How on earth are the JLab JBuds Mini so small? Seriously, the earbuds are 30% smaller than the Go Air Pop before them and the case is 50% smaller. Next to any other earbud I can think of, they're teeny. Potentially the smallest around, it's safe to say storage isn't an issue, unless you're worried about losing them given their slight and non-existent heft. JLab has thought of that though by adding a keyring to the side so you can easily attach them to your keys ensuring you'll never miss out on having earbuds on your person. 

None of this would matter if the JLab JBuds Mini were pretty ropey but they're actually great for the price. Costing just $39.99 / £39.99, they'll suit every budget. Cheap and tiny, the JLab JBuds Mini still pack a fair bit in. While codec support is a little limited, there's Bluetooth Multipoint connectivity, the JLab app to help you tweak some settings, and a Be Aware mode that makes up for the lack of true ANC. 

They're IP55 rated which will be handy for those sweaty days. A quick charge function could be better with 15 minutes giving back only an hour of play, but with 20 hours overall via the (did we mention it's tiny?) charging case means that'll rarely be an issue.

The JLab JBuds Mini are really quite cute yet potent, easily vying for a place among the best budget wireless earbuds. They fit in your ears perfectly and all we could really hope for is options that would match skin tone accurately, as no one would notice you wearing them if so. 

JLab JBuds Mini review: price and release date

• Released in September 2023
• Priced at $39.99 / £39.99

The JLab JBuds Mini was released in September 2023 for $39.99/£39.99. Currently available across Europe, the UK and the USA, they're affordable across the board.

The earphones are available in five colors – black, aqua teal, pink, mint green and sage gray. Count on the fairly ordinary looking black to be first to see a discount. 

JLab is competing among itself for rivals with the JLab Go Air Pop hanging around at just $20 / £20 but being a little older and a little bigger than the JLab JBuds Mini. There's always the pricier EarFun Air Pro 3 too if you need ANC although the buds are certainly a lot bulkier.

JLab JBuds Mini review: specs

JLab JBuds Mini review: features

• Multipoint support 
• Great app
• Be Aware mode 

The JLab JBuds Mini are so small that you'd almost expect them to have nothing going for them. However, JLab has squeezed a fair amount in for cheap earbuds. Notably, it's always good to see Multipoint support so you can connect two devices at once – something that pricier earbuds can still lack. 

At all times, it's simple to just keep to using one earbud if you prefer, while the Be Aware mode provides you with a bit more of an ability to hear what's going on around you, such as if you need to listen out for traffic. There's no ANC here but the passive noise isolation is better than you'd think for earbuds of this size and price, presumably because they're such a nice and snug fit in your ear. 

Via the JLab app, you can make some adjustments to the EQ with a choice of presets as well as the option to make changes for yourself. Out of the box, you won't instantly find yourself in need but we'll get into that later.

With no issue with connectivity, it always felt like the JLab JBuds Mini were ready even when I just need one earbud by my metaphorical side. It's those little things that mean you're more likely to grab the JLab JBuds Mini, even when there are alternatives nearby.

Features score: 4 / 5

JLab JBuds Mini review: battery life

• Up to 5.5 hours through the earbuds and up to 20 hours including the case
• 15 minutes charge gives back an hour  

The JLab JBuds Mini is pretty typical for your average pair of earbuds but that means it's better than you'd think for the size. You'll get about 5.5 hours from one charge with 20 once you factor in the charging case.

There's also quick charge support although it's a little weak. A 15 minute charge gives back an hour. That's ok but it's far from special even if it could get you out of a jam.

Battery life score: 4 / 5

JLab JBuds Mini review: sound quality

• Adjustable EQ
• Strong noise isolation 
• Vibrant beats

The JLab JBuds Mini block out sound far better than you'd anticipate given their size and price. While you'll still hear traffic as you walk past, it isn't as all encompassing as with other weaker earbuds. There's still room to enjoy your music with the JLab JBuds Mini being suitably vibrant at all times. 

There's the app's EQ for getting things just how you like them but out of the box, the JLab JBuds Mini sound pretty good. While bass could be stronger in an ideal world, it's all still pretty lively with a wider soundstage than anyone could have seen coming here. 

The JLab JBuds Mini use standard codecs so it's all good for your usual streaming services, but there's no aptX or LDAC support. 

Still, vocals are clear at all times while there's a reasonable crisp quality to ballads like Harry Styles' Sign of the Times. It's a weaker story when switching to something dance heavy like I'm Good (Blue) by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha, but you'll still enjoy it. 

Sound quality score: 4 /5 

JLab JBuds Mini review: design

• So small 
• Keyring accessory 
• Touch-sensitive surface on buds

We've mentioned it a lot but the JLab JBuds Mini are supremely small. They come with a keyring attachment and the case is a perfect fit next to your keys. As someone who hates to forget their earbuds, this is ideal for avoiding the peskiness of hearing my surrounding environment when I don't want to.

The earbuds are small too, of course, but not so small that you'll worry. They fit snugly in your ears and even during a run, there was no wobble factor here. The earbuds are sufficiently comfy that your ears won't ache during extended periods of use either.

Controls are a little tetchy. With not much room on the bud, it's very easy to accidentally mistap when adjusting them in one's ear. On the other hand, no one likes to have awkward controls so this is a tricky one to complain about or applaud too. 

Design score: 4 /5 

JLab JBuds Mini review: value

• Well priced 
• Plenty of good features 

The JLab JBuds Mini might have a plasticky case but it suits their style. More importantly, they're cheap yet have many of the key features you could want. 

The main competition comes from JLab's previous small earbuds – the Go Air Pop with most other rivals like the EarFun Air Pro 3 and the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 proving much bulkier.

Value score: 4 /5 

Should I buy the JLab JBuds Mini?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

JLab JBuds Mini review: also consider

How I tested the JLab JBuds Mini

• Tested for one week 
• Used outside and around the home, in both noisy and quiet environments
• 10 years of audio reviewing experience 

Swapping my regular earbuds for the JLab JBuds Mini, I solely used them for a period of just over a week. They were part of my daily morning walk where I walked among quiet areas and noisier traffic-filled parts of suburbia. I also used them while running to check the fit was snug and correct.

Around the house, I used them while completing housework and also for quieter times in the evening to relax.

I listened to a mixture of modern and older music, as well as many podcasts. These were all through Apple Music, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. I also watched a few YouTube videos thanks to the JLab JBuds Mini's multipoint feature simplifying the process.

Over the past ten years, I've reviewed dozens of speakers, headphones, and earbuds. These have covered a wide range of price ranges and I'm always pleasantly surprised when cheap can defeat expensive options.

• First reviewed: October 2023
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Tranya is a relatively new audio tech brand that has brought out several different types of true wireless and sports earbuds over the years. Its latest flagship buds are the Tranya Nova, a budget pair of noise-cancelling earbuds that promise an exceptional and immersive listening experience.  

During testing, I found they delivered on that claim. They’re certainly not audiophile-grade, and are light on features compared to higher-priced rivals. But for your money, you’ll get a pair of buds I would go as far to describe as reliable because you’ve got all the basics. The sound here is good, the ANC is impressive for the price, the fit is comfortable, the battery life is better than most rivals, and the buds themselves may look a little cheap but they’re minimal and unobtrusive. 

The problem is that the Tranya Nova enter a crowded marketplace. Not just because there are so many of the best true wireless earbuds to choose from these days, but because there are lots catering to this specific price point that sits somewhere between budget and mid-range. 

This doesn’t take away from the fact that the Tranya Nova are a solid choice if you’re looking for an affordable pair of true wireless earbuds, but it does mean you’ll find plenty of other options that may have several better features, slightly improved specs and even a cheaper price tag. 

Tranya Nova review: price and release date

• Released in June 2023
• Available to buy at $79.99 / £79.99

The Tranya Nova earbuds were released in June 2023 and cost $79.99 / £79.99. On the Tranya website, the official price is $99 (there’s no pricing for other territories, as far as we can tell) but you’ll find the $79.99 / £79.99 price on Amazon, which seems to be consistent. 

