Best budget wireless earbuds 2022

By Matt Breen

Published: Monday, 28 March 2022 at 12:00 am

Since headphone jacks stopped being a common feature on phones, wireless earbuds have become a must-have accessory. However, if you’re not keen to spend the circa £200 required to bag a top-end pair of earbuds, then there are still some great options at low prices. We’ve run down some of the best available today on this page.

Many committed audiophiles continue to favour over-ear headphones, but it’s not hard to see the appeal in wireless earbuds for the average listener. They’re incredibly light, take up little space – whether in your bag or your general headspace – and if they’re a decent pair, will fit securely and comfortably. 

They can also come with a range of additional features, such as ANC (active noise cancellation), EQ control, personalisable sound and in-ear detection. 

And they’re particularly popular for gym sessions since they give you a (merciful) alternative to whatever’s playing over the speakers there while not giving you any cumbersome headphones or wires to contend with during your workout. 

Until the last few years, you really had to pay for the privilege of earbuds, with premium examples like the AirPods Pro coming with a hefty RRP of £249. 

And not everybody has that kind of cash to splash. Luckily, there’s been a boom in budget-friendly earbuds in the last few years, with plenty of excellent choices available from the likes of Huawei, Skullcandy, Cambridge Audio and JBL. 

Our team of technology experts has put a number of them to the test – and you’ll find their pick of the very best models below.

If you want higher-end alternative wireless earbuds, you can read our Apple AirPods Pro review, Jabra Elite 85t review, Powerbeats Pro review and Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds review.  If you are keen to keep your spending to a minimum, read on.

Best budget wireless earbuds at a glance

Here’s a quick run-down of all the budget wireless earbuds you’ll find in our list. We’ve ranked them in price order: 

The best budget wireless earbuds in 2021

JLab Go Air Pop, £19.99

Best super-budget earbuds | Buy now on Amazon

""

These earbuds from JLab have just edged into the top spot for super-cheap earbuds, overtaking the Skullcandy Dime buds below, which we also liked! However, the JLab Go Air Pop buds offer a better battery life and are still amazingly affordable.

In our full JLab Go Air Pop review, our testers said: “They’ve got a compact, slim design. They’re light and portable too and when it comes to sound, they do pretty well considering that low, low price. However, there are some obvious drawbacks in the lack of features, an app and the cheap plastic the buds and case are made from.”