The best under $100 AirPods Pro alternatives

It may be a surprise, but AirPods are our favorite wireless headphones. Apple’s earbuds perform admirably and sound excellent. However, there is one major drawback: their price tags are over the roof.

Prices range from $129 to $249 for the four available choices (including the latest 2021 AirPods). While deals may occur on occasion, the most money you can expect to save is 20%. I’m sure there are less expensive options out there.

Indeed, there are. A truly staggering number of them. Here are some popular alternatives to Apple’s AirPods that cost less than $100 (or much less)! Although some are more suitable than others, all of them may provide you with an enjoyable listening experience without breaking the bank.

More affordable than Apple’s AirPods, and maybe even better?

Most of these items compete with Apple’s $249 AirPods Pro because they use silicone ear tips designed to fit snugly into your ear canals, reducing ambient noise and maximizing sound quality.

Some are comparable to the Pro in active noise cancellation (ANC). Some even go so far as to include wireless case charging and in-ear recognition (which pauses the music when you take it out and put it back in an earbud).

Which begs the question, what do you stand to lose if you go for a less costly pair of headphones? To begin, not all forms of ANC are equivalent. Some of the less expensive earbuds may not be as effective at reducing outside noise. Suppose you spend much time on the phone or wear headphones during Zoom meetings. In that case, you may want to think about the call quality (call quality is the only aspect we couldn’t test as many factors are involved.)

However, there are occasions when they end up ahead. Although AirPods Pro are advertised to last for 4.5 hours on a single charge (or 3.5 hours with Active Noise Cancellation enabled), virtually all of the earbuds in this roundup can play for far longer than that.

In certain circumstances, you may even utilize an equalizer to fine-tune your device’s sound via a companion app. In other words, several earbud makers are outperforming Apple and offering you better deals. Let’s see how these alternatives stack up.

Edifier 330NB

The Edifier 330NB headphones originally retailed for $80 when they were introduced; they dropped to $48 and are now available for only $32 if you have a 60% off coupon. Naturally, the cost changes from time to time.

You can probably guess that these earphones don’t have the most bells and whistles. Their case cannot be charged wirelessly, and there is no in-ear detecting feature. In addition, the battery life is only rated to last for five hours for every charge, and the case is only suitable for around three recharges, which brings the entire battery life up to about 20 hours. Those aren’t terrible specs, but they fall short of what every other pair of headphones provides.

The accompanying app for Edifier’s earbuds displays the available battery life for every pair. It allows you to choose between noise cancellation and ambient sound settings. You may also change the sensitivity of your taps, the touch-control settings, and the prompt volume (how loudly alerts are played in your ear). That app also includes a comprehensive user manual, a feature we hope more manufacturers adopt.

The 330NB’s noise cancellation abilities were subpar compared to other earbuds we tried. They were not as effective as the other earbuds in this review in canceling the annoying sound of a leaf-blower operating outside, which occurred during testing. Also, We found it incredibly challenging to remove them from the case.

But if we had to choose only one pair of headphones, we’d pick Edifier’s. However, this collection has superior alternatives, albeit at somewhat higher prices.

Anker Soundcore Life P3

The bright red and blue colors of the Soundcore Life P3 provide a welcome contrast in a market saturated with monotone offerings. You have your pick of not only the two monochrome classics but also Navy Blue, Sky Blue, or Coral Red. The chrome accents on the buds are a great touch, but they’re all equally attractive.

Another highlight is the high-quality Soundcore companion software, which lets you tweak the touch-control settings, choose between four (!) noise-canceling modes, and select from many equalizations presets for the earbuds (or create your custom tone). There is also a test for the quality of the ear-tip seal (similar to Apple) with approximately a dozen white-noise noises that they may play to aid sleep.

It wouldn’t matter if the Life P3 wasn’t a great fit or produced terrible sound, but we’re pleased to say it does both quite well. Although the ANC is not quite as noticeable as AirPods, it still performs well and has a transparency mode. Furthermore, the software allows fine-tuning the ANC to eliminate interior, outdoor, or travel noises. Another feature of these earphones we haven’t seen in any others on the market.

