Best Budget Earbuds for 2025: Cheap Wireless Picks
Roseselsa Ceramic: Truth be told, I had never heard of the Roseselsa Ceramics This would make the Ceramics X much better value for money, but that hasn’t quite proven to be true. Although I ended up preferring the Final Audio ZE3000 SV, I was impressed with the sound quality of the Ceramics for their low cost. Additionally, not only did they fit my ears well, but I thought their noise cancellation was effective and their voice call performance was acceptable. They also support AAC and LDAC audio codecs for Bluetooth playback (many Android smartphones support LDAC).
Anker Soundcore AeroFit 2: Anker’s Soundcore AeroFit 2 was on the list, but their list price went from $100 to $130, so I had to remove them. These open-back headphones have been completely redesigned and are very different from the original AeroFit headphones, which also cost $100. The second generation Aerofits are not only more comfortable, but also more stylish, sound significantly better and offer overall improvements. The earbuds aren’t as light as the Shokz OpenFit 2 earbuds and don’t sound as good, but they cost a little less and offer good overall performance with increased bass response. Available in several colors, they are a good option for those looking for open-back, over-the-ear headphones with a fairly premium design and good sound quality without the high price tag of high-end models.
Soundbeats Air3 Deluxe HS: What makes these $40 Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS earbuds special is that they sound surprisingly good for open-back headphones — they’re close to what you get from Apple’s AirPods 3 for sound (they’re a little further behind the AirPods 4, which offer improved sound over the AirPods 3). Additionally, they support Sony’s LDAC audio codec for devices that offer it. Few cheap open-back headphones offer good sound, but these Soundpeats have good bass response and clarity. They’re also great for making calls and feature a low-latency gaming mode. Battery life is rated at 5 hours at moderate volume levels, and these are IPX4 splash resistant.
Amazon Echo Buds (2023): Amazon’s Echo Buds 2023 impressed me in several ways that I didn’t expect. For starters, they sound good for cheap open-back headphones, offering decent clarity and plentiful bass. But they also have a robust feature set, including multi-point Bluetooth pairing, hands-free Alexa, and ear detection sensors that pause your audio when you remove one or both earbuds from your ears. They sound inferior to Apple’s AirPods 4, which offer better bass performance and overall fuller, cleaner sound (they’re better at handling more complex pieces of music with many instruments playing at once). But AirPods 4, even the entry-level model ($129), cost significantly more.
Jabra Elite 4: The lightweight Elite 4 fit my ears comfortably and delivered good quality, well-balanced sound with punchy bass and decent clarity. They support Qualcomm’s aptX audio codec (for Android and other aptX-supporting devices) but only the SBC codec for iPhone (no AAC support). The Elite 4 lacks more premium features such as ear detection sensors and has a quad-microphone array for noise cancellation and voice calls (voice call performance is good but not exceptionally good). What’s a little confusing is that Jabra also sells the Elite 4 Activea slightly more robust version of the same heads that has a list price of $120 but sometimes sells for less than the standard Elite 4. So get the Elite 4 Active if it costs less.
JBL Live Pro 2: Over the years, JBL has released some decent truly wireless earbuds, but nothing that really excited me. This finally changed with the arrival of the new product from the Samsung brand. Live Pro 2 And Live for free 2 buds. Both sets of earbuds – the Live Pro 2 have stems while the Live Free 2 has a pill-shaped design – offer a comfortable fit as well as strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice call performance, plus a robust set of features including multi-point Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash protection rating and wireless charging.
JBL Live Free 2: Like the Live Pro 2JBL’s new Live Free 2 headphones are surprisingly good. With 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicone tips, they combine a comfortable fit with strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice call performance. Features include multi-point Bluetooth pairing and wireless charging, and it’s rated for up to seven hours with IPX5 water resistance (splash-proof).
Beats Studio Buds: The Beats Studio Buds look a lot like the stemless AirPods that some people have been waiting for. Aimed at iOS and Android users, they’re missing a few key features on the Apple side (there’s no H1 or W1 chip), but they’re small, lightweight earbuds that are comfortable to wear and sound really good. Although their noise cancellation isn’t as good as the AirPods Pro, they have a transparency mode and they’re decent for making calls. Read our Beats Studio Buds review.
Sennheiser CX: If you can’t afford Sennheiser’s flagship Momentum True Wireless 4 earphones, the CX are a good alternative. They offer very good sound, as well as decent noise cancellation and voice call performance. The only problem is that they stick out a bit from your ears and may not fit some smaller ears. This model, which often sells for less than $100 on Amazon, does not offer active noise cancellation, unlike the intensive CX Plus (the CXPlus is also good value for money, especially when it goes on sale). Learn more about budget earbuds in my full review of the Sennheiser CX true wireless earbuds.
