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If you think that cheap earbuds don’t perform well, this article will definitely challenge your mind. In this article, I’ve rounded up the 7 best wireless earbuds under $50 that have excellent performance..
Being a melomaniac, sound quality is my number one priority, and Anker Soundcore Life A1 is hands down the best one out there. . Not just that, it has many other excellent features like good water resistance and great battery life, which is a plus point for travelers and office workers alike.
So, if you’re looking for budget wireless earbuds that can fulfill your needs, stick around because I explore many more options that can be the perfect fit for you.
Top 7 Wireless Earbuds Under $50
Here are some of the best wireless earbuds in the market that are priced below $50.
1. Anker Soundcore Life A1
If you’re looking for wireless earbuds with great sound quality, seamless connectivity, and a sleek design, the Anker Soundcore Life A1 will be your number-one choice. It comes with three custom sound modes, including boosted bass mode and a podcast mode, which gives you a great overall listening experience.
That said, the microphones in these earbuds are pretty basic, and you might not have the best calling experience while using them.
👉 Related reading: Why Is One Earbud Louder Than The Other? [9 Ways To Fix]
Specifications
- Sound Quality: The sound quality of the Anker Soundcore Life A1 is probably its best feature, as it offers earbuds for crystal clear call and music sound, thanks to the oversized 8mm drivers with triple-layer composite diaphragms. Also, the three custom sound modes provide a well-rounded listening experience.
- Battery Life: You won’t have any troubles with the battery life of these budget earbuds, as it gives a massive 9 hours of continuous playback on a single charge and a total of 35 hours along with its case. They also support fast charging, through which you can get an impressive 1.5 hours of playtime on a 10-minute charge. This means that you can take out these earbuds for an entire day without worrying about their battery.
- Comfort & Fit: The Life A1 is small in size and is the perfect fit for long listening sessions. They even stick very well to the ears because of their ear fins. So, you can trust the stability of these earbuds if you’re looking to work out or go for a run while wearing them.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Great sound quality
- Impressive battery backup
- Good controls
Cons
- The mic quality is average
Summary
I’d say Anker Soundcore Life A1 is one of the best wireless earbuds to get in this price range. The earbuds come with a secure fit shape, which fits all types of ears. Not only that, but with a prolific sound profile and a premium build, they are the perfect fit for a person who is looking for good-quality budget earbuds.
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2. SoundPEATS Sonic
If you need earbuds with top-quality sound and very low latency, then the SoundPEATS Sonic is the ideal earbud for you. Powered with the Qualcomm QCC340 chipset, it provides a seamless connection with your phone and delivers crystal-clear low latency calls.
👉 Related reading: What Is a DSP and Do I Need One?
Specifications
- Connectivity: The connectivity of the SoundPEATS Sonic is excellent, and it gives a super low 60ms latency in its game mode. It also comes with Bluetooth 5.2, which is very smooth and gives good connectivity with your phone. This means that your music won’t stop even if you’re sitting away from your phone.
- Battery Life: The Sonic has an amazing battery life of 15 hours on a single charge which can be extended up to 35 hours of playtime. The charging case also takes just around 1.5 hours to fully charge them up.
- Comfort: SoundPEATS Sonic comes in a small pill-shaped design with silicon tips and a snug fit. However, it falls short of its competitors as it’s slightly heavier and it might cause some discomfort if you wear them for long hours.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Good battery backup
- Super low latency
- IPX5 durability rating
Cons
- Little heavy
Summary
Overall, these earbuds are ideal for sports enthusiasts who are looking for earbuds that are very durable and give long-lasting battery life. However, the overall build quality has a cheap plastic feeling to it which takes away a few points.
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3. JBL Tune 130NC TWS
With JBL Tune 130 NC TWS, you get excellent sound quality and long-lasting battery that will have you grooving for hours. While these earbuds have made a lot of improvements from their predecessor like the audio quality and battery backup, there are still a couple of compromises that you might have to face like their heavy weight or the absence of in-ear detection.
Specifications
- Sound Quality: These earbuds come with a very neutral sound profile which means that they’re compatible with various music genres. On top of that, if you feel that the sound profile doesn’t match your expectations, you even get a companion app that offers parametric EQ and presets through which you can adjust the sound profile to your liking.