At under $80 / £80, we’d class the Tranya Nova as a pair of budget true wireless earbuds, inching into the mid-range category. In this same price bracket there’s a lot of competition. In our best budget wireless earbuds guide, there are similar buds, like the EarFun Air Pro 3, which are also available for $79 / £79. 

There are also much cheaper buds, like the JLab Go Air Pop at $20 / £20, but they do deliver less accomplished audio. In comparison, at the higher end of the budget category there’s the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus costing $139.95 / £119.95, although we did rate the audio on offer from those buds incredibly highly. 

They’re just several examples, but the upshot here is that competition is fierce in this category of the best earbuds and you usually have to sacrifice a certain feature or sound quality if you want a more affordable price. 

Tranya Nova review: specs

Tranya Nova review: features

• Multi-point pairing
• Nice EQ in the app
• Good battery life

The Tranya Nova earbuds aren’t packed with features, but you’ve got everything here you’d want from a budget pair of buds. 

This includes an easy-to-use app with settings you can tweak, like an EQ with presets as well as a custom profile you can create. As well as touch controls on the buds themselves that you can customize, too, choosing from a range of taps and different functions, like play-pause, volume up/down, previous/next track, voice assistant, game mode and ANC mode.

It’s in the app that you can check on the battery levels of the buds, select from three ANC modes (on, off and ambient sound), as well as switch on a game mode, which brings you 40ms low-latency. 

A nice feature that we wouldn’t always expect from budget buds is multi-point pairing, allowing you to connect the Tranya Nova to two different audio source devices. I found this worked well during my testing, allowing me to move between playing audio from my laptop and then from my iPhone. 

Battery life here is impressive compared to most other buds in this category. You’ll get 36 hours of playtime in total from the charging case and nine hours from the buds themselves. 

To add a bit of context, the JBL Live Pro 2, which I think they’re most similar to, have 10 hours in the buds and 30 in the case. But most other budget buds, like the Sony WF-C700N, offer seven and a half hours from the buds and only 15 hours from the case, which seems to be the norm at this level. 

Features score: 4/5

Tranya Nova review: sound quality

• Good bass 
• Call quality is decent 
• An expansive and enjoyable listen

I keep my expectations low when I’m testing a budget pair of buds, but I was generally impressed with the performance of the Tranya Nova earbuds – at least for this price.  

The bass was decent, if a little fuzzy at times with particularly bass-heavy tracks. I really enjoyed listening to No One Loves Me and Neither Do I from Them Crooked Vultures, a track with some meaty bass that these buds just about did justice to. As well as vocals and highs that sounded crisp rather than tinny – a common complaint with similar buds. 

There’s a decent balance across the whole range here and a soundstage that, again, I’d say is broad for the price – although with the volume turned up high things started to get just a little muddy. Audiophiles will be looking for more clarity, detail and richness, but you’ll likely only find that with higher-priced buds or buds a little more expensive with standout audio performance, like the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus. Having said all that, the majority of people will be happy with these buds, especially considering you can tweak the EQ a little in the app if you really want to. 

Considering these are budget buds, the noise-cancelling was pretty impressive. I think this is both a testament to the buds and the fact I got a really great fit from the ear tips (more on that soon). It’s the kind of noise-cancellation that didn’t block out the sound of a barking dog in the street or loud laughter next to me in a cafe, but did wipe out ambient traffic sounds and the low hum of a fan – the level I’d expect at this price. 

Sound quality score: 3.5/5

Tranya Nova review: design

• A light, plasticky feel to them
• Comfortable 
• IPX5 rating

The Tranya Nova earbuds are plain and minimal. They have the stem design that’s become the norm since Apple released its AirPods. In the past I’ve found some stem earbuds stick out from my ears too much, but these were an ideal length. 

They’re made from plastic and have quite a cheap feel to them, but I like that as it means they’re light. Unlike a lot of other buds, they don’t come in black but a deep blue that Tranya calls ‘midnight’. 

They come with three different ear tips. Maybe I got lucky with the way the smallest tips fit my ears, but I found them incredibly comfortable and they created a great seal for the ANC to perform its magic. Like most buds at this price point, I did start to feel them a little after an hour or so of wear – they’re certainly not the most comfortable buds I’ve tried – but that’s to be expected. 

There’s IPX5 waterproofing here, which means they’ll withstand the most sweaty workout. This is good news considering they’re comfortable and stable buds, they fared well when I took them jogging in very windy conditions. 

They come with a small, shiny charging case with a pill box design that’s pretty typical. However, the high shine finish on the outside was prone to fingerprint smudging, although that’s hardly a dealbreaker. 

Design score: 4/5

Tranya Nova review: Value

• Good value for the range of specs and features
• Competitively priced compared to rivals
• Not special, but a solid pair of budget buds

For the range of specs and features on offer and the solid performance and battery life, these are great value buds and I enjoyed using them. 

Yes, there’s a lot of competition and several other buds from different brands perform just as well at a similar price. But that shouldn’t distract from the fact these are a solid pair of buds that should keep most people happy – especially anyone on a budget, those trying true wireless buds for the first time or anyone not fussed about the highest quality sound.

Value score: 5/5

Should I buy the Tranya Nova?

Buy them if...

Don’t buy them if…

Tranya Nova review: Also consider

How I tested the Tranya Nova

• Tested over two weeks
• With an iPhone 14 Pro
• A mix of Spotify and Tidal with some movies on my too

I tested the Tranya Nova earbuds over the course of two weeks in a range of environments, including working at a busy coffee shop and in a silent library, as I took a walk along the beach and through a crowded city and everywhere in-between. This gave me a great opportunity to put the ANC and comfort of the buds to the ultimate test. 

I used an iPhone 14 Pro with the earbuds for the most part, switching between Spotify and Tidal as my streaming services of choice. I also paired the buds with my MacBook Air while I was catching up on Apple TV’s Foundation series. 

I’ve had more than 12 years experience testing tech, especially devices you wear, from health and fitness trackers to VR headsets. Over the past few years I’ve been particularly focusing on audio tech, especially devices that fall into the same affordable but accomplished category as the Tranya Novas, so I have a lot of experience with similar buds to inform this review. 

• First reviewed: September 2023
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

1More Penta Driver P50 review: two minute review

Wireless earbuds are incredibly popular, but plenty of people still rate the listening experience of wired headphones, like the 1More Penta Driver P50 earbuds. That’s why those looking for the best sonic sound tend to choose wired options.

They are a premium version of the brand’s Triple Drivers. They’re wired earbuds that fit into your ears, but they have an unusual over-ear design. It takes some getting used to, but the payoff is worth it. Thanks to the design and a range of eartips, these buds are comfortable, stay secure and offer great noise isolation. 

They sound impressive, too. Each earbud is packed with five drivers – this isn’t unheard of, but rivals like the Sennheiser IE 300 only have one – and the audio quality is balanced, powerful and impressive at this price. 

As well as a range of foam and rubber eartips to choose from, you get a USB-C adapter (sorry iPhone users, you’ll need to buy a lightning adapter yourself), as well as a carry case – although I didn’t use it much during testing because it didn’t seem convenient. 

The cable that the buds are attached to can be replaced, which is good news if it breaks or you simply prefer switching it out for something else. There’s also an in-line remote for the basics, which has a built-in mic. 

The 1More Penta Driver P50 earbuds aren’t going to appeal to anyone who’s tempted by true wireless. You also won’t find a dedicated app or fancy features here. But if you want a dependable, comfortable and unique-looking pair of buds that sound far better than they should for this price, they’re well worth considering.  

If you want the best wired headphones in an earbud design, there are only a handful of great-sounding choices. The Sennheiser IE 300 buds are our top picks, and we’ve long sung the praises of the budget 1More Triple Driver earphones so the Penta Driver P50 earbuds are a great new entry to the lineup. 

1More Penta Driver P50 review: price and release date

• Released in August 2023
• Available for $169.99 / £169.99 / AU$326.75

The 1More Penta Driver P50 earbuds were released in late summer 2023 and cost $169.99/£169.99, which works out at around AU$326.75. At this price, these buds are far from budget. But for the quality of the sound and the design, we think they’re good value. 

Compared to 1More’s other great wired earbuds, the 1More Triple Driver earbuds at $89.99/£89.99, they’re significantly more expensive. But they’re meant to be a premium offering, so the step up in price makes sense. 

