Get the latest and best Bluetooth headphones under 50 dollars (that are affordable but worth getting).
| Rating | Price | Battery | Type | Mic & Controls | More info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anker Soundcore Life Q20 Best overall | 4.5 | Under $50 | Up to 40h (ANC on) | Over-ear, closed-back | | |
| SoundPEATS Sonic Best earbuds | 4.2 | Under $50 | 14h + 20h in case | True wireless, closed-back | | |
| Skullcandy Riff Wireless Best on-ear | 4.4 | Under $40 | Up to 12h | On-ear, closed-back | | |
| Anker Soundcore Life A1 Best value | 4.4 | Under $50 | 9h + 26h in case | True wireless | | |
| 4.5 | Under $50 | Up to 35h | On-ear, closed-back | | ||
| 4.2 | Under $50 | 5.5h + 15h in case | True wireless, closed-back | | ||
| 4.5 | Under $30 | Up to 35h | Over-ear, closed-back | | ||
| Skullcandy Hesh 2 Best bass | 4.6 | Under $50 | Up to 20h | Over-ear, closed-back | | |
| 4.6 | Under $40 | 9h + 20h in case | True wireless, closed-back | |
Introducing the best wireless headphones under 50 bucks that are worth your money.
While $50 isn’t a lot of money, it’s enough to get good quality (and great value for money).
If you want a daily non-expensive pair of headphones for listening to your favorite tunes, then these are for you.
You can choose from over-ear, on-ear, and in-ear models. We even found a nice noise-canceling model that falls under the price tag.
In case you don’t care about Bluetooth and want wires, see the best headphones under $50.
What You Need to Know
- Most popular brands offer similar headphones but often for more money. Lesser-known brands want to gain market share, so they often offer their headphones for less. You get more for the same money.
- The features are rather basic since $50 isn’t much. You can’t expect the latest Bluetooth version, crystally clear microphone calls, or a companion app. As long as you don’t expect premium quality, you’ll be surprised how much value you can get at this low price point.
- Some of the models here are older that used to cost more money. And since they aren’t the latest model the manufacturers lower their price. This is when you get fantastic value for money.
Best Wireless Headphones under 50 Dollars
1. Anker Soundcore Life Q20
Anker Soundcore Life Q20 are the best wireless headphones under $50 and here’s why.
- Good ANC
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Fairly balanced sound
- Not the best build quality
- Lacking detail due to dark-ish treble
With overall bassy and warm audio performance, these best headphones under $50 should make most customers happy. A smooth midrange and treble with a quick roll-off can make the sound a bit dark.
The comfort is excellent, with plush earpads filled with memory foam and dressed in pleather. Ear cups are rotatable and can also fold, saving more space in your backpack.
The amount of battery life is very generous, providing you with up to 60 hours of playback or 40 hours of music playing with active noise cancellation. If you don’t want to use Bluetooth mode, you can always use included wire and AUX port.
Noise cancelling headphones do a good job blocking constant ambient noise such as bus or plane engines and home appliances.
Related:
For a bit more money, see the best Bluetooth headphones under $100.
Also, check the best budget noise cancelling headphones for more similar options.
2. SoundPEATS Sonic
SoundPEATS Sonic are the best wireless earbuds under $50, boasting excellent battery life and excellent sound quality.
- Great sound quality
- Amazing battery life (14h/charge)
- Comfortable fit
- Reliable Bluetooth 5.2 connection
- Support for aptX Adaptive
- Overly boosted sub-bass
- Cheap-feeling construction
Expect a big boost in the sub-bass and a bit of sparkle in the highs, definitely not a neutral sound profile. The low-end is pretty balanced for most genres and only starting to rumble when playing specific modern genres.
As a whole, they sound good, are reasonably natural, and are great for everyday casual listening.
The total battery life is impressive as well, providing up to 14 hours of runtime on a single charge. An additional 20 hours is packed inside the charging case.
The build quality is okay, and the earbuds have an IPX5 rating, promising protection against water splashes.
On the other hand, you get a reliable Bluetooth 5.2 connection with an aptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec.
