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Below is a list of previously-tested earbuds that are still available. To read more about our current picks, check out the guide: Under $50 Earbuds
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Model NameOur Thoughts
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Wireless (toggle tab at bottom for wired)
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Aukey EP-T32This pair is a former budget pick in our guide to workout headphones. We heard from readers who were discouraged by Aukey’s inability to fulfill its promised warranty, using excuses or ignoring what appears to us to be valid warranty claims. We reached out to Aukey for comment and got no response. It’s for this reason that we don’t foresee ourselves recommending any headphones from this brand in the future, and we recommend you steer clear as well.
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EarFun AirThese true wireless earbuds have small stems similar to the AirPods Pro design. Our testers who generally choose large ear tips had trouble getting a seal because the short stem prevented the earbuds from seating deeply enough into the ear canal. When the pieces were properly fitted, the sound quality was quite good for the price, with just a little too much energy in the consonant and cymbal range of high frequencies, which could make high-hat hits sound tinny. We also missed having a track-reverse control.
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EarFun FreeBrent Butterworth really liked this pair’s sound and fit, and the rest of us did, too. In our tests, the audio quality was pretty fantastic for the price, with clear highs and slightly boosted lows that didn’t blur the mids, giving a nice sense of space to music. The fit was comfortable, as well. The control buttons were quiet, but when we pressed them, they could cause the earbuds to push into our ears in a mildly uncomfortable way. Additionally, phone calls sometimes sounded choppy and compressed. Overall, these earbuds are decent, but they’re not nearly as good as the newer Free 2 and Free 2S pairs.
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House of Marley Smile Jamaica Wireless 2.0These neckband-style earbuds come so close to being fantastic. The fabric-wrapped neckband cable is very soft, we like the company’s environmentally conscious approach, and in our tests the sound quality was quite balanced and respectable for the price, though a little dull in the lows and slightly coarse in the highs. However, the two sizes of included eartips were too small for two of our testers, and the remote is absolutely massive. The chunky remote isn’t a big deal if you sit still, but the minute you start to walk around, the swinging remote has a pendulum effect and starts to tug on the left earbud. Drat.
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JLab Go AirThese are especially inexpensive for true wireless earbuds. For our testers, the earbuds stayed in place reasonably securely, but we probably wouldn’t use them for high-impact workouts. If you listen only to podcasts, you might love these earbuds. For music, however, our listeners found that all three EQ presets were less than stellar, basically adjusting the blurry bass volume from too loud to nonexistent.
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JLab Go Air PopIf you need the absolute cheapest true wireless earbuds that function, the Pop meets that standard. We love that this pair has a charging cable embedded in the case, a small earbud size, an IPX4 water-resistance rating, fun color options, and a two-year warranty. The downsides? This is a $20 pair of true wireless earbuds, and it kinda sounds like it. The bass is blurry and smeared, no matter which EQ setting you choose. The microphone picks up your voice well enough to be understandable, but you’ll get better clarity from our picks. For $20 you could do a lot worse, but for a little more money our picks will get you a lot better performance.
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JLab JBuds Pro WirelessThis neckband-style pair is fine but lacks any kind of wow factor. The sound is somewhat coarse, with emphasized, blurry bass notes. It’s not overtly objectionable, but there’s nothing to gush over. What’s really the dealbreaker for us is the large remote that dangles annoyingly from the cable that connects the two earbuds. Even though you can tether the cable to reduce the pendulum-like movement when you’re walking, there are so many other options, it’s hard to justify earbuds that tug.
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Soundcore Life P2 MiniIf you just want an affordable pair of true wireless earbuds that can take phone calls, the microphone on the P2 Mini performs well. Unfortunately, the sound quality features shushing highs (“s” sounds take on a “sh” quality) and bloated bass, and the controls lack volume adjustment.
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Tribit FlyBuds 3These true wireless earbuds are inexpensive, but the sound quality in our tests was pretty poor, with coarse highs and a dull “puh puh” aspect to bass notes. The microphone quality wasn’t the best, either, with our callers saying that our words often sounded clipped. The charge case is rather large, and the touch controls are easy to trigger accidentally. Overall, the best part of these earbuds was the little winglet/fin that held them in place comfortably.
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Urbanista LisbonIf this pair were more resistant to water and sweat, we’d recommend it as an affordable pair for runners or people who need to stay aware of their surroundings. Unfortunately, these can handle only the lightest mist of water and not much more. As with all unsealed earbuds, the Lisbon loses a lot of bass response and hasn’t been tuned to compensate, so don’t expect to hear deep bass notes evenly supporting your tunes. But if you prefer an AirPods-like fit without the stem and listen only to podcasts, the Lisbon offers nine hours of battery life per charge and full controls for an inexpensive price.
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