The only thing missing is ear detection, which we find very useful. We’re disappointed Anker left it out because it’s available in earbuds from EarFun for a lower price. Additionally, the “find my earbuds” function is promising in concept but unreliable in practice. An app triggers an earpiece to make a high-pitched whine, which may be audible to dogs but which we could not detect even when only a few feet away.

The Soundcore Life P3, because of its ear recognition feature, is our top pick for best earphones under $100. However, even without it, they are still among the finest choices available.

TCL Moveaudio S600

TCL’s main claim to fame is a television production, and their products are of a quality and price point that I can get behind. However, is the business capable of applying its cost-cutting expertise to completely wireless earbuds? As it happens, that’s the case. The Moveaudio S600 has all the necessary features and is under $100, making it a great alternative to Apple’s AirPods Pro. Because of this, they are the most expensive option, but if you value sound quality above all else, you won’t be disappointed.

The S600 is comparable to the AirPods Pro in that it has in-ear detection, active noise cancellation, a transparent mode, and wireless charging. You may personalize touch controls with the TCL companion app. Still, an equalization feature that could compensate for the earphones’ lackluster bass is absent. While the overall mix is pleasing, some may miss the pounding delivered by other earbuds in the store.

We’re struggling to think of anything more wrong with these. Still, there is one little thing: the case is considerably bigger than standard models, and its bulbous, hefty form made it stick out from our pockets more than usual.

Suppose you’re looking for a high-quality alternative to AirPods Pro. In that case, the Moveaudio S600 is your best bet, but only a bit. It offers every practical function we desire at a fair price, though we’re still amazed at what you can buy for less.

Wyze Buds Pro

Never heard of Wyze, have you? The Wyze brand produces several of our favorite inexpensive electrical devices, such as the Wyze Cam, the Wyze Video Doorbell, and the Wyze Noise Cancelling Headphones. We were eager to see how the manufacturer’s Buds Pro stacked against the AirPods Pro.

The result was favorable in most cases. The list of capabilities is excellent; however, some are poorly implemented in the earphones. The Buds Pro perfectly fit our ears and produced excellent sound, so let’s start there. The bass-boost function in the Wyze companion app is a nice touch, allowing us to adjust the volume to our liking. (Most earbuds determine this for you automatically.)

The software also lets you customize your touch-control settings and choose between using your phone’s built-in speech assistant (such as Google Assistant, Siri, etc.) or Amazon’s Alexa.

The latter benefit may sound appealing, but the execution is terrible if you have an iPhone. If you want the feature to operate, you must keep the Alexa app running in the background while also forcibly closing the Wyze app.

While Wyze’s ANC performance was commendable, the much-touted decrease in wind noise was noticeably absent. In our observations, the earphones were no more effective at blocking wind than any other options. Even though we had a hard time extracting them from their carry case, we eventually figured out that the sweet spot for the index finger was just in the middle of the case.

Last but not least, the Buds Pro can only link with a single device at a time, which is disappointing if you frequently move between, for example, a tablet and phone. The S600 from TCL, on the other hand, may have up to ten different devices linked with it.

In a twist of fate, we believe that the Wyze Noise Cancelling Headphones, frequently discounted to a lower price, are a superior product. Yes, it’s a whole different product, but it’s still viable. The Wyze Buds Pro are a respectable substitute for the AirPods Pro, with only a few forgivable drawbacks.

EarFun Air Pro 2

The EarFun Air Pro 2 is an excellent product for the price. The regular price of $90 makes it an incredible deal, and it frequently goes on sale for much less.

It’s unbelievable that ANC-enabled earphones can be purchased for so little money. Our testing showed that this function wasn’t nearly as effective as Apple’s market-leading noise canceling; however, it still does an excellent job of blocking background sounds like jet engines and lawnmowers. The transparent mode is ideal for face-to-face interactions and makes going outside less risky.

Additionally, the earbuds’ feature set includes in-ear recognition and tactile controls. The provided six sets of silicone tips significantly contributed to the tight and pleasant fit we experienced. Finding the right pair might take time and effort, but the results are well worth it.

Surpassing expectations, the headphones may last up to seven hours on a single charge (although EarFun doesn’t specify whether this is with active noise cancellation on or disabled). The Pro 2 can be charged through USB-C or wireless Qi, making it more versatile than the first-generation Air Pro.

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