Best Budget Earbuds for 2023: Cheap Wireless Picks

Earfun has put out a series of wireless earbuds over the last couple of years with one important thing in common: They’re very good values, made more so by frequent discounts. The company’s new-for-2023 Earfun Air Pro 3 earbuds feature the latest Qualcomm QCC3071 system-on-a-chip with aptX Adaptive for Android and other devices that support the new LE Audio standard and LC3 audio codec, which is superior to the SBC codec (they also support AAC for Apple devices).

New for 2023, the Soundcore by Anker Liberty 4 NC earbuds carry a lower list price than last year’s Liberty 4 buds and arguably better, with improved noise canceling and better sound quality along with support for the LDAC audio codec for devices that support it. (Many Android smartphones do, and in theory it offers slightly improved sound quality when paired with a music streaming service that offers high-res tracks.) They’re lightweight buds that should fit most ears comfortably with four sizes of ear tips to choose from.

Amazon’s 2023 Echo Buds impressed me in a few ways that I wasn’t expecting. For starters, they sound good for inexpensive open earbuds, delivering decent clarity and ample bass. But they also have a robust feature set, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, hands-free Alexa and ear-detection sensors that pause your audio when you take one or both buds out of your ears.

What makes these Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS buds special is that they sound surprisingly good for open earbuds — they’re pretty close to what you get from Apple’s AirPods 3 for sound. On top of that, they support Sony’s LDAC audio codec for devices that offer it. Not too many cheap open earbuds have good sound but these Soundpeats have good bass response and clarity. They’re also good for making calls and have a low-latency gaming mode. Battery life is rated at 5 hours at moderate volume levels, and these are IPX4 splash-proof.

The Tranya T20 earbuds remind me a little of a cheaper version of Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 without the noise canceling. They’re no-frills and don’t have features such as ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take a bud out of your ears. But they sound surprisingly decent for their modest price. If you get a tight seal, they sit pretty flush with your ears (they don’t really stick out much) and they have decent battery life — up to eight hours at moderate volume levels. They also work pretty well for making calls and are IPX7 waterproof.

The 1More Aero earbuds carry a list price of $110 but Amazon often has an instant coupon on them that brings their price down substantially. They’re essentially a more premium version of 1More’s ComfoBuds Pro and feature a better charging case (the Aero does have wireless charging) and improved noise canceling and slightly improved sound.

Jabra has replaced its entry-level Elite 3 buds with the new-for-2023 Elite 4, which offer active noise canceling and multipoint Bluetooth pairing. What’s a little confusing is that Jabra also sells the Elite 4 Active, a slightly more ruggedized version of the same buds that carries a list price of $120 but sometimes sells for less than the standard Elite 4 if it (the Elite 4 Active) is on sale. But you should also see discounts on the Elite 4, which are available in dark gray, navy, lilac and light beige.

For 2023, Sony has released its new WF-C700N buds that look very similar to its entry-level C500 buds but add noise-canceling and multipoint Bluetooth pairing for $120. The C500s remain on sale for now and are often sold at a significant discount, sometimes as low as $60 (you’ll want to buy them when they’re on sale). They don’t feature active noise canceling and are pretty basic as far as earbuds go, with no ear-detection sensors or transparency mode. But the buds are compact, lightweight, fit comfortably and sound good for an entry-level model.

The Sennheiser CX earbuds sound excellent for their price point but do stick out of your ears a little more than some buds.

I was a fan of Earfun’s earlier Free Pro earbuds, which offer good sound and have little sport fins that help keep them in your ears securely. Now Earfun has released the Earfun Pro 2 buds with aluminum alloy caps, improved noise canceling and a couple of extra microphones that help boost voice-calling performance.

The Soundpeats T3 buds have two things going for them aside from their modest price tag: They sound decent and work well for making calls, offering good noise reduction. They’re also comfortable to wear and have both active noise canceling and transparency mode. The noise canceling is only OK, not great (same goes for the transparency mode), but you can’t expect everything for such a low price.

The Soundpeats Mini Pro have a few things going for them. For starters, they’re relatively compact and fit my ears comfortably and securely (I got a tight seal with the largest included ear tips). They also sound surprisingly good, with clear, nice-detailed sound and punchy bass. They sound as good or better than buds I’ve used in the $100 to $150 price range. Also, since they’re powered by a Qualcomm Bluetooth chip (it’s Bluetooth 5.2), they have support for Qualcomm’s aptX audio codec, which can offer slightly better sound on aptX-enabled devices such as some Android phones. Note: A newer version of the buds, the Soundpeats Mini Pro HS, offers support for the LDAC audio codec but not AptX.

The new Soundcore Sport X10 has an interesting design with rotating, swiveling ear hooks that flip up when you’re using them and flip down when you want to set them in their charging case, which has a smaller footprint than for a lot of earbuds with ear hooks.

I was a fan of the original Earfun Free buds, and now there’s an upgraded version called the Earfun Free 2 (which has been subsequently upgraded to the 2S). They’re not a huge upgrade, but like the originals they fit my ears well and deliver decent bang for the buck with strong sound — it has just a touch of treble and bass boost (there’s plenty of bass) — and extra features such as wireless charging.