Best Budget Earbuds for 2024: Cheap Wireless Choices

JBL Live Pro 2: JBL has released some decent true-wireless earbuds over the years, but nothing that really got me excited. That’s finally changed with the arrival of the new Live Pro 2 And Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds — the Live Pro 2 has stems while the Live Free 2 has a pill-shaped design — offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice call performance, plus a robust feature set including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-proof rating, and wireless charging.

JBL Live Free 2: As the Live Pro 2JBL’s new Live Free 2 earbuds are surprisingly good. With 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicone tips, they combine a comfortable fit with strong noise cancellation, very good sound quality and voice call performance. Features include multipoint Bluetooth pairing and wireless charging, and they’re rated for up to seven hours with IPX5 (splashproof) water resistance.

Beats Studio Buttons: The Beats Studio Buds seem a lot like the rumored stem-less AirPods that some people have been waiting for. Aimed at both iOS and Android users, they’re missing a few key Apple features (there’s no H1 or W1 chip), but they’re small, lightweight earbuds that are comfortable to wear and offer really good sound. While their noise cancellation isn’t quite as good as the AirPods Pro’s, they do have a transparency mode and are decent for making calls. Read our Beats Studio Buds review.

Sennheiser CX: If you can’t afford Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds, the CX are a good alternative, though they . They have very good sound, plus decent noise cancellation and voice call performance. The only problem is that they stick out from your ears a bit and may not fit smaller ears. This model, which often sells for under $100 on Amazon, doesn’t have active noise cancellation, but the entry-level CX Plus does (the CX-Plus is also a good buy, especially if it is on sale).