3. Skullcandy Riff Wireless
Skullcandy Riff are perfect headphones for a basshead on the budget.
- Fun, V-shaped sound
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Foldable and travel friendly
- No option for wired listening
From Skullcandy, you can expect a big, bass-heavy sound profile, and Riffs are no exception. They can truly make you dance while you’re listening to bass-heavy genres like hip hop.
Simple, but still very unique on-ear design, that can fold up for extra portability. They come in many different colors and are comfortable to wear.
With buttons on the ear cups, you can control everything from volume to smart assistant. This way you can answer calls and even send messages without touching your smartphone.
Riff sports a 12-hour battery life with a fast-charge feature. A quick 10-minute rapid charge can give you another 2 hours of listening.
4. Anker Soundcore Life A1
Anker Soundcore Life A1 are the best headphones for those seeking a complete package under $50.
- Good sound quality
- Fantastic comfort & stability
- Reliable Bluetooth connection
- Great battery life (more than 8h per charge)
- Usable physical controls with 3 EQ profiles
- Okay passive noise isolation
- Some audio delay when watching videos
Despite their boosted bass, the overall tonality is pretty natural. The peak at 8kHz adds shimmer (thankfully, no sibilance), but otherwise, the treble remains relatively dark.
With 3 built-in presets, you can either boost the bass or reduce it and elevate the mids slightly.
Earbuds are ergonomically designed to fit nicely into your ears without creating hot spots. They use ear wings to further stabilize them inside your ears.
Durability is another strong point of the Life A1, offering solid construction with no visible weak points, and an IPX7 rating, providing full water resistance.
The battery life is great, too, with around 9 hours per charge and another 26 hours inside the Qi wireless charging case.
Anker Soundcore Life A1 review
5. Sony WH-CH510
Sony WH-CH510 are the best wireless on-ear headphones under $50.
- Lightweight and portable
- Clear sound
- Impressive battery life
- Excellent stability for working out
- On-ear fit isn't for everyone
- Cheap plastic construction
- No padding on the headband
For the price tag, WH-CH510 are relatively clean-sounding headphones. They have a balanced frequency response, which makes them suitable for every music genre.
Sony on-ears sport a basic design with a matte black finish. They’re lightweight and more than appropriate for daily commuting.
Despite resting directly on your ears, you shouldn’t have too many problems with wearing fatigue.
Also, sound leakage is minimal so that the neighbor next to you doesn’t hear your playlist.
They offer a stable Bluetooth connection, USB-C charging, and have a built-in NFC chip for fast first pairing. The battery life is excellent, providing a 30-hour listening experience.
6. Jlab Audio Jbuds Air
Jlab Audio Jbuds Air are slightly older but still compelling Bluetooth headphones under $50.
- Good water protection IP55
- Stable fit suitable for sports
- User-friendly magnetic design
- Good sound quality for the price
- Annoying physical controls (Air Icon have touch controls)
- Can become uncomfortable after prolonged time for small ears
- Phone calls require the right earbud
You can choose from 3 EQ settings, but overall they’re leaning towards the V-shape sound signature. They can also get uncomfortably loud, but this depends on the chosen preset.
If you want something with a decent sound quality that is suitable for sport.
Rubberized housing of the Jbuds Air is providing excellent stability. These are also IP55 dust and water-resistant and therefore more than suitable for sports.
When you find the right ear tips these can also provide above-average ambient noise isolation. Wind noise is also not an issue since they don’t protrude that much.
5.5-hour battery life on a single charge is good enough for a decent workout, with 15 hours more from the charging case.
More under $50 headphones:
Best wireless earbuds under $50
7. Mpow H19 IPO
Bluetooth headphones under $50 with a good battery so you can listen to music for long periods.
- Foldable design makes them very portable
- Great battery life
- Decent sound that gets plenty loud
- Micro-USB instead of USB-C
Enabling background noise cancellation usually ruins the sound quality of cheap headphones, but not on H19 IPO. Their audio performance does change, but for the better.
They deliver a punchy bass with good overall clarity. You can also reach painful volume levels, albeit it’s not advisable.