Instead, it might be more accurate to compare the 1More Penta Driver P50 buds to rivals like the Sennheiser IE 300, which cost $299 / £259 / AU$479. These are cabled in-ear monitors (IEMs) that offer a solid entry into the hi-fi world at a reasonable price for the category.

The 1More Penta Driver P50 might not sound quite as refined as Sennheiser’s offering, but if $299 / £259 / AU$479 sounds way out of your budget and yet you still want power and hi-res performance, they’re a more affordable choice.

Then again, the Sennheiser IE 300 only have one driver and the 1More Penta Driver P50 boast five. Although more drivers doesn’t necessarily mean better sound (it’s a little more complex than that), compared to rivals with the same amount, like the Westone Audio Pro X50 IEM Earphones ($649.99/about £524), they’re much more affordable.

1More Penta Driver P50 review: specs

1More Penta Driver P50 review: features

• 1.25m cable
• MMCX connectors
• Comes with a USB-C adapter

Because the 1More Penta Driver P50 earbuds are wired and have a fairly simple offering, you won’t find the high-end or fancy features here you might expect from a pair of the best true wireless earbuds, like an app or customizable settings. But what you do get in the box with the buds is pretty impressive. 

A 1.25m cable attaches the buds to your audio source device. 1More says that this is made from silver-plated and oxygen-free copper with durable rubber on the exterior. Despite the materials here being premium, I thought it felt a little cheap. I’d have preferred a fabric or braided option. Then again, there are gold-plated MMCX connectors here that enable you to switch it out if it breaks or you’d just prefer to replace it with another. 

Attached to the cable there’s an in-line remote with three buttons. So you can play/pause, skip tracks and change volume with it. That’s also where a built-in mic lives, which we found works well on calls. At the end of the cable there’s a gold-plated 3.5mm headphone connector, but there’s a USB-C adapter included – sorry iPhone owners, you’ll need to get a lightning cable adapter. 

The headphones also come with a small, fabric carrying pouch but I didn’t find it very useful and wasn’t keen on the shiny material either. 

Features score: 4/5

1More Penta Driver P50 review: sound quality

• 1 dynamic driver and 4 planar units
• Solid bass and lots of clarity
• Certified for High-res

It’s no wonder the 1More Penta Driver P50 earbuds deliver excellent sound because specs-wise they’re impressive. In each bud there’s a a diamond-like carbon (DLC) dynamic driver and four balanced armature drivers (planar diaphragm units). The buds cater to the 20Hz to 40kHz frequency range. They’re also certified for High-res, which means with the right track they perform incredibly well. I could hear every shred of detail during testing with Tidal Masters. 

Overall, I’d describe the sound on offer here as impressively detailed. There’s an expansive soundstage, too, which feels quite immersive, as if it’s coming at my ears from all directions. This was probably helped by the secure fit, which meant there was solid noise isolation. I noticed a good balance across the range and was most impressed that the same clarity continued across the highs – tracks never sounded too tinny or sharp. 

I wasn’t expecting to be so pleased by the bass, these are small in-ears after all. I listened to several of my favorite thumping tracks, like Black Orchid by The White Stripes, and the bass was noticeable to the point of sounding boosted. Purists might not like that, but for me it made an enjoyable listen. 

For the best possible listen, I’d definitely recommend pairing them with one of the best portable DACs or best hi-res audio players.

Sound quality score: 4.5/5

1More Penta Driver P50 review: design

• Unusual over-ear design
• Great selection of ear tips
• Very comfortable once you get the hang of them

The 1More Penta Driver P50 earbuds have a unique design. It’s a little like the earhook-style of buds like the Beats Powerbeats Pro, but there’s no moulded hook. Instead, you put the buds into your ears, then the cable goes over and behind your ear. This tucks the wire out of the way and means there’s better weight distribution and less likelihood they’ll come loose or fall out. 

However, as much as I got on with this design, it did take some getting used to. For the first few days of testing I had to fiddle with them when I wanted to use them, but I’m glad I persevered.

There’s a great selection of ear tips on offer. Some are made from a soft rubber, others from a soft silicone. I chose the smaller foam options and found they fit my ears perfectly, providing that all-important noise isolation.

The buds are made from aluminium and have a shiny, glittering exterior and a little 1More logo on them. These small touches and the unusual design contribute to these being a stylish-looking pair of buds. Although they’re not the smallest earbuds, at 21g they’re surprisingly dinky, especially when you learn they’re packed with five drivers.

Design score: 4/5

1More Penta Driver P50 review: value

• Solid built that will last
• Secure and comfortable fit
• Sound better than they should at this price

With great sound, a solid build, secure design and powerful performance, the 1More Penta Driver P50 earbuds are good value. I particularly like the fact the cable is replaceable, meaning there’s likely going to be a longer lifespan here compared to rivals.

If you want high quality audio and don’t want to worry about battery life, or just prefer wired headphones for whatever reason, the 1More Penta Driver P50 are a solid option in our books. Especially considering you’d have to pay significantly more for the same sound, comfort and amount of drivers. Yes, there are much cheaper buds on the market, but none that tick all of the boxes like these do.

Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the 1More Penta Driver P50?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

1More Penta Driver P50 review: also consider

How I tested the 1More Penta Driver P50

• Used the 1More Penta Driver P50 for two weeks
• Tested with an iPhone 14 Pro
• Used a mixture of Spotify and Tidal

I used the 1More Penta Driver P50 earbuds for two weeks across a range of scenarios, from working quietly at home to working out at the gym to taking an international flight. This was a good opportunity to put both comfort and stability, as well as noise isolation to the test. I’m happy to say they performed incredibly well on all fronts – much better than I was expecting.

I used an iPhone 14 Pro for testing and often used Spotify given I know it’s such a popular music streaming service. However, I tested with Tidal too in order to ensure these buds performed as well as I was expecting with HiRes FLAC tracks. 

How we test: Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

First reviewed: September 2023

Editor's Note

• Original review date: September 2022
• Launch price: $79 / £79 / AU$129
• Official price now: $59 / £49 / AU$129

Update: February 2024. We still love the Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW a lot, but the world of the best budget earbuds has become way hotter since their launch. The price cut in the US and UK helps them a lot, but you've now got products like the Earfun Air Pro 3 offering pretty advanced features including next-gen Bluetooth and active noise cancellation for a dangerously similar price to this. However, these don't have the hi-fi audio prowess of the Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW, nor do they have the cool, stand-out-from-the-crowd design and color options of these buds. So we will happily still recommend these to you strongly is sound is your priority in particular, but if you want other features too, you can get them elsewhere. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW: two-minute review

Damn, the Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW wireless earbuds are too cool for school. These cute-but-cubist buds have been stealing hearts at a fee that'll have you smitten for all the right reasons – and having heard them, we simply have to bring them to your attention.

Will the Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW soon find a rightful spot among the best budget wireless earbuds we've tested? Heck yes. And actually, they're good enough to crash our best wireless earbuds guide too – because the excellent sound here warrants the recommendation regardless of price.

Audio-Technica is now 60 years old and the Tokyo-based audio specialist has been a legendary name in vinyl for well over half a century. To snap up these inexpensive earbuds is to buy into that history, in the coolest way. These earbuds don't scream about their sonic chops – they don't have to, but they are worthy of their heritage.

Let's express the sentiment in Prince lyrics shall we? In Style, His Royal Badness remarked, "Style is not lusting after someone because they're cool. Style is loving yourself until everyone else does too".

See, what we're trying to express is that the ATH-SQ1TW are clear proof that Audio-Technica is loving Audio-Technica right now. The company has not tried to emulate any other earbuds, or indeed any competing audio brand. The company has paid the cost to be the boss for over 60 years, and it shows in this little, unassuming, winning pair of earphones.

They're available in no fewer than six delicious-sounding colorways (Caramel, Popsicle, Cupcake, Blueberry, Liquorice and Popcorn – try that for size, ice-white-only AirPods) and you're getting Bluetooth 5.0, 20 hours of battery, a beautiful product that fits comfortably, on-ear controls that work well (including volume) plus a low-latency mode, a hear-through function and a sound that's more expansive, clearer and generally better than anything else you can buy for this money.

