If you’re about to head off to school, college or university, then you’ve probably got an intimidating shopping list for new tech to get through – but in 15 minutes we could have your music solution ticked off the list. What follows is our pick of the best budget earbuds that are not only worth buying, but will likely become your ultimate back-to-study companions.
Finding good-value tech is incredibly important when you’re a student, and so each of the three options I’ve picked are amongst the best on the market in terms of value for money.
But there are many other important factors to consider and I’ve included options that will have other perks for students: there are options here with long battery lives, designs that make them great for sport, and even one that brings ChatGPT functionality. Of course I didn’t forget that you’ll want something that offers good sound quality too!
While wireless earbuds were in their infancy when I was at college (believe me when I tell you that a student budget then only covered cheap wired in-ears), I’ve tested myriad earbuds for TechRadar since graduating, from inexpensive to elite. The options you see below stem from our various buying guide round-ups, and all include a link to our fully-fledged, in-depth reviews. These are all options I’d happily have taken to my 9am lectures… or my 8-hour library campouts. Good luck!
1. Earfun Air 2
The Earfun Air 2 are the earbuds I wish I’d known about (or had been invented) when I went to college. These are the best options I’ve tested for under $50 / £50 / AU$100 so they fit neatly into a student budget, but there’s more than their lowly asking fee to make them a great shout for students.
The Earfun Air 2 have a really good battery life for the money, lasting over 9 hours before you need to charge them in the case, and that case packs an extra 31 hours of listening time. Basically, you won’t have to worry about them lacking power when you’re running late to lectures. Multi-point connection means you can pair the buds with two devices, so you can stream music on your walk to a seminar but then switch them over to your laptop when you’re working.
In terms of audio, they’re actually really good for the price, especially for music listeners who prefer a marginally more treble-centric presentation in their music. There’s no Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) to nix sounds around you – most wireless earbuds boast this feature, but despite what some will tell you it’s far from necessary in earbuds. For most students, this feature won’t be high on the wish-list and the lack of it is partly to thank for their low price.
Read more in our Earfun Air 2 review.
Nothing Ear
If you’re willing to pay a little more for your earbuds, but still want to find something roughly within the ‘budget’ category, then I’d recommend the Nothing Ear. These recent buds are the best I’ve tested recently for under $150 / £150 / AU$250.
Of all the earbuds on this list, and in fact most of the ones you’ll probably be considering for college, the Nothings sound best. They have loads of bass, with an extra Bass Enhance mode for those who want their head to shake, and the equalizer is one of the top I’ve tested in just how much leeway it gives over your listening habits. There’s also a mode in the Nothing X app which analyses your hearing to custom-build sound profiles for your music, and it’s really cool.
The decent noise cancellation the buds offer will be great for when you're trying to focus at the library and the handy stem controls will let you control your music without fiddling with your phone, and if you own a Nothing phone you’ll also get a ChatGPT-controlled smart assistant on the buds too.
I’d be remiss not to mention two flaws I found in testing: the maximum volume of the Nothing Ear isn’t very high and the battery life is the shortest of the three buds listed. Depending on how you listen to music, these might not be problems at all, but other uses might find them deal-breakers.
But the real reason I’m including the Nothing Ear is because they’re a great option for audiophiles on a budget, and so if music quality is important to you, these are a great pick. Have less but still want Nothing? See our Nothing Ear (a) review – not Nothing's top-tier earbuds offering, but still very good indeed if you're strapped for cash.
Read our full Nothing Ear review.
JLab Go Air Sport
If you’re sporty, or you’re thinking of joining a sports club this year, perhaps it’s worth considering buying workout headphones as your new purchase. These are mainly designed for use when running or working out but are just as good as your everyday earbuds too.
The JLab Go Air Sport are some of our favorite sports earbuds, as you can probably tell by the five-star review we gave them! Not only are they the cheapest earbuds on this list but they’re the best for exercising with.
For the price, the JLabs perform surprisingly well in audio tests, and they also have a longer battery life than many rivals. Perhaps one of the best features of the Go Air Sport for students is that the case comes with a built-in USB cable – you’ll never forget your charging cable when it’s literally one with the case!
One feature you’re missing here is ANC, as with the Earfun Air 2, but that’s actually a bonus here. With earbuds built for exercise (think hiking; running that 10k before breakfast; yoga classes) it can actually be useful – and safer – to better hear what’s going on around you.
Read our full JLab Go Air Sport review.
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