Once considered a luxury, truly wireless earphones are available at really affordable prices. There are hundreds of options out there, and picking the best ones can be quite confusing. After considering various factors, including design, audio quality, features, battery life, and pricing, we've shortlisted ten budget-friendly, truly wireless earphones that you can buy this festive season.
We preferred truly wireless earphones that can easily fit in jeans pockets, have Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, last at least 12 hours on, have good sound quality, and offer good features. Here's our list of top ten budget-friendly truly wireless earphones:
1. Xiaomi Redmi Earbuds S - ₹1,799
The Redmi Earbuds S is among the best truly wireless earphones priced under ₹2,000. They fit well in ears and have a compact build.
The audio quality of these Bluetooth 5.0 earphones is good for the price, and they last 12 hours on a single charge. They are resistant to sweat and water splashes, too. The case feels cheap, and it uses a micro USB port instead of a USB Type-C port for charging, but at this price, they offer excellent value.
2. OPPO Enco W11 - ₹1,999
Spending just ₹200 more than the Redmi Earbuds S can get you the OPPO Enco W11, which brings many upgrades, including a more premium build, better audio quality, longer battery life, and a USB Type-C charging port. These Bluetooth 5.0 earphones support AAC codec, support individual modes for left and right earbuds, last 20 hours on a single charge, have IP55 certification for dust and water splash resistance, and relatively fuller audio.
3. Anker Soundcore Life Note - ₹2,999
The Soundcore Life Note from Anker offers almost everything we expect to see in good, truly wireless earphones: Bluetooth 5.0 with AAC and aptX, four microphones with effective background noise reduction, in-ear-canal design, water-resistant design, USB Type-C port, and fast charging. The lid of the case feels a bit too thin, but that's the only thing that we can nitpick about it.
4. Realme Buds Air - ₹3,999
The Realme Buds Air has an open-ear design, but they still pump out a good amount of bass, thanks to 12mm drivers and Realme's custom-designed R1 Bluetooth 5.0 chip with AAC and Google Fast Pair. They have two microphones on each earbud, low-latency mode, and auto music pause via wear detection. The battery life falls short of our expectations, but the case offers additional charges for up to 17 hours of battery life. There are a USB Type-C port and even wireless charging. They even come in cute colors.
5. OPPO Enco W31 - ₹4,399
These Bluetooth 5.0 truly wireless earphones have an in-ear-canal design, a low-latency mode, good audio quality, AAC codecs, and noise cancellation during calls. The automatic wear detection feature pauses music when you take the earbuds out of the ears. The IP54 rating means water splash resistance. At 3.5 hours individually, the battery life of the earbuds could've been better. The compact, circular case has a Type-C port.
6. Realme Buds Air Pro - ₹4,499
The Realme Buds Air Pro is among the cheapest, truly wireless earphones with active noise cancellation. They feature Bluetooth 5.0, AAC, Google Fast Pair, automatic wear detection, water splash resistance, a really compact case, relatively balanced audio tuning, dual microphones on each side, a companion app, and even a transparency mode that can be used when you want to hear your surroundings. Except for the lack of aptX codec, there's nothing that's really messing with the Realme Buds Air Pro.
7. OnePlus Buds - ₹4,990
These earbuds can be a great choice for those who use OnePlus phones to offer great features and integration. These Bluetooth 5.0 earbuds last a whopping 30 hours on a single charge, and they even feature extremely fast charging via the USB Type-C port. Some can prefer Their open-ear design, and their 13.4mm drivers pump out powerful audio, thanks to Dolby Atmos audio and Dirac tuning. Their build quality is top-notch, too. We don't like these earbuds because of the lack of a companion app and too limited touch controls.
8. Shanling MTW100 - ₹5,499
The Shanling MTW100 is the most audiophile-sounding set of earbuds in the sub-₹7,000 price segment. They come in two variants: the balanced armature (balanced audio) and dynamic driver (for bass heads). These earbuds have an extremely compact case, IPX7 certification (for water resistance), and a USB Type-C port. They feature Bluetooth 5.0, AAC, mono and stereo modes—the last 21 hours on a single charge with the case (5 hours individually). Our review found that the case's glossy design can easily pick up scratches, and the lid feels a bit lose.
9. Vivo TWS Neo - ₹5,990
Similar to the OnePlus Buds, the Vivo TWS Neo has an open-ear design. However, they feature a more advanced, Bluetooth 5.2 chip with aptX Adaptive codec and larger, 14.2mm drivers for stronger signals and better audio quality. The earbuds last 4.5 hours, and the case can charge them for up to four times for a total battery life of up to 22.5 hours. They even feature 88ms low-latency mode that can be great for watching videos and gaming. They have a lightweight design, water splash resistance, and wear detection. The case and the earbuds are extremely well-built. Except for the lack of an in-ear-canal design, these earbuds have almost all the features one should look for in a set of truly wireless earbuds.
10. 1More Truly Wireless Earbuds - ₹6,999
These earbuds have an in-ear-canal design, extremely comfortable fit, Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity with AAC and aptX, and a total battery life of up to 24 hours on a single charge. The quality of the case's material could've been better, and it should have had a USB Type-C port instead of a micro USB port, but the best aspect of these earbuds is their audio quality. They are among the best-sounding set of truly wireless earphones we've listened to.
It's great to see that the market now has so many good sets of truly wireless earphones, and if you go with any of the models recommended above, you should be happy with the performance.
(By Sunil Gandhi, Chief Service Delivery Officer, Onsite)
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