As long as a lack of companion app and active noise cancellation aren't deal-breakers, these inexpensive earbuds should be on your list.

Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW: price & release date

• $79 / £79 / AU$129
• Released: December 1, 2021

Although they started at a very affordable price anyway, you can now cut the cost further while cutting a dash in these Audio-Technica earbuds, provided you know where to look. 

We've seen the ATH-SQ1TW discounted by £20 in the UK at times, and up to AU$40 across certain Australian online retailers, meaning their price has dropped to as low as AU$89 – and they truly are a steal for that kind of money. 

But wherever you live, know that the price here is shockingly low when you feel how high quality they are when holding them in your hand – and even more so upon placing them into your ears and firing up your music. 

Perhaps you want to buy something small for the vinyl-lover in your life – something that isn't actual vinyl? Gift these little buds and watch their faces light up at the recognition of the branding. Now that is priceless…

Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW: features

• Bluetooth 5.0 and a classy build quality
• Useful hear-through function
• On-ear volume control 

Not content with adding unabashed style to your wallet-friendly wireless listening experience, the ATH-SQ1TW offer exclusive 5.8mm drivers plus an "IPX4-equivalent" splashproof design and plenty of user-friendly features. 

As is now the norm, the headphones automatically turn on when they are removed from the case, then power down and begin charging when you pop them back in. But place them in your ears from the case and the buds announce their battery level and connectivity status, which is a reassuringly high-end touch at this budget level. Tap an earpiece and a voice will say "play", "pause" or the like too, which keeps you in the loop. There's also dual connectivity onboard so you can connect to your laptop and phone at the same time, say. 

The touch controls on the earbuds work extremely well during our testing, enabling you to handle music playback (using the right earpiece), answer calls, and crucially adjust the volume directly from the earphones (via the left bud). Furthermore, long-pressing the left earpiece initiates and cancels the low-latency mode (to make sure the action matches the sound when playing games on your phone, or when watching with a Bluetooth-enabled TV), while long-pressing the right deploys and nixes the hear-through function, which filters in external noises but refreshingly, without bus engines and the like coming off tinny or distorting the quality of your music. 

And there's even a relatively effective Sidetone function, thanks to the mic nestled in each earpiece, which lets you tweak the volume of your own voice by tapping the left earpiece during calls – which we found to be clear and rock solid. 

Google Fast Pair is also onboard, for one-touch pairing with Android devices, and you can enjoy up to 6.5 hours of use with the headphones fully charged plus an additional 13 hours of juice from the charging case, for a total of 19.5 hours.

Charging for just 15 minutes (or thereabouts) with the USB-C charger provides around 60 minutes of continuous playback too, although the case doesn't support wireless charging. 

What you're not getting is active noise cancellation or a companion app, but at this level (and thanks to the impressive levels of passive isolation provided by the buds), we don't miss these perks. In the budget space, the feature-set here represents a sensible decision from Audio-Technica. We imagine the brief was to focus on the basics and do them well – which is exactly what has been achieved. 

Perhaps the only thing we might have hoped for which isn't here is auto-off wearer detection, but honestly, the ATH-SQ1TW are so likeable it's hardly a big deal. 

• Features score: 4.5/5

Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW: sound quality

• Excellent separation and clarity
• Energetic, zealous listen
• Pleasingly musical across the frequencies 

These earbuds, though… you're not getting aptX HD, LDAC or hifalutin’ higher-res codecs, but what you are getting is an agile, zealous, musically pleasing performance across the frequencies. As with the aesthetic, the sound here is what Londoners might call 'a bit of all right'; a door to good old fashioned rock 'n' roll but in a neat true wireless package. 

Any serious comparison between these $80 in-ears and class-leading products from the likes of Sony, Apple, Bose or Sennheiser is more than a little unjust – and there simply isn't much serious competition at that price, but step up to the $100/£100 Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus and the sound is comparable for detail, clarity and neutrality – and that's huge considering these earbuds are the class-leaders at the level. 

We actually found that what the Audio-Technicas lacked in precision and timing when it came to cohesion (which was a very minor shortfall) they made up for in energy and good old fashioned fun, in direct comparison. Again, the shortfall is small, and it simply shouldn't be – not here, where a $20 surcharge typically nets you huge gains. For agility and fun, we actually find ourselves selecting the Audio-Technicas across the course of our listening. 

Stream Perfume Genius' On the Floor on Tidal and the complex intro comes through with such detail that we're noting treble elements in our right ear we never picked up before. A female backing vocal is easily perceptible and impactful – delivered with the kind of insight that lesser earbuds at this money cannot begin to dish up. The rallentando (slowing down; yes, we know big words) is also expertly handled and the strings sound three-dimensional and layered in an expansive soundstage.  

Switch to Aerosmith's Dream On, and Steven Tyler's keyed chords, conceived while lying beneath his dad's piano as a three-year-old and listening to him play classical music (completed when Steven was 14 years old) are emotive and given ample space within the mix to shine. 

What these earbuds are not is shy or reticent, in any way. If a recording is less than refined, you're getting that with no holds barred – which means they'll shine a light on your chosen streaming services, bands and vocalists in ways you may not have heard before. Give them your music and they'll celebrate it to the best of their plucky little ability – and we have to say we're big fans. 

• Sound quality score: 5/5

Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW: design

• Available in six mouth-watering foodie colorways
• Beautifully cubist design 
• Earpiece weighs just 5.2g

Let's start with the earbuds themselves. They're small and light, at 5.2g, and although JLab's $20 Go Air Pop weigh just 3.7g per earpiece (the bijou Sony LinkBuds S come in at 4.8g per bud) they will suit practically all human ears. They certainly suit our smaller ear canals, and with a total of four different-sized ear tips provided (which is one more than may offer) they almost certainly will work for you too. 

The design of these earpieces really is quite lovely, with LED Bluetooth connectivity lights illuminating little 'L' and 'R' cutouts in the top corner of each bud so you won't have to stare at them to work out which is which. Put them in, twist to lock, and you're away. 

The ATH-SQ1TW's diddy case is similarly beautiful in a minimalist but unique way. Audio-Technica hasn't given a hoot about what Apple might be doing with its toothbrush-head shaped earphones. This is Audio-Technica's solution, all squares, the triangle-within-a-circle branding, and colorful accents. Our sample is black 'Liquorice', but we particularly love the 'Popsicle' colorway. The case snaps shut reassuringly like a suitcase (rather than a backpack) and it charges via USB-C. 

A quick jolt of just 15 minutes will provide around 60 minutes of continuous playback if you're in a rush, but the whole thing will charge fully in two hours to provide a total of 20 hours of playtime – 6.5 hours from the buds and 13.5 hours of stamina in the case. 

All in all, the intrinsic beauty of this little product should not be understated. In a sea of AirPods impersonators, Audio-Technica has gone for something a bit different – and different can be good. 

• Design score: 5/5

Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW: value

• Excellent connectivity and comfort for $79
• Easily betters anything else at this price for sound and features
• No companion app

For $79 / £79 / AU$129, Audio-Technica's ATH-SQ1TW represent exceptionally good value. Despite the lack of a companion app or active noise cancellation, you get an impressively accurate set of features all handled by the reliable on-ear controls. And the sound is good. 

For build, battery life and feature set at this budget level, Audio-Technica's decisions here are all spot on. These earbuds are a worthy tribute to everything Audio-Technica has done to date within the music industry, which is probably the biggest compliment we could possibly pay them. 

These earbuds are not even a tiny bit unreliable (as you'd be forgiven for expecting, given their $80 asking fee) and if you want the best ice-cold sonic chops you can get for $80, you've found it. 

• Value score: 4.5/5

Should you buy Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW?

Buy them if…

Don't buy them if…

Also consider

Think the Audio-Technica ATH-SQ1TW might not be the true wireless earbuds for you? That's cool, here are three alternatives that could offer just the design, feature-set and sound quality you're looking for. 

