Best cheap wireless earbuds under £50 – bargains from Beats, Sony and more

Wireless earbuds have been a game-changer when it comes to personal audio in recent years. Freed from the shackles of your phone, you can hit the gym, go running or simply go about your daily life without risk of snagging an arm on a dangling cable.

True wireless earbuds – those without even a cable connecting the earpieces, like AirPods – began life some years ago at a premium price, but now that the technology and market has evolved you can find plenty of pairs for less than £50. An Amazon will show up results for pairs costing half as much...

But while quantity isn't an issue nowadays, quality can be. And you don't want to choose a musical dud! We review more than 100 pairs of headphones every year and know that many out there, unfortunately, don't deliver on their promise of good sound quality. That's why we've created this buying guide to point you in the direction of a handful of pairs that definitely do.

Tried and tested by yours truly, our pick of the best cheap wireless earbuds under £50 offer a great-value combination of sound, design and comfort to satisfy tighter budgets.

How to choose the best wireless earbuds under £50

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

So what should you look for in the best cheap wireless earbuds? Decent enough sound quality is obviously paramount – just don't expect them to rival the more premium pairs on this front, of course. A secure and comfortable fit is also vital, especially if you plan to wear them for prolonged periods, and there's no reason not to expect this even at this modest price level.

You probably shouldn't expect a battery life above 20 hours (in the earbuds and charging case combined for true wireless pairs), and active noise cancellation is pretty much unheard of at this price from respected brands. For the record, the most affordable pairs with ANC we can heartily recommend are the Sony WF-C700N and Earfun Air Pro.

There aren't many models to choose from below, which – trust us – is more indicative of the varying quality at this end of the market, but of the handful here at least one should tick your boxes and see you happily through your daily commute.

Earfun Air cheap true wireless earbuds

The Earfun Air were the first cheap wireless earbuds to earn five stars from us. (Image credit: Earfun)
The cheapest wireless earbuds we can recommend.

Specifications

Bluetooth version: 5.0
Noise-cancelling: No
Battery life: 35hrs (buds: 7hrs; case: 28hrs)
Charging: USB-C
Built-in mic and controls: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Punchy, expansive sound
+
Great feature set
+
Classy build and finish

Reasons to avoid

-
Treble needs more refinement

These true wireless earbuds might be cheap, but they're packed with features. You don't get noise cancelling (that's reserved for their more expensive siblings, the Earfun Air Pro), but the Earfun Air do provide excellent noise isolation and they feel comfy in your ears too. 

They're also waterproof to IPX7 standards (submersible in one metre of water for up to 30 minutes), support virtual voice assistants and include Qi wireless charging if you've got a suitable charger to hand.

Battery life is seven hours from the buds and a further 28 hours from the charging case. Amazingly it all feels fairly premium too. The Bluetooth 5.0 connection is solid and stable, calls sound clear, and for the money, they produce an energetic and spacious sound.

If you’re after a pair of the best cheap wireless earbuds under £50, the Earfun Air are our number one recommendation.

Read the full Earfun Air review

Sony WF-C500 cheap wireless earbuds

The C500 pack a lot of Sony's high-end features into a cut-price package. Very compelling. (Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)
What Hi-Fi? Awards 2022 winner. The best cheap wireless headphones around the £50 mark.

Specifications

Bluetooth version: 5.0
Noise-cancelling: No
Charging: USB-C
Built-in mic and controls: Yes
Battery life: 20hrs (buds: 10hrs; case: 10hrs)

Reasons to buy

+
Compact and comfortable design
+
Spirited, well-balanced sound
+
Fine control app

Reasons to avoid

-
Slightly small-scale sound

hen it comes to wireless earbuds, Sony has sewn up the premium market with the WF-1000XM5. But could the electronics giant do the same at the budget end of the market with the cheap and cheerful WF-C500?

