Best Budget Wireless Earbuds 2021

Wireless earbuds ear the best solution to the problem caused when mobile phone companies decided to start ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack. USB-C or Lightning to 3.5mm jack adaptors are annoying easy to lose and generally flimsy and a proper set of wireless over-ear headphones are expensive and bulky.

A set of premium wireless earbuds are expensive though, and so if you want to test out the waters before dropping a few hundred on them, or if you just want to save a few bucks, you may want to look at some budget wireless earbuds. You will have to give up some features, but that’s to be expected with wireless earbuds that stay under $100.

To help you pick a decent pair, we’ve drawn up our list of the best budget wireless earbuds in 2021.

The JLab JBuds Air are a fantastic starting point for wireless earbuds. They offer a 6-hour battery life which can be raised to 18 with the charging case. They come with three built-in EQ settings: Balanced, Bass Boost, and Signature. They also come with three sizes of silicone tips and a set of ear fins so you can choose the ones that give you the best fit.

15 minutes of charge give the earbuds another hour of playtime. You don’t need to worry about a little rain or sweat, as they have IP55 dust and water resistance. If you ever damage or lose an earbud or the case, you can buy a replacement part from the website, rather than having to purchase a whole new set. While this version doesn’t include active noise cancelling (ANC), a more expensive version is available that does.

The Tribit FlyBuds 3 biggest selling point is the 2600mAh battery in the charging case that gives up to 100 hours of playtime and can also double up as a battery bank if your phone is running low. They also come with an IPX7 waterproof rating, allowing for complete submersion, although Amazon lists them as IPX8.

If your earbuds are running low on power, they can get 90 minutes of playtime from just 10 minutes of charge. The earbuds come with 6 different sizes of silicone tips and 3 sizes of fins. The earbuds can be controlled with the touch controls on each bud, however, these can be quite fiddly to use.

The Skullcandy Dime earbuds are the cheapest on this list coming in at just $25 in a variety of colours. For that price, you’ll get just 3.5 hours of battery life in the earbud and up to 12 hours with the carry case. They have an IPX4 water resistance rating, so they’re safe from sweat and rain.

The carry case itself is incredibly compact at 6.2 by 3.9cm which makes them easily portable and potentially easily lost. If you do happen to lose or break part, you can get it replaced at a discount thanks to Skullcandy’s Fearless Use Promise.

The Poly (formerly Plantronics) Backbeat Fit 3100 are a set of exercise-oriented earbuds. They feature an ear hook for a reliable fit when exercising and come with Always Aware tips that don’t block your ear canal so you can stay aware of your surroundings.

The battery will last for 5 hours of playtime and the case can provide another 10 hours on top of that, with an hour’s playtime charging in 15 minutes. The IP57 ratings mean it can survive occasional drenching without issue.

The Edifier TWS NB2 Pro are one of the few budget earbuds that include active noise cancelling or ANC. This provides a much better sound isolation experience, letting you enjoy your music more at a lower volume. ANC does hi bt the battery life, but on or off the earbuds will last a good amount of time between charges.

By double-tapping an earbud you can toggle the ANC off to be able to hear your surroundings without having to take them off. In-ear detection auto-pauses your music when you take the earbuds out. 3D sound provides you with a more immersive and realistic sound experience than standard stereo audio. All this does come at a relatively high cost for a budget device however.

That was our selection of the best budget wireless earbuds in 2021. Have you bought a set of budget wireless earbuds recently, what would you recommend?