![]() And personally, I find that cheaper buds consistently have a less attractive design they just look, well, cheap. This can mean a lighter and less bulky feel/look if that’s what you’re into. On the plus side, lower-cost earbuds are usually smaller since they have less to pack in. Nor Gal/Īs for the design of budget earbuds, they, too, are made of lower-quality components think lower-grade plastic housing, smaller drivers, lower-quality microphones, and less-responsive button controls. Do be aware, though, that if a case has an attached cable and it breaks, you’re out of luck. This shouldn’t be a dealbreaker, but you should note that it’ll take much longer for your earbuds to finish charging and that you’ll need to add yet another cable to your tech setup to charge it. ![]() While those are far cheaper for manufacturers to implement, they aren’t as efficient. Many inexpensive buds opt for older standards there, like USB-A or even micro-USB (oof) some brands even create cases with the charging cable built in, like the JLAB’s I picked up for this article. Most even support Qi wireless charging and have a quick charge feature, too! That’s the same type of connector you’re likely to find on your smartphones, tablets, and even laptops, meaning you’ll only need to tote one charging cable around. ![]() Pretty much all premium buds use USB-C, a newer standard that can charge faster and at a higher wattage. The most common difference, however, is probably with the charging port. These cases will have more give when you squeeze them and will likely have much lower IP ratings, meaning they may not hold up as well over time when you put them in your pocket or gym bag, or get sweat or rain on them. Cases for budget buds are almost always made from lightweight mid-grade plastic that won’t feel as durable as their pricier counterparts. When comparing the design of cheap versus expensive earbuds, what are the real differences? Let’s start with the charging case. ![]() Here’s how they stack up: Case & Earbud Design I also took an in-depth look at dozens of other earbuds around that same price. I was immensely curious to learn how sub-$20 earbuds stood up against those from other price points, so I went to my local Best Buy and picked up a pair of inexpensive true wireless buds- JLAB’s Go Air Pops-for about $18. Do they sound good? Are they comfortable enough to wear all day? How’s their battery life? Do they have a companion mobile app that’ll let me customize stuff? Kevin Bonnett I spend a lot of my time with great earbuds in my ears, shouting from the rooftops about how great they are, and it got me wondering, what do today’s cheap earbuds have to offer? We’re talking earbuds you can grab at the checkout line at Best Buy or 7-11 as an impulse-buy cheap. Mid-range and higher price points (starting around $150) net you things like higher-quality hardware components, robust customization for EQ and other settings, and fantastic active noise cancellation. For the most part, you get what you pay for with earbuds. Now, after spending years professionally testing a variety of earbuds and headphones (cheap and pro-level alike), I’ve seen precisely what kind of features and audio quality you can get at all price points. Those flimsy plastic headphones grew incrementally better year by year, and I always looked forward to getting my next pair for Christmas to see what they had to offer. You know, the ones that came with the cheapest portable CD players, that were super ugly and uncomfortable? And even though those often struggled to sound good (or, heck, even decent), I kinda grew attached to them. Growing up, I always had a pair of ultra-cheap headphones.
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