• First reviewed: September 2022
• How we test: explore TechRadar's review guarantee

Editor's note: January 2024

• Original review date: June 2021
• Newer Sony WH-1000XM5 now out
• Launch price: $279 / £250 / AU$449.95
• Official price now: $199 / £199 / $359

Even three years after their launch, we still rate the Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds highly among the best wireless earbuds, because price cuts over the years (and the fact that their successor, the Sony WH-1000XM5 actually came with a price rise) means they still offer fantastic value. The particular balance of noise cancellation, sound quality and features is unbeatable at the discounted price you can often find them for during sales events – we've seen them at $160 / £180 / AU$260 during Black Friday. You can't do better at that price – though obviously, these days, if you pay more you'll get a better overall package. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Sony WH-1000XM4: Two-minute review

The Sony WF-1000XM4 are smaller, lighter and greener than previous wireless earbuds in the line – oh, and the Sony WF-1000XM4 also sound even more articulate and immediate than the model they replace.

It’s true to say there’s no one area (with the possible exception of control-app excellence) in which they truly lead the field; but if you want to beat them for their combination of sound quality, noise-cancelling and battery life you’ll have to buy three pairs of noise-cancelling earbuds.

In every respect, the Sony WF-1000XM4 are either ‘very good’ or ‘very good indeed’ –and taken as a complete package they’re very difficult to lay a glove on.

Compared to their predecessors, the Sony WF-1000XM3, the new wireless earbuds offer enough quality-of-life features to make them worth upgrading to, even if they are slightly more expensive. 

A more compact design means the Sony WF-1000XM4 are more comfortable and easier to carry around, while the accompanying app makes it simple to adjust the controls and your EQ settings, rivalling the best headphones. 

Meanwhile, features taken from the over-ear Sony WH-1000XM4, including Speak-To-Chat, DSEE Extreme audio upscaling, and adaptive noise cancellation, mean you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more comprehensively-specced pair of wireless earbuds, even when seeking out the best wireless headphones. 

While other true wireless earbuds surpass the Sony WF-1000XM4 in particular areas – noise cancellation, for example – no other model comes close to offering such excellent quality across the board. That’s why the Sony WF-1000XM4 are hands-down the best true wireless earbuds you can buy today.

Read on for our full Sony WF-1000XM4 review.

Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Price & release date

• Available now, released June 8, 2021
• $279.99 / £250 / AU$449.95

The Sony WF-1000XM4 are on sale now, priced at $279.99 / £250 / AU$449.95, and when you consider that the outgoing WF-1000XM3 started life at a nominal $230 / £220 / AU$399 back in 2019, with the last few pairs currently available for around $170 / £150 / AU$200, that price seems fair enough.

In terms of the competition, the WF-1000XM4 compares pretty favorably with alternative designs from the likes of Bose, Grado and Sennheiser, and looks a bit of a bargain next to Bowers & Wilkins’ outstanding (and dizzily priced) PI7.

Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Design & controls

• Smaller than predecessors
• Outstanding control app
• Touch controls

The outgoing WF-1000XM3 gave us plenty of reasons to recommend them, but ‘discretion’ was not high on that list. The earbuds were big, and so was their charging case, and Sony has wisely chosen to try and reduce some of this bulk in this new model. 

The charging case is a full 40% smaller, while the earbuds themselves are 10% smaller. The fact that they’re still among the heftier examples of this type only serves to illustrate how big the WF-1000XM3 were – but at least the new charging case might conceivably slip into a trouser pocket, while the earbuds don’t protrude from the wearer’s head like a prop in a sci-fi movie.

(Sony has taken a big chunk out of the packaging, too. The box the WF-1000XM4 arrive in is 40% smaller than the WF-1000XM3 box, and it’s entirely paper-based, recyclable and eco-friendly.)

The WF-1000XM4 incorporate some of the features first showcased on last year’s WH-1000XM4 over-ears: active noise-cancellation that can ascertain what you’re doing and where you’re doing it in order to adapt to your circumstances; fast pairing for Android and Windows devices; and ‘speak to chat’, which simply requires you to make a noise in order to pause your music so that you can have a brief chat without removing the earbuds. Noise cancelling is augmented by new polyurethane eartips (small, medium and large are all provided) designed to provide improved passive noise reduction.

Your one-stop-shop for controlling the WF-1000XM4 is Sony’s fully featured, fully stable Headphones app. Here’s where you can fiddle with all the features (both great and small) that are partially duplicated on the capacitive touch surface of each earbud. In the app you can decide what you’d like the left and right earbuds to control: ‘volume up/down’, ‘play/pause/skip forwards/skip backwards/summon voice assistant’, ‘active noise-cancelling on/off/adaptive’, or the rather less helpful ‘nothing assigned’. 

There’s also EQ adjustment (the numerous presets include one racily titled ‘Excited’), with space for a custom preset or two, and the option to turn auto-pause and DSEE Extreme on or off. Here’s where you can submit pictures of your ears, too, in an effort to help Sony optimize those music streaming apps that offer 360 Reality Audio or Dolby Atmos, and where you can decide whether you’d like your Bluetooth connection to prioritize sound quality or connection stability.

Control is also available via the big three voice assistants – Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa – which can be summoned via their established ‘wake’ words. No matter your assistant of choice, the WF-1000XM4 prove sharp-eared and alert to instructions, even in unpromisingly noisy environments.

There are three mics in each earbud, taking care of active noise-cancelling, call quality, and interaction with voice assistants. A combination of feed-forward and feed-back mics capture the wearer’s voice directionally (from the mouth), though the feed-forward mics will automatically mute when adverse conditions (wind noise, most likely) are detected. Sony has also included a bone conduction sensor, which picks up voice vibration, but doesn’t register it as ambient sound.

Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Audio performance and noise cancellation

• Balanced, driving, poised and convincing sound
• Pretty good noise cancellation
• Great dynamic and rhythmic ability

Positioning the WF-1000XM4 comfortably takes a little longer than it really should – we found them a little fiddly to insert, and felt they should fit more deeply in the ear than is the case – but once it’s done you can set up the touch controls, the EQ levels and the myriad other options to your liking. All done? Good. Time to stick some music on.

We kicked off our testing with a Tidal Masters file of Burner by Ross From Friends, and the WF-1000XM4 immediately impressed. They don’t give any area of the frequency range undue prominence, they don’t let any details go unnoticed, and they don’t let rhythms or tempos hang around. There’s vigor and enthusiasm to their presentation, but it’s tempered by unarguable control.

Down at the bottom end, the earbuds freight bass sounds with substance, texture, and an absolute stack of detail. There’s drive and momentum to spare here, but the WF-1000XM4 never lose the run of themselves – there’s an equal amount of poise to go along with it. Entry into and exit from bass notes is clean and well-defined, which helps prevent the bottom end smearing up into the midrange.

The midrange itself is equally information-rich – listening to Kate Bush’s Lake Tahoe, the ability of the WF-1000XM4 to identify and incorporate the tiniest details or the most fleeting transients into a much broader picture was obvious. ‘Communicative’ may seem a redundant word when discussing a person’s singing voice, but here it’s absolutely appropriate: if they’re anything, the WF-1000XM4 are communicative.

The handover from midrange to top end is smooth and naturalistic, and treble sounds themselves have plenty of shine and bite without ever getting shouty about it. Both Kate Bush and Ross From Friends are more than happy to pile on the high-frequency information, but the WF-1000XM4 control it as deftly as they do the rest of the frequency range.

(All of the above assumes an unchanged EQ setting, we should point out. Sony is slightly unusual in allowing the end-user to fiddle endlessly with the sound of their earbuds, but the most natural and convincing sound comes from the WF-1000XM4 when their EQ is flat.)

Dynamically, too, there's little to criticize. The WF-1000XM4 are capable of switching from ‘ear-splitting’ to ‘almost silent’ and back again in an instant, and even the most subtle harmonic dynamics of Bush’s piano-playing are given full description too. As far as rhythmic certainty and expression goes, their combination of control and attack ensures that, like James Brown, they’re always on the good foot. All of this is helped no end by convincingly natural timing and unity of presentation.

The active noise cancelling is a success of the slightly more qualified kind. The problem for every other pair of ANC true wireless earbuds is that the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds have demonstrated that it’s possible to utterly reject external sounds, without leaving any counter-signal and without impacting on the quality of the music you’re listening to. 

