Buying anything on a budget is a matter of balancing price against performance, and there are certainly plenty of companies that aim to give you the best value for money earbuds that you can buy. Those compromises though often mean that a pair of earbuds that sound good, might not have the best ANC, and vice versa. So, here’s some of the best budget ANC earbuds that you can buy that cater to different needs so you can get exactly what you’re looking for, without having to spend a fortune!
Good sound, Good ANC, a ton of features, and some unexpected additions at this price point, makes the soundcore Liberty 4 Pro’s a good buy at $130. They are available in glossy blue, glossy black, and white.
6 different sized ear tips makes it easy to get the best fit for your ears without a problem. Once in your ears you’ll forget you’re wearing them.
THE CASE
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
So much more than just a case for your earbuds. A built-in display shows battery life percentages for each earbud, and a built-in screen allows you to change settings on the earbuds, such as ANC levels. The case also chargers wirelessly, as well as over USB-C, for maximum convenience.
CONTROLS
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Squeezing and stroking your earbuds, like Apple Airpods, lets you easily trigger any action on your Liberty 4 Pro’s. These work well and are less temperamental than touch controls, especially if you have wet hands.
BATTERY LIFE
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
With up to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge, and up to 40 hours including the case, there’s plenty of battery life here before you’ll need to plug these in for a recharge. Fast charging also gives you 4 hours of playback from just a 5 minute charge, so you won’t have to charge these for long.
MOBILE APP
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Their mobile app is one of the best around. It’s simple to use despite all the options within it. Whether it’s changing the ANC levels, creating a custom 8-band EQ to get the most from your music, or turning one of the myriad of features on or off, this app has you covered.
SOUND
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
AAC, SBC, and hi-res LDAC audio codec support will satisfy most people. The 10.5mm bass driver provides plenty of rich bass. Whilst the dedicated tweeter provides crisp and clear trebles.
MIC
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
6 built-in mics help to ensure your voice is clear on a call, even in the loudest of environments. It’s impressive the amount of background noise that these earbuds can cancel out, and yet still make sure your voice is heard.
ANC
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
10 levels of ANC and transparency let you fine tune exactly how much sound to block out, or let in. Low frequencies are well blocked, and even higher frequencies, such as people talking, are notably dulled. The wind reduction mode isn’t as impressive though and is best avoided.
EXTRA FEATURES
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
✅ IPX5 Waterproof
✅ Auto Power Off
✅ Multipoint
✅ Wear Detection
✅ Game Mode
✅ Easy Chat
Best Value
Earfun Air Pro 4 *
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Lots of features on these budget earbuds that are simply icing on the cake as these have great sound, good ANC, and some market leading battery life. All for the low price of $68!
The Earfun Air Pro 4’s are incredibly light at only 4.8g each. Combined with 5 different ear tip sizes, these earbuds are incredibly comfortable to wear.
THE CASE
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
It’s a compact matte black case that houses the Earfun Air Pro 4’s, with 3 LED lights on the front that indicate battery levels. The case can easily be charged using either a USB-C cable, or wirelessly, as the case also supports wireless charging.
CONTROLS
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Single, double, triple, and long press, touch controls allow a wide range of actions to be triggered by a simple tap on these earbuds. Actions can be changed in the accompanying Earfun mobile app, and the touch sensitive area on the earbuds are easy to use.
BATTERY LIFE
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
Battery life on the Earfun Air Pro 4’s is exceptional, with up to 11 hours of battery life on a single charge, and up to a total of 52 hours with the case! There’s even fast charging where a 10 minute charge provides 2 hours of playback.
MOBILE APP
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
The mobile app is simple to use and provides all the settings that you could need. It provides lots of options, such as 30 EQ presets, and a 10 band custom EQ, so you can tweak the sound to your liking. Other apps are more polished, but this gets the job done.
SOUND
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
These support so many codecs! AAC, SBC, LDAC, Aptx Adaptive, Aptx Lossless and Snapdragon Sound are all supported here! Sound is also impressive That’s an impressive list on a budget pair of earbuds. Sound is provided courtesy of a single 10mm driver, and with a clear bass and treble, these are pleasant to listen to and belie their budget price.
MIC
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
6 mics help your voice stay clear on all but the loudest of environments where some background noise can leak through. Still, for the price, these do well.
ANC
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
These are effective at canceling out low frequencies, and even some higher frequencies too, without the pressure that typically accompanies ANC. Its wind reduction mode is exceptional though and does a great job of reducing wind noise when out-and-about on a windy day.
EXTRA FEATURES
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
✅ IPX5 Waterproof
✅ Auto Power Off
✅ Multipoint
✅ Wear Detection
✅ 50ms game mode
✅ Auracast
Best Sounding
Soundpeats Capsule3 Pro+ *
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
A pair of great sounding earbuds that are let down by its mediocrity in other areas. If you can live with its short-comings then these sound great and you’ll love them.
These are comfortable to wear on my ears, but with only 3 ear tip sizes to choose from, those that find it difficult to find earbuds that fit, might have no better luck with these earbuds. For those that these do fit though, they are comfortable to wear, even for hours at a time.
THE CASE
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
The case is solid, with a strong hinged lid, and has a single LED on the front that indicates battery status. It can be charged using a USB-C cable but unfortunately there is no wireless charging here.
CONTROLS
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Another pair of earbuds with touch controls, and also the typical offering of single, double, triple and long press actions to trigger different commands. The touch area on the earbuds is easy to use, and the mobile app can be used to change what command each action does.
BATTERY LIFE
⭐
Rating: 1 out of 5.
Battery life is up to 6.5 hours on a single charge, and up to 43 hours with the case. This drops further when ANC is enabled and is definitely not a strong suite of the Soundpeats Capsule3 Pro+. There’s also no fast charging either. So a full charge takes up to 90 minutes.
MOBILE APP
⭐
Rating: 1 out of 5.
The peatsAudio mobile app provides a 10-band custom EQ, a number of presets, and the ability to change touch control actions and turn features on or off. However, it requires an internet connection, and an account, in order to work, and that’s just not good enough.
SOUND
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
AAC, SBC, and LDAC audio codec support will suit most people. These sound great, with the 12mm dynamic delivering deep and tight bass, and the accompanying xMEMs driver providing a clarity and crispness to the treble not expected at this price.
MIC
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
Whilst there are 6 mics in these earbuds, and they do perform ok in a quiet room, in a noisy environment they run into problems. Digital artifacts become pronounced and vocal clarity suffers. Fine to use, as long as you understand its limitations.
ANC
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 2.5 out of 5.
These do a good job of canceling out lower frequencies but really struggle in canceling out higher frequencies. People’s voices especially are hardly reduced. Transparency mode works, if sounding artificial, and there is no wind reduction mode on these earbuds.
EXTRA FEATURES
⭐⭐
Rating: 1.5 out of 5.
✅ IPX4 Waterproof
✅ 70ms Game Mode
✅ Multipoint
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