9 best Airpod dupes reviewed, starting at $29 (2022)
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If you don’t have an iPhone and want Airpods/Beats, or you don’t want to spend a lot of money on non-Apple premium wireless buds, then it’s time for some Airpod dupes!
There are an absolutely shocking number of cheap alternative earbuds available here, and to be honest I won’t even be scratching the surface. But there are some standouts that are well received and are an absolute steal.
Here are the ones I like:
TOZO Earbuds: many many options
Some reviewers claim these sound better than premium branded offerings which is a bit sus, but they seem to have lots of fans which is a good sign. However, the offerings seem to vary quite a lot from each other, in ways that don’t always make sense.
Here are a few examples of things I find confusing about these: some mid-level models you would assume are not as good as the premium offerings, but you would be wrong. You might also assume that the sound profile is similar on all of them, also wrong! My overall recommendation for Tozos is either the T12/T10, or the NC7s. With the most expensive options, I think you would be better off with some of the other options such as Earfun that I mentioned in my post about premium non-Apple Earbuds.
T10s in ear
T SERIES: Cheap great sounding option
First is the T series, which lacks noise canceling. There seem to be two camps of users, people who swear by the T10s and those who love the T12s. Here’s what I’ve gathered:
T10: $29.99: Great sound for music without tinkering
Pros
- Great sound profile out of the box
- Low price
- Comfortable
- Bluetooth 5.3
- IP-X8 waterproof
- Up to 8 hours of battery life
Cons
- Doesn’t sound as good as a calibrated T12
T12: $ 36.99: Bassier and can sound better with equalizer changes
Pros
- Very bassy
- Most comfortable
- Can sound better than T10’s if you tweak the equalizer. Lots of 3rd party apps for Android, and Spotify has this built-in on all platforms
- IP-X8 waterproof
- Up to 6 hours of battery life
Cons
- Less battery than T10
- Bluetooth 5.0
NC Series
The next category is the NC, which stands for noise canceling (I assume anyway). I scoured the depths of various internet forums so you don’t have to; here’s what I found out: people overall seem to say that the NC7 sounds the best. This is perhaps why the NC7 cost the most out of these options despite not being positioned as the best; they likely are selling the most of these. There are also NC PRO versions; these seem to just add wireless charging and upgraded Bluetooth codecs. I say skip these as they are getting pretty high in price.
Here’s a quick roundup:
- Very bright sound
- Lack of bass, though lots of people prefer this over the overly bassy alternatives
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Transparency mode to let outside sounds in
- Incredible bass
- Treble lacking,
- Better ANC than NC7
- Looks more like Airpods than others
- Bluetooth 5.2
- Transparency mode
- Reviewers and Redditors claim the NC7s are better overall which is counterintuitive
- Best ANC
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Lots of color options
- Transparency mode
Soundpeats: many options as well with some great standouts
Soundpeats seems to have the same philosophy as Tozos, in that they offer a dizzying amount of earbuds that can make researching a bit exhausting! I scoured across Reddit and other sites but ultimately I really liked this Youtube video from Picky Audio, where he ranks every single option they have and even made a spreadsheet! I checked his video from this year as well as last year and these are what I’ve gathered are the best options:
Free2 Classic: $29.99: The absolute best bargain
Now that’s a price! These are really popular online, with people saying that these are the best value for wireless earbuds, with surprisingly good sound. The only thing you’re not getting is noise canceling, so think of these as alternatives to regular Airpods. These are very similar to the Minis, which cost slightly more and are ever so slightly better.
Pros
- Really good sounding
- Comfortable
- Bluetooth 5.1
- Low price
- 8-hour battery
- Small stylish case
Cons
- No Active Noise canceling
Pros
- More balanced sound
- Bluetooth 5.2
- IPX5
- Low Latency
- 5-hour battery
Cons
- Some others have better battery
- ANC isn’t the best
- Transparency mode isn’t as good as Mini Pro
Pros
- More Bass
- Bluetooth 5.2
- IPX5
- Low Latency
- 5-hour battery
Cons
- Some others have better battery
- ANC isn’t the best
Honorable mentions from Soundpeats go to the TrueEngine 3 SE, H1, and the H2. The H1 and H2 in particular are probably the best but cost $79.99. If you’re going to spend that much you should get the…
The most premium dupe
EarFun Air Pro 2: $79.99 – Very well rounded but cost a little more
Yes, I know I listed these in my premium non-Apple round-up. These were the cheapest on that list, so they will be the most expensive on this list. To bring up the pros and cons I mentioned already:
Pros
- Price
- Active Noise Cancelling (ANC)
- Battery: Up to 7 hours, 6 with ANC
- Great sound
- Rubber tips
- Bluetooth 5.2
- Look is unobtrusive
Cons
- Connectivity issues in some cases
If you want something more premium but don’t want to spend Apple or Sony prices then this is your best bet. Similar to some of the others I posted about, these also seem to have an online following.
Wrap-up
As I said, there are almost an infinite number of dupe wireless earbuds. The reason I chose Tozos, Soundpeats, and Earfun is that they all have significant followings from both casual users and audiophiles alike. While I wish that these brands had fewer models, I’ve done my best to try and narrow them down.
If you really don’t want to spend a lot of money you can’t go wrong with the Free2 Classics. For mid-range the Air 3 pros, Mini pros, and NC7s are standouts. And finally, if you want the best check out the Earfun Air Pros 2.
