The 6 Best Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds Under $100 – Spring 2020
Reviews

The best wireless earbuds under $100 we've tested are the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air 2 Truly Wireless; they're also the best true wireless earbuds under $100 we've seen to date as well. They're decently comfortable with an in-ear design similar to that of the Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless. They're lightweight, very portable, and provide solid value overall for the price.

These wireless earphones have a more thumpy, bass-rich sound than their predecessors, the Anker SoundCore Liberty Air Truly Wireless, but are still well-balanced enough to be suitable for most genres of popular music out-of-the-box. They're also now compatible with a decent companion app that gives you access to lots of EQ presets to help you find a sound profile you might prefer more. They don't last too long on a single charge, but their charging case provides five extra charges for all-day performance.

On the downside, their touch-sensitive controls aren't the easiest to use. They're still better than on the old model, but they don't provide much feedback so it can be difficult to tell whether a command was registered or not. The Anker SoundCore Life P2 Truly Wireless have physical controls that are less finicky, but they don't perform as well overall.

The best wireless earphones under $100 for sports that we've tested to date are the Jaybird Tarah. These Bluetooth in-ears have a wire to connect the left and right drivers so you can easily hang them from your neck if you need to remove them from your ears. They feel quite well-built and are fairly comfortable thanks to their earbud-like tips that don't enter as deep in the ear canal as most in-ear options. They also feel very sturdy in the ear due to their stability-fin design and are rated IPX7 for waterproofing, though we don't currently test for this.

While their out-of-the-box sound profile is quite well-balanced, they're also compatible with Jaybird's great MySound app, which gives you access to a parametric EQ as well as presets. The app also allows you to customize their multi-purpose button as well as to set the auto-off timer from between 15-60 minutes. They isolate a decent amount of ambient sound and leak almost no audio, making them a good option to use in the office or for your daily commute as well.

Unfortunately, their battery life isn't the greatest at six hours, though that should still be long enough to last most workouts or runs. They also charge via a proprietary cable, which can be annoying. If you want something even cheaper, the Anker SoundCore Spirit X Wireless have a similar out-of-the-box sound profile and double the battery life, but they aren't customizable and don't feel as well-made. Overall, these are a well-rounded pair of Bluetooth in-ears that are comfortable and stable enough for working out but versatile enough to use as your daily headphones as well.

The best Bluetooth earbuds under $100 for iPhone that we've tested so far are the Beats Powerbeats 3. Not all colors are available in this price range, so you might have to make some compromises, but if you can get a good deal, it's worth it. Thanks to Apple's W1 chip, they offer seamless pairing with any Apple devices connected to your iCloud account and feature a stable ear-hook design that helps secure the earbuds in place without putting too much pressure on your ears. They’re very portable, lightweight, and come with a rubberized carrying pouch.

They have deep, powerful bass that brings out the thump and rumble of bass-heavy music like hip-hop and EDM without drowning out the vocals and lead instruments over other genres. They have a pretty good battery for wireless in-ears too, lasting nearly 12 hours of continuous playback with a full charge only taking just over an hour.

Unfortunately, they may not be the best for commuting, since they don’t isolate very much noise. That said, this means they might be suitable for outdoor runners who need to be able to remain aware of their surroundings. Overall, they’re well-designed, comfortable in-ear headphones that will work for many.