The WF-1000XM4 can’t quite pull off the same trick – but they certainly minimize the impact of ambient noise on your listening experience. They may not be the market leader where noise-cancellation is concerned but, for most of the people most of the time, they’re extremely capable.  

Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Battery life and connectivity

• Eight hours onboard battery life
• Wireless charging
• Bluetooth 5.2

Even within the new and reduced physical dimensions of the WF-1000XM4 there’s much more going on than there was before. Connectivity is now via Bluetooth 5.2, which means simultaneous transmission to the left and right earbuds, and (when using Sony’s bespoke LDAC codec) Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification. 

Bluetooth 5.2 should, in theory, mean better battery life, too – but the best-case real-world scenario of 24 hours (between eight and 12 in the earbuds, depending on whether active noise cancellation is on or off, plus another couple of charges in the case) is really nothing special. Still, at least the WF-1000XM4 are Qi charging pad-compatible, and five minutes plugged into an outlet will deliver another hour of action. 

As well as LDAC, the WF-1000XM4 are compatible with SBC and AAC codecs – but there’s no sign of aptX in any of its guises. They also incorporate DSEE Extreme capability, in case you’re a believer in an algorithm supposedly capable of extracting high-resolution sound from a standard-definition digital audio file (we've never been entirely convinced).

Should I buy the Sony WH-1000XM4?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Sony WH-1000XM4 review: Also consider

Not convinced by our Sony WF-1000XM4 review? Here are three more pairs of true wireless earbuds to consider.

First reviewed: June 2021

• See where the Sony WF-1000XM4 rank in our guide to the best earbuds. 
• Check out our guide to the best wireless earbuds for the competition

Editor's Note

• Original review date: November 2021
• Launch price: $199 / £199 / AU$299
• Target price now: $179 / £159 / AU$259

Update: January 2024. We still rate Beats Fit Pro as some of the best workout headphones, because they have such a great fit and lightweight design, despite coming with lots of useful features for both iPhones users and Android. They pretty much always have a discount now, keeping them as a decent value even though they're older, though there's no doubt that you get vastly better noise cancellation and sound quality from newer buds, including Apple's AirPods Pro 2 – but then, those aren't as well-fitted or sweatproof for exercise. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Beats Fit Pro: Two-minute review

Think of the Beats Fit Pro as the Apple AirPods Pro, but with a few key differences. The most obvious difference is design. The Beats Fit Pro have a prominent wing tip, which ensures they’re secure in your ears when you’re exercising. There’s also a custom-designed driver in the Fit Pro, which means your music sounds bassier in comparison to the AirPods Pro, as well as slightly better 6 hours battery life. 

However, as well as being more than a year old now, a few niggling issues prevent the Beats Fit Pro from competing with the buds in our best true wireless earbuds guide. For example, while the Fit Pro have active noise cancellation akin to the AirPods Pro, they’re not quite as powerful as other earbuds from Bose and Sony. Especially considering Bose has taken the top spot in our best noise-cancelling earbuds guide with the excellent Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2.

Another issue is the wing tip. Yes, this holds them in place and some people will find it secure and comfortable. But for others, it adds extra pressure to the outer ears that can become uncomfortable to wear over a prolonged period. If you prefer the more standard style of ear hooks, take a look at our Beats Powerbeats Pro review.

Finally, like all Apple-owned buds, Android users won’t get the full experience (i.e. spatial audio and hands-free voice assistance) that iOS users get and for their price this means we can only really recommend these buds for people with an iPhone.

So, while the Beats Fit Pro deliver better results than the similar-looking Beats Studio Buds, and are a solid choice for working out, there’s still room for improvement. Read on for our full Beats Fit Pro review.

Beats Fit Pro review: Price & release date

• They cost $199 / £199 / AU$299
• Slightly cheaper than the Apple AirPods Pro

The Beats Fit Pro became available to buy in November 2021 in the US and January 2022 in other markets. They cost $199 / £199 / AU$299.95. 

This makes them slightly less expensive than the Apple AirPods Pro ($249 / £249 / AU$399). For a cheaper option, take a look at our Beats Studio Buds review, which cost $149.99 / £129.99 / AU$199.95.

For what you're getting, they're good value—especially considering the fact that they come with noise cancellation and the H1 chip.

Beats Fit Pro review: Design

• Secure fit thanks to wing tip design
• IPX4 water-resistance rating makes them sweat-proof

While the Beats Fit Pro don’t reinvent the wheel—or in this case, the wing tip—they do implement it in a way we’ve not yet seen before. By making it a part of the earbuds and giving it extra flexibility, it’s able to latch onto the inner ear to keep the buds more secure.

Previously, other earbuds have gone for the wrap-around design and while we think that style is more comfortable, there’s something very stylish about the fin being directly attached and inside the ear. 

To help you get that perfect seal, the Beats Fit Pro come with two additional sets of different-sized ear tips in the box, and it’s well-worth taking the time to find out which of them fit best. 

Speaking of fit, these buds do honestly do a great job of staying in your ears. At no point in our review did the buds so much as move a millimeter once they were seated properly. However, because the fit was so exact it did put some pressure on the ears—especially after wearing them for a while. 

That’s particularly important because the Beats Pro Fit are targeted at workout enthusiasts and even come with an IPX4 water-resistance rating that should make them sweat-proof. They’re not waterproof, however, so do be careful with them near a pool or on the beach, and they don't have dust resistance either, so keep them out of the sand.

On the outside of each bud, there are the touch controls that allow you to play or pause music and skip between tracks. A long hold will turn on ambient listening mode that will turn off noise cancellation while a second long press will turn it back on. 

The controls can be a bit sensitive so you’ll have to be careful when putting the earbuds into and taking them out of your ears—trust us, it’s very easy to unintentionally hang up an important phone call or blast music in your ear without meaning to do it. 

We’ll talk about them in more detail below, but it’s worth pointing out here that there are a total of six microphones on both earbuds that help pick up your voice and block out incoming noise. There’s also a redesigned driver and ventilation system that helps the bass range sound weightier, and the aforementioned H1 chip inside here that will enable a number of neat features for iOS devices. 

Finally it’s worth quickly talking about the redesigned case that’s much smaller than the one that came with the Powerbeats Pro. It easily slides into a pocket and its smooth exterior feels great to hold, just don’t let it slip out onto the sidewalk or floor as it might pick up a few scratches. (Whoops!)

Beats Fit Pro review: Features

• Four colours to choose from
• They have the Apple H1 chip

While it’s not exactly a feature, we definitely appreciate having the option to pick between four colors for the Beats Fit Pro. Not only does it come in the classic Beats Black and Beats White color ways, but you can also select between a stunning Sage Grey with light green accents or Stone Purple that’s lavender with dark grey accents. 

Of course, the main reason you’re paying a bit more for the Beats Fit Pro than the Beats Studio Buds is because the former have the H1 chip. That allows them to access hands-free Siri as well as spatial audio support on Apple Music, Apple TV and FaceTime. 

The other reason these cost more than some other earbuds is because they have active noise cancellation that will block out some outside noise. In practice we found that they weren’t quite as adept at this as the Sony WF-1000XM4 or Bose QuietComfort Buds, but they do a decent job blocking out conversations happening in another room when you’re working from home. 

While Beats designed the earbuds to work with both Android and iOS devices, Android users won’t be able to access the entire suite of features. Specifically, they’ll be locked out from an always-listening assistant and spatial audio. 

Those aren’t exactly deal breakers considering how many earbuds don’t have access to spatial audio at this point—and Beats does make a pretty great Android app that will let you customize their controls – but these snags might persuade you to pick a more Android-friendly option like the Sony WF-1000XM4 instead. 

Beats Fit Pro review: Audio performance

• The sound is excellent
• Good call quality

Gone are the days of Beats earbuds sounding like blown-out car speakers with enough bass to shake your skull. The new sound profile Beats has gone with keeps things exciting with elevated highs and lows and good overall clarity. 

To put the earbuds through their paces we checked out INDUSTRY BABY by Lil Nas X & Jack Harlow, which is available in Dolby Atmos on Apple Music. Right off the bat you hear the driving bass line but it’s followed by a vocal track that moves depending on which way you’re facing. Look left, and the vocal track moves to the right earbud. Turn right and the opposite happens. Being able to dynamically change the audio mix as you move your head is electrifying—giving you a concert-like experience anywhere. 