Considering these are current What Hi-Fi? Award winners, the answer is a resounding yes. The next step up from the Earfun Air above if you have an extra couple of tenners to throw at your next earbuds, the C500 fluctuate around and below the £50 mark (we've seen them drop as low as £32).

The C500 handle the basics very well, with Bluetooth 5.0, and compatibility with SBC and AAC codecs. Battery life is a healthy 10 hours from the headphones themselves, and another 10 from the charging case, making a total of 20. Voice controls come via Google Assistant and Siri, and the IPX4 rating means they're resistant to water splashes. 

Sonically, they're even-handed and nicely balanced, with well-shaped bass notes. In short, they offer a lot of what makes Sony's high-end buds so compelling, without cutting too many corners. These are definitely the best cheap wireless headphones around for those on tight budgets, though note that the next-model-up WF-C700 (below, in spot 4) offer active noise cancelling functionality for not much more.

Read the full Sony WF-C500 review

Beats Flex wireless neckband earbuds

Cheap, colourful and bags of fun, the Beats Flex are a great option for wireless listening on a budget. (Image credit: Beats)
Fun and fuss-free – if you don't mind the neckband cable

Specifications

Bluetooth version: 5.0
Noise-cancelling: No
Battery life: 12hrs
Charging: USB-C
Built-in mic and controls: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Punchy lows
+
Durable build
+
Extra features for iOS users

Reasons to avoid

-
Treble is rounded off
-
Fit may be an issue

If you don't mind a neckband connecting the earpieces, the Beats Flex are some of the best examples of this now-rare breed remaining.

The Beats Flex are a step up from Apple's bog-standard Lightning wired buds, that's for sure. They’re available in some fresh hues (including the Yuzu yellow sample you see here), they charge via USB-C, have a 12-hour battery life, and courtesy of one-tap audio share you can split sounds with nearby Beats or AirPod headphones (provided you have an iPhone 8 or later running at least iOS 14). They're very affordable, too.

Four ear tip options give a good chance of finding a decent fit, and the cable is flat, like a strand of tagliatelle. Magnets keep the earbuds together when not in use.

Pairing is a doddle (even more so using an Apple device). They don't support some more recent iOS features, including automatic switching to another device or hands-free Siri‌ support. And there’s no noise cancelling either. But with the correct seal you’ll still enjoy good levels of passive noise isolation.

Audio quality is good and the Flex offer a considered, smooth sound profile that’s preferable to one that is harsh or bright through the upper frequencies. A solid bet at this end of the market.

Read the full Beats Flex review

Best cheap wireless earbuds under £50: Sony WF-XB700

The Sony WF-XB700 are all about the bass, but there's a lot more to them than that... (Image credit: Sony)
A reliable pair of cheap wireless earbuds with lashings of bass for outdoor use.

Specifications

Bluetooth version: 5.0
Noise-cancelling: No
Battery life: 18hrs (buds: 9hrs; case: 9hrs)
Charging: USB-C
Built-in mic and controls: Yes

Reasons to buy

+
Clear, punchy sound
+
Decent battery life
+
Comfortable, lightweight build

Reasons to avoid

-
Rivals offer more detail
-
Reasonably large earbud design

Anyone looking for a sporty take on the best cheap wireless earbuds might be tempted by the Sony WF-XB700. Battery life is a reasonable 18 hours – nine hours from the buds, nine hours from the case – while their IPX4 water resistance rating provides the buds (but not the case) with protection against 'water splashing’. 

It takes a few twists to get them securely into place, but once they're in you can almost forget about them, they're that comfy.

The WF-XB700 are part of the company’s Extra Bass range of audio products and are tuned to emphasise low-frequency response, rather than deliver a neutral sonic balance. And although there’s meat behind their low-end, it doesn't overshadow mid and high frequencies.

Their balance is actually complemented by decent punch and agility. Some rivals boast greater detail and subtlety, but at this price, you could do a lot worse.

