Get the best true wireless earbuds under $100 that offer much more than their price suggests.
Rating | Price | Battery life | Water protection | More info | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Best overall | 4.1 | Under $80 | 9h per charge, 45h in total | IPX5 | |
EarFun Free Pro Best noise cancelling | 4.7 | Under $60 | 7h per charge, 25h in total | IPX5 | |
Aukey EP-N5 Noise-cancelling alternative | 4.2 | Under $60 | 7.5h per charge, 35h in total | IPX5 | |
Samsung Galaxy Buds Most comfortable | 4.5 | Under $80 | 7.5h per charge, 10h in total | IPX2 | |
Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Best microphone | 4.3 | Under $80 | 7h per charge, 28h in total | IPX5 | |
Treblab X3 Pro Best for sports | 4.3 | Under $70 | 9h per charge, 36h in total | IPX7 | |
4.3 | Under $80 | 10h per charge, 70h in total | IPX7 | ||
4.1 | Under $70 | 6h per charge, 30h in total | n/a |
Not long ago, the only truly wireless earbuds worth considering were the top premium models. Going cheap meant living with subpar sounding alternative, with an even worse battery.
Fortunately, many things have changed in the past few years. You can now get excellent true wireless earbuds under $100 price tag, that can easily compare with expensive models.
More similar guides:
Best wireless earbuds under $100
Why You Should Go True Wireless?
You don’t need to bother with cables ever again except when charging them. Walking around without dangling wires gives you perfect freedom. Suddenly, you’re free to do so many things without worry about that annoying cable. You won’t want to go back.
True wireless earbuds often come with new features, like Ambiental awareness, active noise canceling, and proximity sensors. There are far more pros than cons compared to wired solutions.
And last but not least, sound quality has gone up exponentially in the past few years. While many true wireless earbuds under $100 don’t offer ANC and other fancy features from the best premium models, they can sometimes exceed the audio quality from products twice the price.
We made a list of 8 best true wireless earbuds under $100 you can buy right now. They all offer unique features so that you can find the perfect TWS earbuds for your needs.
What to Look in True Wireless Earbuds?
Reliable connection
Because you rely on radio waves to transmit the signal from a transmitting device to your earbuds, the connection needs to be reliable. While Bluetooth version 4.2 is still quite good, for better stability and range, try to pick earbuds with version 5.0. Better to be sure than to suffer random stutters.
Comfort
Try to look for earbuds with an ergonomic design. You can also check reviews and forums to see what others say about your favorite truly wireless headphones. Since all the tech (chipset, battery, driver) is cramped inside the housing, it’s usually bigger and heavier. Therefore, comfort in in-ear headphones is crucial.
Durability
Since you’re going wireless, you can do many more things than before, like working out and running. You want your earbuds to be at least sweat-resistant. The higher the IPX rating, the calmer you can be that water won’t cause any damage.
Sound
You don’t have to give up on the sound just because you’re looking for earbuds under $100. You can get quality audio performance at this price. Specific buds can even outperform higher-priced models, giving you more enjoyable, and in some cases, more detailed sound.
8 Best True Wireless Earbuds Under $100
1. Cambridge Audio Melomania 1
Having a long tradition of making great audio products, Cambridge Audio made excellent sounding best true wireless headphones under $100.
- Natural sound signature
- High build quality
- IPX5 water resistance
- 6.5 hours per single charge with relatively quick charging
- Affordable price under $100
- Easy to use built-in controls
- Sleek design
- Bad fit if you don’t find proper eartips
- Outdated Micro-USB cable
- Can’t get super loud
You get a very natural sound. All frequencies are nicely balanced to give you a very faithful music reproduction. These sound great with all music genres, but bass lovers may want something else. Check best bass earbuds instead.
Melomania 1 comes packed inside a sleek charging case. Earbuds are made from hard plastic and rock a bullet-shape design.
If you need wireless earbuds for both music and workout, these can do it all. With an IPX5 rating, you don’t have to worry about sweat damage, and you can even take them outside on a rainy day.
Earbuds boast an impressive battery of 9 hours on a single charge, with an additional 36 hours inside a case. They also support aptX for better audio transmission.
Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 review
2. EarFun Free Pro
Best truly wireless earbuds for active noise cancellation.