Much of this is due to the way Beats are tuned and Apple’s H1 wireless chip—but the newly-designed driver inside the earbuds does help give them a slightly larger soundstage than previous Beats earbuds. 

Apple Music has thousands of Dolby Atmos-mixed tracks that deliver a spatial audio experience on true wireless earbuds that really sounds great—INDUSTRY BABY is just one of many songs that really flaunts the sound profile of the new Fit Pro. 

The caveat we’d make here is that, despite their impressive performance for their size, the spatial audio on the Fit Pro doesn’t replace the immersive sound you get from a true Dolby Atmos speaker system. However, it’s a big step up from traditional wireless earbuds. 

As far as call quality is concerned, the Beats Fit Pro use five of the six microphones to accurately portray your voice to your recipient and the results are good overall. People we spoke to said we sounded relatively clear, though the volume was a bit softer than when we used speakerphone. 

What that tells us is that these earbuds probably won’t be the ideal solution for business professionals who need crystal-clear audio in their calls, but would be absolutely fine for someone who just takes the occasional call or two on their earbuds.

Beats Fit Pro review: Battery life

• Six hours per charge with 18 hours in the charging case (with ANC)
• No wireless charging

According to Beats, the Fit Pro have some of the best battery life of any of their earbuds—with ANC on you’re looking at around 6 hours per charge with 18 hours in the charging case. That’s around an hour-and-a-half more per charge than the AirPods Pro and is a significant improvement on Apple’s flagship true wireless earbuds. 

The Fit Pro will last even longer with ANC turned off—though, if you’re using them for talking instead of listening to music, the battery life will be a bit shorter.

Overall, that battery life is on par with other noise-cancelling earbuds—which is great—and falls just a bit short of other true wireless earbuds without ANC. 

The silver lining here is that the buds support fast charging that will restore about an hour of listening time after only five minutes on the charger and will be fully charged in around an hour. 

The only real disappointment on the battery life front is that the Fit Pro don’t support wireless charging like the AirPods Pro which means you’ll always have to keep a USB-C charging cable close at hand when you want them to be recharged. 

Beats Fit Pro review: Verdict

It's hard not to compare the Beats Fit Pro to the Apple AirPods Pro. They've got the H1 wireless chip and active noise cancellation, the two best features of the AirPods Pro at a big discount. The AirPods Pro do have wireless charging, but that’s a relatively minor feature to be missing out on. Especially considering the Beats Fit Pro have a better battery life. 

The Beats Fit Pro aren't perfect. Noise cancellation could be better and we felt they weren't as comfortable after a few hours of us. Although Beats has gone above and beyond to make Android users feel welcomed with its adoption of USB-C, one touch pairing and the Beats app on the Google Play Store, there’s still no always-listening assistant for Android users or spatial audio support.

But these are a great pair of true wireless earbuds that we think are best-suited to workout-loving iOS users because they'll work well in the office and at the gym thanks to their sporty design and you'll get the most from them with an iPhone.

Beats Fit Pro review: Also consider

If our Beats Fit Pro review has you considering other options, here are three more true wireless earbuds to ponder.

• First reviewed 2021.

Editor's Note

• Original review date: July 2021
• Launch price: $99 / £99 (approx. AU$185)
• Official price now: $89 / £99 / AU$119

Update: February 2024. Stock seems to be running down on the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 in some countries, and these days these earbuds have been largely surpassed by more advanced entries among the best budget wireless earbuds. You can get fantastic sound and solid active noise cancellation (something the Lypertek lack totally) from the Sony WF-C700N at around the same price, or you can get ANC and a bunch of other smarter features from the Earfun Air Pro 3 for cheaper than the Lypertek. However! The battery life here remains fantastic – these noise cancelling buds can only dream of 10 hours from the buds, and 80 hours in total including the case. So they still have something to recommend them, but generally we'd suggest looking to the Sony or Earfun options. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0: One-minute review

When we first reviewed the original Lypertek PurePlay Z3 true wireless earbuds (then known as the Lypertek Tevi), we were blown away. We couldn’t believe that a pair of headphones that sounded as good as they did, with the battery life they offered, could be sold so affordably and be the product of a company we’d hardly heard of. They were so good, we made them our headphone product of the year, as well as including them in our look at the best true wireless earbuds.

Dial the clock forward a couple of years, and we’re now looking at their successors, the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 true wireless earbuds. They’re very similar to the originals, with a few key improvements, and yet still come in at the same affordable price point the originals did – $99 / £99.

This gets you everything we loved about the original PurePlay Z3 (detailed balanced sound, a whopping 80 hours total battery life from its petite USB-C charging case, and a comfortably fitting bud with physical buttons), and adds wireless charging, a powerful new LDX Audio mode, improved app functionality and a hear through ambient mode. This is one of the best cheap headphones to buy in 2022.

For the most part, it’s an improvement across the board and one of our top picks of the best wireless earbuds, as well as the best headphones. LDX Audio adds a well-tuned, full bodied sound for those that want more oomph than the near-reference default, wireless charging works a treat, EQ features respond well to tweaks and battery life remains stellar.

However, app connectivity is patchy at best, and the ambient hear through mode is pretty much useless in comparison to the competition from the likes of Sony’s noise cancelling WF-1000XM4.

And yet, with the price still rock-bottom low, and nothing to detract from the quality standard the originals set out, with a few notable improvements, they remain must-have earbuds, more than a match or headphones two or three times the price. Get them.

Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 review: Price and availability

The Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 is out now, priced at $99 / £99 (about AU$185). That’s not a penny more than their predecessors, despite a raft of new features being included. And though they don’t feature active noise cancellation, they more than challenge rivals many times the price. That includes the Apple AirPods Pro ($249 / £249 / AU$399) and Sony WF-1000XM4 ($279.99 / £250 / AU$449.95). They are a total steal.

Design

From the outside, not much looks very different about the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 compared to its 1.0 predecessors, and that’s indicative of the product as a whole in many respects – this is a refinement on that top-notch original, rather than a revolutionary new direction.

Again, you’ll find ovoid, stemless earbuds sitting within a pill-shaped, fabric covered case, complete with a removable carrying strap. Both white and black versions of the PurePlay Z3 2.0 are available, and each features USB-C charging and four LED indicator lights to show battery levels. The earbuds securely fit into the case with a magnetic snap, which will start them charging from the case’s own internal battery – removing them from the case will start the Bluetooth pairing process, and once they’ve been paired once, you won’t have to perform the process again unless you’re looking to pair additional devices with the headphones.

The case (being just a touch too big for a comfortable trousers pocket fit), is quietly attractive, and makes use of its size to fit in a gigantic battery. You’re already getting a solid ten hours of playback from the buds themselves, but there’s an additional 70 hours to be had by recharging them in the fully-juiced charging case. That’s a whopping 80 hours total battery life before you’ve got to plug the cable back into case. And, in a first for the line, there’s wireless charging support too here. These are top-class battery specs, in case you were in any doubt.

In terms of the earbuds themselves, they’re lightweight and comfortable in the ear. Each can be paired with small, medium or large silicone ear tips, or Flexifit foam tip that expands slightly in your ear for a tighter seal and better passive noise cancellation. That’s worth pointing out as, due to the budget nature of the earbuds, there’s no active noise cancellation here. Still, with strong volume levels and a snug fit, ambient noise was very rarely a concern with the PurePlay Z3 2.0. IPX7 waterproofing makes these safe for a quick splash in the shower, though note that the case is not similarly protected.

Both earbuds also feature physical buttons, controlling volume, track selection, play, pause, call response and hear-through mode activation. They’re far more reliable than touch-sensitive buttons (and preferred here as a result), though pushing them without driving the earbuds further into your ear takes some practice.

Internally there is an improvement too, with the introduction of Bluetooth 5.2 support. This allows for SBC, AAC and aptX codecs to be handled without fuzz, with the Qualcomm QCC3040 chipset allowing for improved battery life even to offset the introduction of the afore-mentioned LDX Audio mode.

Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 review: Audio performance

The original Lypertek Tevi, or PurePlay Z3, excelled when it came to bringing a clear, neutral sound to your ears. Just shy of what we’d consider reference or audiophile quality, they were revelatory when considering their price point. And that base-level, out of the box tuning remains present here. Making use of 6mm graphene drivers, there’s an identical level of clarity to the Z3 2.0, presenting an unbiased sound that favours studio intentions rather than ramping up any individual frequencies. As a result, we’ll point you to our original Lypertek PurePlay Z3 review for a detailed rundown of the out-of-the-box sound of the Z3 2.0.

However, despite it being a preferred way of listening for audio connoisseurs, it’s not always the right tuning for every scenario. What about if you’re down the gym, and want a little more bass? Or generally want a punchier, more-powerful sound, even if that’s at the expense of balance?

That’s where the PurePlay Z3 2.0’s new LDX Audio mode comes in, accessible from the also-new accompanying app. Switching on LDX Audio in the app is a bit like hitting an overdrive button – raising the volume of less-present frequencies (particularly bass tones), widening the soundstage.

It results in a more energetic, dynamic delivery, and one that certainly is a noticeable departure from the stock tuning. They are two very distinct sound profiles, and both have their merits – I found myself switching between the two depending on the listening situation, favouring LDX Audio when out and about, while going for the stock tuning when indoors and intently listening to songs and albums. What neither is lacking in is clarity – the PurePlay Z3 2.0 does well to highlight details, and does well to avoid distorting when even at high volumes. They’re simply a pleasure to listen to.

Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0 review: Features

It’s more of a mixed bag when it comes to new features. 

First the good – the LDX Audio mode, as mentioned, is excellent, and is accompanied in the app by an equally-impressive EQ option. As well as a number of presets, from Rock to Jazz, Pop to R&B, there are also presets that favor Bass or Treble response. That’s in addition to two custom slots for your to save your own tunings. They make a noticeable impact, really letting you refine the sound to your tastes.

But other features aren’t as impressive. A "Hear Through" mode, which is intended to let you hear more of your ambient surroundings via the earbud mics without interrupting playback, is pretty much useless, not making anywhere near the impact needed to make you comfortably more aware of what was going on around you. A Find my Earbuds feature was similarly patchy, while the app itself sometimes struggled to identify and connect to the headphones at all – even without any nearby wireless devices to potentially cause confusion.

Despite some failings here, it’s hard to be too critical of the PurePlay Z3 2.0 though. Managing to bring more to the table than earlier models (mostly positively too), and still retaining the same price point, they remain an overall improvement to an already-impressive package.

Should I buy the Lypertek PurePlay Z3 2.0?

Buy it if...

Don’t buy it if…

• Looking for the best earbuds? Check out where the PurePlay Z3 2.0 rank.
• The best true wireless earbuds: how does the PurePlay Z3 2.0 compare?

Editor's Note

• Original review date: January 2019
• Launch price: £69.99 (around $90 / AU$125)
• Regular price now: $49 / £69 / AU$95

Update: February 2024. The SoundMagic E11BT are not the first earbuds we would point to when asked our recommendations at this point; the best budget wireless earbuds have since turned heavily towards the convenience of true wireless buds, which are available with better audio quality and more advanced features than you get here: just look at the likes of the Earfun Air Pro 3. However, some people prefer the added safety of neckband earbuds, and if that's you, we still think these are a solid buy (even if that's perhaps heavily because so few new options are made these days with an eye on quality). The rest of this review remains as previously published.

SoundMagic has cut the cord on its popular E11 series of in-ear headphones to bring us the new E11BT and they're some of the best cheap headphones out there. In fact, we'd go as far as to say that these are best headphones for those on a budget. With a similar shape and feel to its predecessors, the E11BT connect to your device via Bluetooth, and are connected by a durable neckband. 

They are available to purchase for £69.99 (around $90 / AU$125) however, right now it looks like they are only available to buy in Europe, with no word on when you will be able to buy them in other territories.

We tried out the new wireless earbuds – here’s what we thought.

Design

In terms of design, the E11BTs look similar to the wired E11C’s, with one crucial difference; the buds are now connected by a neckband, and connect to your device wirelessly. The neckband feels very sturdy, and with a flat design, it feels comfortable against your neck. 

Coming in an all black design, they look more ‘sporty’ than the E11C’s, and boast an IPX4 waterproof rating – that means they will be safe from minor splashes and sweaty workout sessions, but you absolutely shouldn’t take them in the shower with you after your run. 

Like the other earbuds in the E11 series, the bullet-shaped earbuds themselves are extremely small, lightweight and elegant-looking, with an aluminum housing that features the SoundMagic logo and the model number on the left and right buds, respectively. 

One nice feature of the E11BT wireless earphones is that the two earbuds connect together magnetically, so you can keep them secured around your neck while not in use. 

About two inches down from the left earbud you’ll find the inline remote, which features volume buttons, and a ‘multifunction’ button. The multifunction button can be used to control your music, pair the headphones with your device, and answer phone calls. 

On the side of the inline remote there is also a micro-USB for charging the E11BTs – SoundMagic includes a USB cable in the box. While charging, a small LED on the inline remote will glow read, and when the earphones are fully charged, the red light goes off and is replaced by a blue one. 

Overall, the E11BTs haven’t traded off the elegant design of previous models in the series when cutting the cord; they look very attractive and they have retained the compact housing design that SoundMagic has become well known for. 

Features and performance

Generally, the audio quality provided by the E11Bts is very good, with an impressive amount of sonic power for such small earbuds. 

Vocals sound clear and smooth on Fleet Foxes’ ‘Blue Ridge Mountains’, thanks to their custom-tuned drivers – as dynamic drivers they also provide a hefty amount of bass, due to the relatively large volumes of air they displace as they vibrate. We tried them out on Kanye West’s ‘Flashing Lights’, and we were impressed by the thumping bass and unctuous synth strings. 

Treble frequencies are sharp and crystal-clear, with a good level of attack – they can occasionally come across as a little harsh, so if you’re looking for a warmer sound stage, you might want to try the true wireless Earin M-2s, which have similar sized buds but feature balanced armature drivers instead of dynamic drivers. 

It’s important to make sure you’re using the correct-sized eartips when using the E11BTs, as a good fit enhances the sound ten-fold, as well as improving the sound isolation – they come with three different eartips, so you should be able to find a good fit through a bit of trial and error. 

The sound isolation is pretty good for in-ear headphones; if you have your music pumping you’ll be pretty well-insulated from annoying environmental sounds. We also tried listening to podcasts using the E11BTs, and while the sound isolation was less obviously pronounced in when listening to dialogue, the noise from a loud train carriage was reduced enough for us to hear speech clearly. 

Using the inline remote to control playback worked well, and we didn’t experience any problems with connectivity while using the E11BTs; in fact, pairing them with our smartphone was an absolute breeze. 

If you’re thinking of buying these in-ears to use while working out or running, you may be concerned about how secure they feel. Generally, they fit pretty snugly into your ear, but if you’re concerned about the buds falling out mid-run, you might want to try a pair with wingtips that fit into the conch of your ear for extra stability. 

Overall, the E11BTs are very comfortable to wear, even for long periods of time. SoundMagic claims that these headphones can handle continuous playback for 20 hours; while this is likely not at full volume, we had them on continuously for around five hours and found that the battery hardly depleted at all. 

Final verdict

The SoundMagic E11BTs are an extremely capable pair of wireless in-ear earphones, and given their low price, it really is difficult to fault them - the audio quality is fantastic and design-wise, they look very elegant. They're comfortable to wear thanks to ergonomically designed eartips and a flat neckband that won’t irritate you while running or working out – and with an IPX4 rating, they should withstand sweaty sessions. 

They generally feel secure, although the option to add wingtips would be a great feature for those who want a little more stability when listening on the go.

Battery life is pretty good at 20 hours, and they take just two hours to charge fully via the micro-USB cable included in the box. 

If you’re looking for a fantastic pair of value neckband earphones, the SoundMagic E11BTs are a great option – here’s hoping they reach territories outside of Europe in the near future. 

• See where these rank in our best earbuds guide.
• The best wireless headphones: our pick of the best ways to cut the cord