listening to music and making calls. This is also the only case where USB-C is charged and you get a respectable listening time of six hours per charge. They are also rated IPX5, so they have some water resistance.
Lexy Savvides / CNET
I have a real love-hate relationship with these buds. From all that I have tried, I would choose these to listen to music. The bass is punchy and bright, so the tracks sound exciting. They were also most convenient to wear over long periods of time.
But the call quality was the worst of all buds for some reason – the microphone made me sound distant and distorted. They also have the shortest bundle battery life of around four hours, and the buttons are hard to press.
Lexy Savvides / CNET
The most expensive pair I’ve tried to sell for $ 49 (but you can easily find it for under $ 40) and they definitely look good thanks to a sleek, shiny finish and compact body. They are light in the ear, but I couldn’t get a small enough earplug from the selection to adequately block out external noise.
While audio is the least dynamic or exciting of the couples I’ve tried, thanks to aptX (technology that helps deliver better Bluetooth audio) they sound great while listening to Android and have solid connectivity for everyone devices I tested.
Like the T13, they are waterproof to IPX5. The battery lasts up to eight hours on one charge.
Does your budget go a little further than $ 50? I strongly recommend checking my colleague David Carnoy’s best wireless earbuds for under $ 100.
I will update this with more options as soon as I find them. If you have a favorite couple that you recommend for under $ 50, let me know!