I’m looking to buy some wireless earbuds. The following is what I am looking for in them:
- <=$100USD
- No third party companion app requirement
- Compatbile with Android (Pixel 6)
- Won’t fall out of ears while exercising
- ~8h playback
- Sweat/water resistant
- (optional, but would be nice) Active noise cancelling
I bought some bone conducting ones a year ago that have a band around the back. It’s cool because they are on solid for running and at work I can still have a conversation as they don’t cover your ears. Shokz is the brand I believe. About 80$usd for the one I got. If you want ANS though they don’t have that
Harder to lose than all the earbuds I now have only one of.
For everything you listed in your post shockz 100%. I have a pair couldn’t recommend them enough
I’ve used Aftershokz before, they’re great. They are the opposite of noise cancelling (which OP wanted) though, ideal for when you need to hear things.
I’m on the lookout for Shokz but how is your experience with the headband and a higher collar? I usually have a collared shirt in the winter to keep me warm.
The shokz I bought didn’t come with a head band. Looked up my email and they’re shokz open move, $79.95
I have soundcore A40s, they’re great:
<=$100USD
Check
No third party companion app requirement
Only needed to change the touch behavior
Compatbile with Android (Pixel 6)
Check
Won’t fall out of ears while exercising
Hasn’t fallen out of mine, but that’s just anecdotal
>=12 hours of battery-life
This is a big ask, but they do do 10h and 50 total if you put them in the case to recharge
Sweat/water resistant
Should be, never had a problem
(optional, but would be nice) Active noise cancelling
Check
I really like SoundCore earbuds. I have a pair of Life A2 NCs that I primarily use to listen to podcasts and make work calls. I usually leave the sound on normal, but when I’m vacuuming or doing something loud, I’ll switch them to noise canceling and I’m always really impressed how well it works.
In my experience SoundCore microphones are pretty inconsistent across their models, but I’ve found the A2’s mics produce really high quality sound, good enough for clear work calls. Other SoundCore mics have been unacceptably bad.
I have the soundcore liberty air 2. They have good sound quality and fit the bill for what you’re looking for. Looks like $30 on Amazon. That said, I do need to push them in occasionally while exercising but I haven’t experienced earbuds where I don’t have to do that.
I like my JBL Vibe pair very much. I hated the Airpods I was gifted and they died after like a year, useless. I tried an inexpensive Amazon type of brand and I did not like them, they shut off in one ear at the merest brush of a fingertip. The Vibe have worked great and I like the design of the buds themselves.
I like Jabra.
I recently bought a Jabra Elite 2 for €60. They have great sound quality and active noise canceling. I also recommend them.
I’ve always used headphones though, so I don’t have experience with other earbuds to compare them to the competition.
Go for Jabra elite 3 or 4.
JLab Go Sport meets all requirements except ANC. Sound quality is good enough for that price point, I use these for exercise and haven’t had an issue with sweat, and the earhooks are comfortable.
My only issue with these is the case is quite bulky, though I tend to leave it at home/in my bag/etc unless I know I’ll need to take them off for an extended period.
I’m using the Sony Linkbuds S at the moment. Very good ANC, comparable to the Airpods Pro Gen 1 I used before but it has much better fit. The airpods I’d have to adjust every few minutes so they don’t fall out but the Linkbuds are tiny and might be even lighter so they have been rock solid.
Audio quality is also very good (as good as one can expect from this form factor). I haven’t done any A - B listening with the Airpods Pro, as mine died, but it definitely doesn’t feel like a downgrade. Base to me feels punchy and the highs don’t hurt my ears, as with many other earphones.
You get a wide range of features like a custom EQ and customising controls (to some extent) through the app. It even tries to help you choose your own EQ with a clever A-B listening setup. You can safely delete the app once you set up everything. There are some other features like 360 audio or link with streaming services, not sure how these work, they seem very proprietary. Alternatively there might be an open source app for android that they are compatible with but I haven’t really looked into it.
It can connect to two devices at the same time but I recommend you leave this setting off as it has been a bit buggy occasionally with audio only coming out of one ear. A factory reset seems to have fixed everything for the last few months now but I haven’t turned this feature back on.
Sadly prices seem to have gone up since I bought mine for around $120 a year ago. Definitely keep an eye out for a deal.
Overall I can highly recommend these earbuds. I’d choose them over Sony’s top of the line WF 1000XM4 because the fit is just so good, they are much less expensive, and (according to reviews) audio quality is somewhat comparable.
I have a pixel 6 pro and use earfun free 2’s. No anc, and battery isn’t quite what you’re looking for, but they’re relatively cheap and work pretty well. I’ve had mine for like 3 years now and they’re just starting to get fucky from dropping them.
ETA - dug up the Amazon order to get the exact ones
The Creative Zen Air Pro meets all those requirements. I’ve found them perfectly capable after a month of use.
I’m loving my Jaybird Vista (and lately Vista 2). They’re the only buds I’ve found that fit my loose ears very well. (Different size plugs are included.) Have a look and see if you like them. They’re a bit above the requested price range though.
Have a look at these:
https://teufel.ch/airy-tws-106491000
- <=$100 ✔️
- No third party companion app requirement ✔️
- Compatbile with Android (Pixel 6) ✔️
- Won’t fall out of ears while exercising --> this mostly depends on your ears, they hold very good in mine…
- >=12 hours of battery-life ❌
- Sweat/water resistant ✔️
- (optional, but would be nice) Active noise cancelling ❌
Or if you are willing to spend a bit more than 100$: https://teufel.ch/airy-tws-2-107001394 They come with 9h battery life and ANC
I kinda hate samsung. Their bean earbuds (galaxy buds live) are the most comfortable I’ve ever worn. You can pick them up for as cheap as $39 if you jump at the right time, so I’m sure < $100 is doable.
oneplus nord buds 2 supposedly have ANC but i haven’t noticed any difference, with or without it, plus they were uncomfortable for me, but i prefer buds without those gummy things by 12h of battery life you mean earbuds only or with charging case? because it’ll be hard for the buds themselves
I really like my Soundcore A3i.
And they are on sale every 3-4 weeks for like 35 €.