- Excellent sound quality for the price
- Natural, dynamic audio performance
- Punchy bass with good extension
- Great comfort and stability
- Stable connection with Bluetooth 5.2
- Long battery life
- Many useful extra features
- Decent active noise cancelling effectiveness
- … but not the best ambient mode
- No mobile app or built-in EQ presets
- Flimsy charging case
Truly wireless earbuds with a big bass response and dynamic midrange. At the $60 price point, you can’t find much that is wrong with their sound profile. Detail retrieval is good, and they sound quite natural.
One of the main features is background noise reduction technology. It works reasonably well for low-frequency spectrum, but passive isolation does most of the job. The latter is achieved by elongated ear tips that go deeply into your ears.
Also, you can enable ambient mode to amplify your surroundings, while controls lets you perform basic commands, as well as summon preferred voice assistant.
What about alternatives?
Check the best noise cancelling earbuds.
These small Bluetooth earbuds come with ear fins for better stability and a solid connection strength thanks to Bluetooth 5.2. They even have water ingress protection, sporting an IPX5 rating.
3. Aukey EP-N5
AirPods Pro lookalike with excellent comfort and thick, punchy bass for much less money.
- Solid build quality
- Superb comfort
- Enjoyable sound
- Deep, controlled bass
- IPX5 water-resistance
- Can connect to 2 devices at once
- Decent active noise-cancellation performance
- Price
- ANC picks up wind noise
- Shallow fit
- One right earbud can be used for mono mode
- No way of remapping touch commands
These earbuds will surprise you with their bass quantity. They can pump some serious punch, making the overall sound warm and full. Interestingly, the rest of the frequencies don’t suffer that much, remaining clean and smooth. They’re suitable for genres like hip hop.
These are built well, with a design that is strikingly similar to Apple AirPods Pro. Even the fit of the ear tips is the same, with earbuds barely pushing inside the ear canal. While that makes them extremely comfortable, they lack ambient noise isolation.
Fortunately, to compensate for the shallow fit, EP-N5 come with background noise canceling. ANC works decently at eliminating constant humming noises, but they’re not the best tool for blocking background chatter.
With a hefly battery, you get more than seven hours of listening, while the case offers another 4 charge cycles.
Looking for something cheaper? Check the best true wireless earbuds under $50.
4. Samsung Galaxy Buds
Attractive and comfortable design make these true wireless earphones stand out.
- Comfortable with a stable fit
- Quality charging case
- Responsive touch controls with tone prompt
- Auto turn-off feature when taken out of ears
- Limited control options
- Only preset EQ signatures without full equalization
- Jack of all trades, master of none
Galaxy Buds have a customer-friendly tuning with a well-balanced frequency response. There’s a bit of everything, but don’t expect too many details. Samsung app lets you toggle between 5 EQ settings, with the Dynamic one being the best.
Sleek design of the housing makes these not only very attractive but also quite comfortable. A secure fit is further improved by small ear fins that prevent earbuds from falling on the floor.
If you have a Samsung smartphone, simply open the case’s lid to connect to your earbuds instantly. With a source device from the same brand, you can also utilize a proprietary SSC Bluetooth codec.
5. Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2
Anker Soundcore are a fantastic pick for users who take a lot of phone calls.
- Great microphone quality
- Mobile app with many features
- Sound needs some tweaking
- No multipoint support
Not the most accurate out there, but thankfully you can tweak the audio inside the app. As mentioned, you can choose from 22 EQ presets, as well as activating HearID. That way, you can make Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 perform just the way you like.
You’re also getting tons of other useful features baked inside the mobile app. For example, a sensor for automatic pause, EQ presets, and HearID. The latter measure your ears and create a custom tuning just for you. And, if you want to make lots of phone calls, the microphone quality is good.
You also can’t be too disappointed with their battery, giving you around 7 hours of playtime. Case provides an additional 21 hours of listening and supports fast and wireless charging if you need more.
6. Treblab X3 Pro
Excellent stability, durability, and audio quality for sports activities.