Their original price was just over £50, but shop around and you might find them for a few quid less now that they have been around a while.

Read the full Sony WF-XB700 review

How we test wireless earbuds

We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London and Reading, where our team of experienced, in-house reviewers test the majority of hi-fi and AV kit that passes through our door.

Of course, testing wireless earbuds often doesn't require such facilities. What is important in our headphones reviewing process is that each pair is compared to the best in its price and style class – whether that's one standout pair or a few we favour the highest among the 100+ pairs we listen to each year for reviews and What Hi-Fi? Awards judging. What Hi-Fi? is all about comparative testing, and we keep class-leading products in our stockrooms so we can always compare new products to ones we know and love.

We are always impartial and do our best to make sure we're hearing every product at their very best, so we'll try plenty of different types of music and give them plenty of listening time (and time to run in). It's not just about sound quality, of course. If a pair has active noise cancellation – increasingly the case these days – we'll ensure part of our testing involves using them in different environments.

All review verdicts are agreed upon by the team rather than an individual reviewer to eliminate any personal preference and to make sure we're being as thorough as possible, too. There's no input from PR companies or our sales team when it comes to the verdict, with What Hi-Fi? proud of having delivered honest, unbiased reviews for decades.

Joe Svetlik

Joe has been writing about tech for 17 years, first on staff at T3 magazine, then in a freelance capacity for Stuff, The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Men's Health, GQ, The Mirror, Trusted Reviews, TechRadar and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include all things mobile, headphones and speakers that he can't justifying spending money on.

  • Davidddd
    Thanks for sharing. Could you do a review of Naenka earbuds? Thanks again.
    Reply
  • J_Ampersand
    Really appreciate these reviews and I'd like to give a bit of feedback if I may.

    Having searched the internet for reviews of budget/cheap earbuds I was glad to see this article. Got to say though that my enthusiasm was dampened by the first review saying a pro was it's low price. At £49.99 it's the highest price possible in the category of "under £50" so, while it's a pro in general it's kind of missing the point of the list and should really be a con here.

    The JBL sports earbuds come out well but I don't feel informed enough to buy with confidence. When looking at reviews for budget sports earbuds, apart from obvious quality issues, I check for the following:
    Do they stay in your ears when you run?
    Do they have good bass?
    Does one bud start losing volume after a week or two, indicating that the waterproof rating was a lie and they can't even handle sweat?

    I don't put much faith in reviews on comfort because people have different requirements for that; I'd like to know if they do what the manufacturers claim.

    I'd like to know what happens if the earbuds are actually submerged 1m for 30 minutes, or at least worn in the shower. Pretty much all the £19.99 earbuds on Amazon claim to be IPX7 or 8 but have dozens of reviews saying otherwise.

    I'd like to know they've been worn on a few 5k runs and stayed in place, otherwise I'll have to assume buds with earhooks are a better choice.

    One thing I found in general online is that budget or cheap are widely interpretated and few sites are, IMHO, realistic. I don't see £160 as cheap. I don't even see £49.99 as cheap. The market for under £25 earbuds is clearly huge because so many are sold and reviewed by customers, but none of my Google searches found trustworthy sites going anywhere near that price range.

    So I was very pleased to see your review of the £5 Amazon earphones and your acknowledgement that there were thousands of positive but possibly unreliable reviews.

    Amazon has many, many sports earbuds for around £20-25, some with a handful of reviews and some with many thousands. Few reviews can be trusted as some companies apparently offer free gifts if you leave a good review.

    I, like tens of thousands of other customers, would love to know if any of these brands are any good and if maybe the risk isn't worth it and JBL are the best option in the end, even if they, possibly, don't stay in my ears.

    Thanks again. I hope this feedback was ok. It's just the POV from a low income music lover, but I think that's a collective that has always been important to musicians.

    All the best.
    Reply
  • talltim
    Two out of the three headphones reviewed are over £50, one is £99!
    Reply