- Battery: Perhaps the best feature of these earbuds is the battery life. They offer a massive 8 hours of continuous playback, that too while using the ANC. The charging case also holds three additional charges and comes with an auto-off timer that saves your earbuds’ battery while you’re not using them.
- Comfort: The JBL Tune 130NC has a very comfortable fit and is suited for you if you’re into sports or you often work out with your earbuds. They’re very lightweight and they don’t tend to stick too deeply in your ears. That said, the earbuds are quite bulky, and can stick out of the ears.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Good audio quality
- Great battery backup
- Companion app to customize the sound profile
Cons
- Slightly bulky
- No in-ear detection
- No wireless charging
Summary
If you’re looking for earbuds that sound amazing and have a long battery life, then you can definitely count on the JBL Tune 130NC as they do this job very well. Not only that, you even get good noise cancellation and an excellent awareness mode that lets you communicate with anyone without removing the earbuds.
👉 Related reading: 10 Best Wireless Headsets for Office
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4. JLab GO Air POP
JLab Go Air Pop comes with Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity and supports AAC and SBC codecs which give a better user experience to both Apple and Android users. When it comes to sound performance, you get a heavy bass, and the treble is also quite good.
However, if you're thinking of using them for calling purposes, then you may have to look for other options as it fails to deliver good results in this department.
Specifications
- Battery Life: The JLab Go Air Pop offers a massive battery backup of around nine hours, and with the charging case, your music session can be extended as long as 32 hours. With this amount of battery, you can easily get along the week with a single charge.
- Sound: Unfortunately, the depth and dimension in these earbuds fail to deliver, and it also doesn't do well with high frequencies–like cymbals. However, the bass of these earbuds has no intolerable sibilance or poor experience, which gives a very balanced sound profile to your music experience.
- Comfort: JLab Go Air Pop has a very solid feel to them, and its small size and varying silicon tips make your long music sessions a breeze. That said, its bulky body and heavy weight might cause some discomfort to you.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Smooth on-ear controls
- Incredible battery backup
- Good sound quality
Cons
- No ANC
- The charging case is not water-resistant
- Not ideal for calls
Summary
These earbuds are the best deal for you if you’re looking for a companion while working out or going for a walk. Its heavy bass and excellent battery backup let you use them for long sessions without any hassle.
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5. Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2
The Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 shows how even an ergonomic pair of earbuds can perform exceptionally well. You will find almost all the features you need to enjoy your music with ease in these earbuds. It even comes with a fast-charging case and delivers incredible sound quality.
Specifications
- Connectivity: Not only having Bluetooth 5.0, but the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 also comes with the SBC, AAC, and aptX codecs. This allows the buds to pair seamlessly with any device and give better connections throughout your music sessions.
- Battery Life: The battery life of these buds is nothing impressive compared to some of the earbuds on this list, but it still gives a solid 7 hours of music listening. Even when your buds have died, you can quickly charge them for 10 minutes and enjoy 2 hours of playtime. It also comes with wireless charging capabilities, which is always a nice bonus.
- Sound Quality: The sound quality of the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 is odd as it gets louder and quieter at some parts of the music, which other earbuds don’t do.. Thankfully this can be fixed using the Soundcore app to equalize your music. So, to sum up, you can definitely get your desired sound quality from these buds.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Mono listening
- IPX5 rating
- Battery charging speeds
Cons
- Hit-or-miss touch controls
- Default EQ setting is not for everyone
Summary
The Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 is a great set of earbuds as it fits the budget and gives excellent sound quality. You can even make the most of it if you don’t mind giving a few moments to customize the EQ of the buds through the companion app.
👉 Related reading: How to Connect Bose Headphones to an iPhone?
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6. OnePlus Nord Buds
After making revolutionary budget smartphones, OnePlus has also dipped its toes into the true wireless earbuds pool, and they’ve built premium yet budget-friendly earbuds known as the OnePlus Nord Buds. They feature a unique sleek design and good sound quality at a low price.
Specifications
- Sound Quality: The OnePlus Nord Buds feature an average sound quality but have a notably high bass-boosted sound which is pretty standard in OnePlus earbuds. Even when listening to folk music, the instruments and vocals in the songs are clear and distinct.
- Battery Life: The OnePlus Nord buds give 7 hours of playback and with the charging case, you can use these buds for around 30 hours. However, the buds do come with a quick charge feature which gives a massive 5 hours of playback for a 10-minute charge, but wireless charging capability is unavailable, which is to be expected at this price point.