- Good stability during sports activities
- Comfortable, even for more extended listening
- Durable construction with an IPX7 rating
- 9-hour battery on a single charge
- Good sound quality (if you get a seal)
- Great passive isolation (if you get a seal)
- Both earbuds support mono mode
- Support for multipoint and aptX
- Ear tips are too short to fit everyone
- Bulky design brings wind noise
- Discomfort when pressing the center button
Upon trying different tip sizes to create a perfect seal, the X3 Pro truly wireless earbuds sound pretty great. The bass response is punchy and not bloated, the mid-range is clean and lively, and the soundstage is reasonably big. It’s quite an enjoyable listening experience.
The design strongly resembles Beats PowerBeats Pro. However, X3 Pro feel more robust. Mostly due to IPX7 design, they’re similar to the best waterproof Bluetooth headphones that you can submerse in water.
Ear hooks go around your ears to ensure stability during workout sessions. The volume rocker and a center button let you control most essential functions, from music control to accepting phone calls. Listen to our microphone demo in the review.
7. Lypertek TEVI
Incredible sound quality with a premium design.
- Great sound with graphene drivers
- Durable build with premium-feeling case
- Excellent battery life
- Slight hiss when music isn't playing
If you’re serious about neutral sound, these are among the best picks in the price range. You’re getting excellent definition across the board, with a slightly brighter treble to amplify the perception of clarity.
If the “out of the box sound” isn’t to your likings, you can change it inside the mobile app.
Their charging case looks very similar to Momentum True Wireless 2. It comes with a familiar fabric surrounding the case but in a slightly different shape. Earbuds are made from rigid plastic and have IPX7 water resistance rating and have a high-quality build, which exceeds their low price tag.
10-hour battery life is downward amazing, with incredible 60 hours left inside the charging case. They also offer a quick charge feature (15 minutes add another 2 hours of playtime).
8. 1MORE Stylish
Wonderful-looking earbuds tuned by an award-winning sound engineer.
- Good battery life
- Entertaining sound signature
- Passive isolation could be better
- Mediocre mic quality
With titanium composite drivers tuned by Luca Bignardi, these produce a very entertaining sound that will please most casual listeners. It’s very bass-emphasized, with a slightly subdued treble. You can change the audio a bit inside the mobile app.
They support AAC and aptX, which is excellent news for both iOS and Android users. As expected, there is no visible video lag, with a stable Bluetooth connection strength. You also get a 1MORE app where you can update firmware and tweak the EQ.
Stylish buds provide excellent comfort while also grabbing your ears securely thanks to built-in ear flaps. You can also use them to work out. 1MORE says they can survive excess sweating, despite no official IPX water resistance rating.
Looking for more affordable options? Check the best earbuds under $50.
Honorable Mentions
EarFun Air – Cheap true wireless earbuds with a wireless charging case and a bass heavy frequency response. (Check Air price)
1MORE Colorbuds – True wireless headphones are small in size and sport touch-sensitive controls. They sound good for the price point and deliver decent call quality. (Check Colorbuds price)
Mpow X3 – Wireless Bluetooth earbuds with background noise cancellation. Protected by an IPX8 rating, these wireless headphones are completely water-resistant and can offer up to seven hours of battery per charge. (Check X3 price)
Creative Outlier Air V2 – Affordable pair of earbuds that provide a comfortable fit and spacious sound with Super X-Fi technology. Just make sure you pair them with the SXFI companion app. (Check Air V2 price)
I want more alternatives:
Best true wireless earbuds under $50
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do All Earbuds Support Ambient Mode?
Sadly, no. You have to look for specific audio products to get this feature since it relies on software to work. However, the manufacturer may add it via a firmware update. But you shouldn’t count on that, especially if your earbuds are already one year old.
Manufacturers use many different names for it, from “Transparency mode” to “Stay Aware”. They all work similarly by amplifying environmental sounds. That way, you don’t need to put earbuds out of your ears when talking to someone.
Do True Wireless Earbuds Fall Out?
True wireless headphones are surprisingly stable. In most models, you can shake your head like crazy without them falling out. Manufacturers usually decide to make them very ergonomic, with more extended nozzles that go deeper inside your ear.
Lots of true wireless earbuds also have different ear fins included inside the box. Those fins get stuck inside the outer ear, preventing earbuds from slowly sliding out.
Read more about how to keep your earbuds from falling out.