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The newest wireless earbuds from Apple, Sony, Bose and other big-name brands may get the most attention, but these days you don’t have to spend triple digits to find a decent alternative. If you’re looking to upgrade without spending more than $100, we’ve spent hours researching the bargain bin and testing top contenders over the past couple of years. Here are the best cheap wireless earbuds we’ve tested.
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Best budget wireless earbuds for 2025
Photo by Jeff Dunn / Engadget Best budget wireless earbuds Anker Soundcore Space A40 Bluetooth: v5.2 | ANC: Yes | Transparency mode: Yes | Custom EQ: Yes | Charging port: USB-C | Wireless charging: Yes | Water resistance: IPX4 | Multipoint connectivity: Yes (2 devices) | Wear detection: No | Battery life (rated): 10 hrs, 50 hrs w/ case | Fast charging (rated): 10 mins = 4 hrs | Codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC | Warranty: 18 months Two and a half years into its life, we still haven't found a better value among wireless earbuds than the Anker Soundcore Space A40. Typically available between $45 and $60, it offers the kind of performance and features we'd expect from earbuds priced twice as high. Its little round earpieces are light and evenly balanced, so they shouldn’t be a pain for most to wear for hours at a time. The default sound profile is good enough: It’s warm, with a bump in the upper-bass and a dip in the treble that can dull some finer details, but pleasant on the whole. It doesn’t completely blow out the low-end the way many cheaper headphones do. You can also customize the sound with EQ tools in the Soundcore app. Using those won’t make the Space A40 sound as nice as the best wireless earbuds on the market, but they can add a touch more deep bass or high-frequency emphasis. The app in general is easy to use, and it saves any changes you make directly to the earphones. The Space A40's best feature is its active noise cancellation (ANC), which is outstanding for the money. It won’t totally block out higher-pitched sounds, but it’s plenty effective at muting the rumbles of a train or jet engine. By default, Anker uses an adaptive ANC system that automatically tweaks the intensity based on your surroundings, though you can manually set it to strong, moderate or weak levels, too. That’s great for those with sensitive ears. There’s also a transparency mode, which isn’t nearly as good as what you’d find on a high-end pair like the AirPods Pro but works in a pinch. Most of the little touches you’d want from a modern set of headphones are here as well. The Space A40 can connect to two devices simultaneously, and you can use one earbud on its own. Battery life is solid at roughly eight hours, while the included charging case can supply another 40 or so hours. It also supports wireless charging. The IPX4 water resistance rating isn’t anything special but lets the earphones survive light rain and everyday sweat. The touch control scheme can feel somewhat busy, as it lets you assign up to six different shortcuts to different taps and long presses and effectively forces you to omit a function or two, but it works reliably. We’ve had no real connection issues, either. The only major shortcomings are the mic quality and the lack of auto-pausing when you remove an earbud. The former doesn’t handle sibilant sounds very well and can lose your voice in particularly noisy areas, so this isn’t the best option for phone calls, but it’s usable. Pros Excellent ANC for the money
Pleasant, warm sound
Multi-device connectivity and wireless charging support
Comfortable fit
Good battery life Cons No automatic wear detection
Call quality is mediocre
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