For most people, the Skullcandy Sesh Evo True Wireless In-Ear Earbuds are a great budget pick. They have 24 hours of battery life—five hours per charge and 19 hours from the charging case. They also include built-in Tile functionality, a variety of colors, and the ability to use one bud at a time. The best budget earbuds are great for grabbing and going, no matter where you’re headed. If they get a little worn out or run down, they don’t cost enough to fret about. But they still give you good audio without taking up too much space in your bag. Here are our best picks. The buds come in five different colors to match your style. They don’t automatically pause when you remove them from your ears, but you can otherwise control your music and podcasts with the touchpads on the buds. You can adjust volume, skip tracks, and answer calls without having to touch your phone. All that adds up to a great true wireless stereo experience, which is why they’re our top pick. Type: True wireless | Connection Type: Bluetooth | ANC: No | Water/Sweat Resistant: Yes (IP55) These headphones are also very comfortable, so you can wear them for extended workouts if needed. When you’re not wearing them, they come with a convenient round case for storage. The earbuds have decent battery life at around seven hours of use, and they’re slow to charge, taking around 90 minutes through the micro USB port. It’s not terrible, but many other earbuds charge faster. Overall, these headphones are a great price and are IPX7 waterproof, meaning they can survive up to one meter of water for up to 30 minutes. That’s handy if you’re a heavy sweater or if you work out around a pool. Type: Wireless | Connection Type: Bluetooth | ANC: No | Water/Sweat Resistant: Yes (IPX7) The earbuds sound good, but there isn’t much bass. If you’re listening to anything with pounding bass, they might disappoint. You also get splash protection with these buds, but not water or sweat resistance, so be sure to dry them off if they get wet. The T21’s design is atypical. They go in your ear canal but have a stem that sticks out for the antennae. Some ears will be fine with this, others will not. There’s no way to tell except to try them on for yourself. If they fit, they’ll last you a long time. If not, AUKEY has a great return policy and customer service. Type: True wireless | Connection Type: Bluetooth | ANC: No | Water/Sweat Resistant: Yes (IPX4) They plug into the Lightning jack on the bottom of your iPhone or iPad and provide great sound. Of course, that also limits these earbuds. You can use them only with an iPhone or iPad that has a Lightning port. Other devices need not apply. The EarPods’ design lets them hook onto your ear, but don’t enter the ear canal, leading to poor noise isolation. Overall, if you like the look and feel of the original EarPods, these are your best bet. Type: Wired | Connection Type: Lightning cable | ANC: No | Water/Sweat Resistant: No The headphone jack is set at a 90-degree angle for convenient plugging in while in a pocket. Plus, the cable is flat, meaning it’s designed to remain tangle-free. The cable has a good length, an inline remote, and four sets of ear tips for a great seal in your ear. But mainly you’ll buy these earbuds for the bass. Type: Wired | Connection Type: 3.5mm jack | ANC: No | Water/Sweat Resistant: No The earbuds have really good sound, but the microphones are not the best. Callers said they sometimes had a hard time hearing the wearer while on phone calls. Also, the earbuds are touch-sensitive and allow you to adjust tracks and volume, but the sequences are complicated. It’s hard to remember that one tap does this, but two taps do this, and three taps do something else. But overall, the novelty and ANC are reasons you should pick up these earbuds. Type: True Wireless | Connection Type: Bluetooth | ANC: Yes | Water/Sweat Resistant: Yes (IPX7)
Battery Life
A big concern when it comes to headphones is battery life. This isn’t a concern for wired earbuds, but wireless earbuds need a charge to work. Longer is always better in this case, but also pay attention to how they charge. Do you want to carry around an extra charging case or would you prefer to just plug them in?
Extras
Just because you’re shopping on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t be picky about getting a little more. Look for things like active noise cancellation, or a good waterproof rating. The WSHDZ headphones case has a USB-A plug to charge your phone. Little extras like this can make a good buy into a great buy. Stretch that dollar as far as you can!
About Our Trusted Experts
Adam Doud has written in the technology space for almost a decade. When he’s not hosting the Benefit of the Doud podcast, he’s playing with the latest phones, tablets, and laptops. When not working, he’s a cyclist, geocacher, and spends as much time outside as he can. Yoona Wagener has a background in content and technical writing. She has written for BigTime Software, Idealist Careers, and other small tech companies. Tobey Grumet has been a writer and editor for 25 years. She spent eight years as the first female Technology Editor at Popular Mechanics. These days, she works as a full-time freelance writer.
