As a self-confessed music nerd, I’m always on the lookout for the best wireless earbuds. I’ve recently tested audio gear from EarFun, JBL, JLab, and Apple, so I wanted to see if EarFun’s entry-level set of earbuds, the Air 2, are viable for the top spot on our coveted best budget wireless earbuds list.
I enjoyed how these $49 earbuds managed to convey a deep bass and crisp treble without falling into the dreaded tinniness I’ve heard from other cheap models. While for some ambient songs the sonic layers felt a little blurred, for the most part, the Air 2 earbuds did extremely well. Even without ANC I can hear every detail in a track, no matter the outside volume level — what is this sorcery?
But are they the best super-cheap wireless earbuds on the market today? Find out in my complete EarFun Air 2 earbuds review.
EarFun Air 2 review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A pair of super cheap earbuds with no ANC.
- Who is it for? People who want to spend less than $50 on some wireless earbuds.
- What does it cost? $49/£49.
- What do we like? For only $49, the sound quality is decent, and the battery life is impressive.
- What don’t we like? Obviously there’s no ANC, but there’s also no wear detection.
EarFun Air 2 review: Specs
EarFun Air 2 review: Price & availability
The EarFun Air 2 earbuds are available for $49 at Amazon U.S. and £49 at Amazon U.K..
They don’t have ANC, which makes them $20 cheaper than the EarFun Air 2 NC earbuds (I know, confusing names), and they lack aptX and wear detection — premium features of the $89 EarFun Air Pro 4 earbuds. For $80 more you can get the higher-spec Apple AirPods 4, but if you’re not sure that wireless earbuds are for you yet, you’d be best trying the cheapest of the cheap.
EarFun Air 2 review: Design & controls
Like the Air Pro 4 earbuds, the design of the Air 2 earbuds is simply… fine. They don’t have the ‘pizzazz’ of premium models like the AirPods Pro 2 ($249), my personal favorite wireless earbuds, but they don’t look as budget as the Mixx StreamBuds Ultra Mini earbuds ($69). Inside a small, rounded charging case reminiscent of an AirPods case, you’ll find a pair of black plastic and blue-tinged chrome earbuds.
I think the earbuds’ design could be improved by a monochromatic matte finish rather than a shiny plasticky one. The plastic covering makes the buds feel cheap and lackluster. The earbuds look similar to the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds ($99), so if you’re a fan of this style, they might be worth checking out.
EarFun Air 2 review: Features & connectivity
Setting the Air 2 earbuds up couldn’t be simpler. All I had to do was open the case and locate the earbuds in the Bluetooth settings of my device. As they have multi-device connectivity too, I linked them up with my MacBook Air M2 and my iPhone 11 simultaneously.
Given the impressive IPX7 rating and EarFun’s so-called “Sweat shield” for working out, I put these earbuds to the test in an active setting. I cycled and completed a strength training session wearing the Air 2 and can report that they suffered no issues.
When I used these earbuds for work calls, my colleagues reported that I sounded fine through the 4 mics on the Air 2s. As I wanted to test out LDAC support, I connected the Air 2 buds to my colleague’s Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and played ‘Lose Yourself to Dance’ by Daft Punk on Tidal. The groovy guitars paired with the thumping bass was fantastic, and if you’ve got an Android phone, these buds with LDAC enabled feel like a much pricier earbud.
For only $49, you can’t expect premium features. It would still be nice to have things like wear detection, even on a budget earbud like this. EarFun’s $89 offering, the Air Pro 4 earbuds, have wear detection and lossless aptX support, and as a result, I’d recommend those instead as they don’t skimp on premium features — and cost just $40 more.
EarFun Air 2 review: App
The EarFun app is simple enough to use, with options to customize controls and EQ, as you’d expect. The EarFun Audio app comes with a ‘Find headphones’ option which plays a loud beeping sound through the earbuds. It’s not perfect, though, because it’s not loud enough to hear if you’re in a different room. So you can afford to lose your earbuds, but only if you’re in the same room you lost them in. Which kind of defeats the purpose.
The EarFun Audio app comes with a cute feature I don’t see a lot — naming your earbuds. As I was feeling a bit creatively stumped I just settled on the standard ‘Air 2’ but I can imagine this is a good choice for kids in the same family to prevent ownership arguments.
Updating the firmware is a little annoying, because you can’t leave the EarFun Audio app during the process and it takes a number of minutes, so you’re stuck to that one screen for longer than you’d probably like to be.
EarFun Air 2 review: Audio quality
As I’m a bit of a stickler for good sound quality, especially having tested some of the best wireless earbuds like the Final ZE8000 MK2 ($349) and the AirPods Pro 2. I was a little skeptical of the Air 2 earbuds. At only $49, how can they sound good? With 10mm drivers, though, it’s possible.
I first put the Air 2 earbuds to the test with something a bit heavier. I played the new Linkin Park track ‘The Emptiness Machine’; the heavy bass and thumping percussion was translated powerfully through the Air 2 earbuds. Next, I put on ‘Glow’ by Alice Phoebe Lou, which is a psychy bedroom pop track built from wobbly guitars and woozy vocals. The guitar licks were groovy and warped, but in a very intentional way. I was impressed with this sound quality so far.
To bring the party, I swerved to a more electronic vibe to see if the Air 2s could make floorfillers, well, fill floors. I put on ‘Screen Cleaner’ by George Daniel, which is an uptempo unapologetic house track I’m currently obsessed with. The dial-tone bassline was thumping and the glitchy vocal samples were killer. As I delved further into heavier house, though, I started to notice that more nuanced basslines were a bit flat. On ‘§§§§§’ by Cameo Blush, the more ambient techno bass still sounded good, it wasn’t as layered as I’d like. I think you’d get a cleaner soundscape with AirPods 4 ($129), but obviously you’d be spending $80 more.
Given the lack of ANC, during louder listening sessions on public transport, I had to increase the volume of my music. It’s up to you if that’s a dealbreaker or not — personally, I love having ANC specifically for public transport.
Overall, the EarFun Air 2 earbuds have good sound quality for the $49 price tag. It’s not going to impress audiophiles, but if you need some easy-to-use earbuds with good sound quality for under $50, these are a great option.
EarFun Air 2 review: Battery
After a full charge, the Air 2 earbuds’ case flashes green so you know it’s ready. EarFun says the buds last for 9 hours on a single charge, and 40 hours with the case, which is much better than the 24 hours offered by the AirPods Pro 2 earbuds. I listened to these earbuds for an entire working day and the charging case decreased to 80%. After 10 hours, the earbuds died, and after 4 days of average use, the charging case is still at 40%. These earbuds have an incredible battery life considering they’re only $49 — if you need reliable, decent sound quality, and great battery life on your earbuds, be sure not to overlook the EarFun Air 2s.
EarFun Air 2 review: Verdict
Considering these buds are only $49, they’re a great purchase for the price. While they might not be the most impressive in terms of sound quality, they sound much better than other budget earbuds I’ve tried. The lack of style and wear detection are easy sacrifices for the incredibly low price of these budget buds.
You don’t get premium features like aptX support and wear detection, so if that’s a deal breaker, you might want to consider EarFun’s $89 option the Air Pro 4 earbuds. For only $50, though, the Air 2 earbuds sound great, they have a fantastic battery life, and a helpful companion app. If you don’t mind mediocre aesthetics and lack of wear detection and you’re after a pair of super cheap earbuds for everyday use, there’s no reason why the Air 2s shouldn’t be your newest pair.