- Comfort: Coming with a sleek and compact design, these earbuds from OnePlus are very comfortable to wear. And you get additional ear tips along with the buds.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Comfortable
- Ergonomic price
Cons
- No ANC
- Average sound quality
Summary
If you're in search of budget earbuds with decent audio and good build quality, then the OnePlus Nord Buds can be a good choice for you. Coming with a strong bass and a neutral sound profile, you can definitely go for these budget earbuds.
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7. 1MORE PistonBuds
The 1MORE PistonBuds is one of the cheapest earbuds in the market right now, and still, it has an excellent design and great features like touch controls and IPX4 protection. Their microphone quality is pretty impressive and delivers a good user experience, so you don’t have to worry about getting too many calls.
Specifications
- Style: The 1More PistonBuds have a very sleek design, and they do not bulge too much. Overall, they have a very good style and are discreet in comparison to their competing earbuds.
- Battery Life: The battery of these 1MORE PistonBuds offers 3 hours and 30 minutes of continuous playback. However, combined with the case, it gives 20 hours of music playback, which is a good deal.
- Sound Quality: These buds have a generally good sound profile for the average music listener.. But, if you are an audiophile, I'd suggest you look out for earbuds other than the 1More Piston Buds as they fail to deliver in this aspect.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Mono listening
- IPX4 rating
- Compact design
Cons
- No fast charging
- Poor battery life
Summary
Because of their low price point, the 1MORE PistonBuds do not offer many features. Still, it manages to deliver good connectivity and responsive touch controls. So, if you’re looking for casual earbuds, you can always go for these.
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Buying Guide
1. Product Design
Many times people tend to ignore the design of their earbuds just because they think that it has no connection with their performance. However, it is very important to go for a specific design of earbuds.
So, generally, there are two types of earbuds– Stem and Stemless.
Stem earbuds have microphones built at the bottom of their body and hence, give a better calling experience as they are closer to your mouth.
On the other side, stemless earbuds have a very compact design and they tend to stick to your ears.
So, if you prioritize calling over other use cases in an earbud, the stem earbuds can be your priority and if you’re an athlete or someone who tends to listen to their music while doing any physical activity, the stemless earbuds can be your perfect companion.
2. Sound Quality
Sound Quality is very important for any earphone user and it also keeps varying from person to person. So, if you are someone who likes to groove to hip-hop or EDM tunes, you should look out for bass-heavy earbuds. On the other hand, if you like acoustic tunes, you should be inclined towards neutral earbuds that don’t come with punchy bass. And, if you want something that performs well for all genres, go for an earbud that comes with a very balanced sound profile.
3. Battery Life & Charging
Most budget earbuds cut their cost by reducing many important features and battery life is definitely one of them. That’s why it’s very important that you pay attention to the battery life of any earbuds. Ideally, they should at least give 4-5 hours of continuous playback when you’re looking for a cheap pair of earbuds. You should also look out for fast charging support and wireless charging as they are way more convenient than old-school slow charging.
4. Active Noise Cancelation
Active Noise Cancelation is still a premium feature in the audio industry and that’s why finding a budget earbud with this quality is a bit of a challenge. That said, you can still find this feature in some budget earbuds. The ANC generally enhances your listening experience by reducing the background noise. So, looking for ANC is very important if you want to block out environmental noise.
5. Connectivity
Having poor connectivity creates a lot of hurdles in terms of listening and overall experience with the earbuds. That’s why it’s vital that you go for a pair of earbuds that come with the latest Bluetooth version. Not only that, but the codecs are also very important for your earbuds to perform well on different devices. So, keep a close eye on all these factors to have a good experience.
6. IPX Rating
Protecting your earbuds can come in many different forms – buying waterproof cases, regularly cleaning them, etc. Another thing to look out for is their IPX rating. This rating describes the protection level of your earbuds and their resistance against dust, sweat, and water. So, always choose a pair that has a high IPX rating.
Conclusion
With this, we come to the end of the top wireless earbuds for under $50. If you ask me about my favorite pick out of all these earbuds, I'll bet my money on the Anker Soundcore Life A1. With excellent drivers and multiple sound modes, these earbuds fulfill all your needs.
However, you can check out the other options available in this category if you have a different use case or requirement.