Headphones are entirely made of plastic, but they feel sturdy and very lightweight. So much so that you barely feel them on your head.
With a lightweight construction, thick pads, and light clamping force, you’re getting excellent comfort. To add to the enjoyable experience, these headphones also support pretty decent active noise cancellation technology.
You can fast-charge them, which gives you 2 extra hours in just 10 minutes.
8. Skullcandy Hesh 2
Hesh 2 are a top choice for bassheads on a budget.
- Lightweight and decently comfortable
- Good battery life
- Overly dominant bass
Hesh 2 fall among the headphones with the most bass quantity, so don’t expect high-quality sound. However, if you crave a subwoofer-like experience, these should be on your list.
The overall design is a bit old by now but still very comfortable to wear. Circular earpads have generous padding and create a comfortable fit for most people.
Headphones are fairly lightweight and equipped with big onboard controls so that you never miss pressing them. You can perform basic commands and take phone calls.
Their 20 hours of battery life should easily get you through a day. And if your smartphone still supports the headphone jack, there’s an audio cable included in the box.
9. TaoTronics Soundliberty 97
Soundliberty 97 are a great budget pair of wireless earbuds.
- Good overall sound quality
- High water protection (IPX8 rating)
- Comfortable fit for long listening sessions
- Impressive 9-hour battery life
- Great passive isolation
- Competition comes with extra features
- No EQ presets
Wireless earbuds with a fun sound profile that outputs a deep bass emphasis and natural midrange.
Their technical performance is on par with other headphones in this price range, providing smooth and forgiving audio performance. You can tweak volume control straight from the buds.
Earbuds come in ergonomically shaped housing with a small form factor. It doesn’t protrude too much, which helps with minimizing wind noise.
Ear tips are a bit longer than usual, going deeper into the ear canal. Because of that, you can expect great background noise isolation and stability.
Also, the aptX codec can help to reduce audio delay when watching videos and Android devices. The same thing happens with AAC on iOS devices.
TaoTronics Soundliberty 97 review
Honorable Mentions
Mpow H5
They look premium, have above-average build quality, and offer ANC. Not to mention 18 hours of battery life and a basshead-oriented sound signature. All of this is making them one of the best ANC headphones under $50. (Mpow H5 review)
Skullcandy Sesh
Skullcandy Sesh’s are meant to rumble your head with tons of bass. They’re also quite comfortable, easy to use and IP55 water protected. (Skullcandy Sesh review)
Skullcandy Grind Wireless
Budget headphones with Bluetooth connection, well-built lightweight design, and on-ear earpads for an affordable price. (Check Grind Wireless price)
Aukey EP-T32
Comfortable wireless earbuds with ear hooks, a sleek design, good audio quality, and compelling features like Qi wireless charging and high water protection (IPX8). (Aukey EP-T32 review)
Check more best waterproof Bluetooth headphones.
You can find more cheap headphones:
Even cheaper, top headphones under $20
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why Choose Wireless Bluetooth vs. Wired Headphones?
Wireless headphones aren’t always better than wired. It really depends on your needs.
Here are the advantages of wireless Bluetooth headphones:
- Wireless connectivity offers more freedom (wires are in the way)
- Work with all Bluetooth devices (the new iPhones and smartphones don’t support 3.5mm)
- Most have a microphone and remote control for a better user experience
See the best earbuds with microphone.
But these audio products come with some disadvantages:
- Usually have a higher price (wired headphones are cheaper)
- Needs battery charging which is a hassle
- Battery capacity deteriorates over time (no limit with wired headphones)
- Sound quality can be worse (due to data transmission limits with Bluetooth)
It’s up to your needs what you should pick. You can check the best headphones under $50 (wired included).
Can Bluetooth headphones also work as wired headphones?
Most headphones can work as wired as well. This is a standard feature in low-end and high-end headphones. If that’s important for you, check for 3.5mm input before buying.
But the smaller in-ear monitors (Bluetooth earbuds) only work wirelessly. Putting in a 3.5mm circuitry would make them too big and bulky.