There are plenty of wireless earbud alternatives to Apple’s AirPods for under $100 — but what if you’re looking for something even cheaper? And while there are certainly a lot of earbuds that cost $60 or less, only a few stand out, and several are surprisingly good for the price. As we like to say, you shouldn’t expect the world at this low price, but unlike pricier models from Apple and others, you won’t feel heartbroken if you happen to lose them.
Excellent value: Earfun Free Pro
The Earfun Free Pro wireless earbuds have active noise cancellation with a transparency mode, wireless charging and Bluetooth 5.2. They’re rated for six hours of battery life with the noise-canceling function, seven without. They’re IPX5 water-resistant, or able to withstand a sustained spray of water. They sound relatively clean, with balance and bass that has some kick. Lightweight and comfortable, they have little fins that help hold them in place in-ear. Call quality was decent, too. The touch controls were responsive.
Available in black, for $60
Under $50 Anker: Anker Soundcore Life P2
Anker has released its newer Soundcore Life P3 (around $70), but the P2 model remains a good value option. Their sound doesn’t have a presence boost in the treble, so they’re not as clear-sounding with well-recorded tracks, and the bass isn’t quite as well defined. But they’re warmer and more forgiving, which we appreciated. They feature physical buttons, which some people may prefer. They have four microphones, two of which are supposed to help with noise reduction when making calls. They charge via USB-C (battery life is rated at seven hours) and have an IPX7 water-resistance rating, which means they can be fully submerged up to 3 feet.
Available in three colors, starting at $45
Budget AirPods Alternative: SoundPeats Air 3
SoundPeats’ open-style Air 3 buds are comfortably small, and the case is truly tiny — smaller than the AirPods’ case. They stayed in my ears more securely than AirPods, too. These buds use Qualcomm’s 3040 chipset, which has Bluetooth 5.2, and the earbuds support the aptX audio codec with compatible devices. Sound quality is right there with the AirPods, and these even have slightly more bass. The only issue we noticed is that you can only push them so far. When playing certain tracks at higher volumes we encountered some distortion; as a result we kept the earbuds at about 60% of maximum. You can adjust the volume using the touch controls, which work well.
Available in two colors, for $50
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3 of the best Wi-Fi routers on the market right now
Heykube/TNS
The iconic Rubik’s Cube drove me nuts when I had one. Fast forward a few decades to today’s Heykube, a next-gen, technology-driven version of the toy that’s much more fun and much less frustrating.
The programmable six-sided, 3-by-3 smart cube puzzle teaches you how to solve it — a nice, modern advantage over the ’80s version. Players solve scrambles with hints and different levels of difficulty, including quick solve and learn to solve.
Heykube allows users to create, share and solve their own algorithms via Python. Users with a Raspberry Pi can access the Heykube’s Python library for controlling the lights and sounds in the cubed smart toy. The Heykube companion app is available for sharing with others and watching tutorials.
Solving the puzzle is the same as in the past: turn the pieces up, down and sideways, with each side’s center square determining the color for that side.
The tutorials and the LED lights lend a helping hand in solving at first, as there are tricks to know and learn. Sometimes the solution was quick, but other times it brought me the same frustration and determination as the older cube.
The lights on the center-piece rotate, telling you the rotating direction. When the sound changes, the mode has changed. The hints can be turned on or off, making it programmable to a different level of difficulty.
Inside the Bluetooth-enabled Heykube is a microprocessor and long-lasting internal battery. The cube charges via micro USB (cable included). $79.99, heykube.com
Heykube/TNS
The iconic Rubik’s Cube drove me nuts when I had one. Fast forward a few decades to today’s Heykube, a next-gen, technology-driven version of the toy that’s much more fun and much less frustrating.
The programmable six-sided, 3-by-3 smart cube puzzle teaches you how to solve it — a nice, modern advantage over the ’80s version. Players solve scrambles with hints and different levels of difficulty, including quick solve and learn to solve.
Heykube allows users to create, share and solve their own algorithms via Python. Users with a Raspberry Pi can access the Heykube’s Python library for controlling the lights and sounds in the cubed smart toy. The Heykube companion app is available for sharing with others and watching tutorials.
Solving the puzzle is the same as in the past: turn the pieces up, down and sideways, with each side’s center square determining the color for that side.
The tutorials and the LED lights lend a helping hand in solving at first, as there are tricks to know and learn. Sometimes the solution was quick, but other times it brought me the same frustration and determination as the older cube.
The lights on the center-piece rotate, telling you the rotating direction. When the sound changes, the mode has changed. The hints can be turned on or off, making it programmable to a different level of difficulty.
Inside the Bluetooth-enabled Heykube is a microprocessor and long-lasting internal battery. The cube charges via micro USB (cable included). $79.99, heykube.com
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3 of the best Wi-Fi routers on the market right now
Kingston/TNS
Kingston Technology is unveiling a pocket-sized external SSD with industry-leading read/write speeds.
The XS2000 transfers data at lightning-fast USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 speeds — up to 2,000 megabits per second. The drive connects via USB-C and includes a removable rubber sleeve and IP55-rating.
The XS2000 measures 2.73-by-1.28-by-0.53-inches and is available in three capacities: 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB. A USB-C cable is included. Starting at $99.99, kingston.com
Kingston/TNS
Kingston Technology is unveiling a pocket-sized external SSD with industry-leading read/write speeds.
The XS2000 transfers data at lightning-fast USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 speeds — up to 2,000 megabits per second. The drive connects via USB-C and includes a removable rubber sleeve and IP55-rating.
The XS2000 measures 2.73-by-1.28-by-0.53-inches and is available in three capacities: 500 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB. A USB-C cable is included. Starting at $99.99, kingston.com
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3 of the best Wi-Fi routers on the market right now
Phoozy/TNS
Phoozy’s Apollo smart device cases are promoted as Spacesuit technology for every adventure, bringing protection with the brand’s patented Chromium Thermal Barrier. Adapted from NASA technology, the barrier prevents overheating in the sun and extends battery life in the cold.
The case deflects up to 90% of the sun’s heat to maintain a safe operating temperature. The inner layer insulates the device in cold environments, enabling up to four times more battery life than that of an uninsulated device.
The heat protection was easy to test. I took a drive with a phone in a Phoozy case and another phone not cased sitting on my dashboard. I played music from the uncased phone to gauge that it was working. Once the music stopped, I pulled over, and, sure enough, the uncased phone had overheated and shut off. The Phoozy-cased phone was still in fine working order.
In addition to heat management, Phoozy’s Apollo cases are designed to be climate-proof, germ-proof, drop-proof and sink-proof — handling extreme conditions of almost any kind.
You can find a Phoozy case to fit almost all of today’s smartphones and tablets. They all protect against heat and cold but differ in looks and other features, including a water-resistant flotation XP3 rating and antimicrobial materials.
Starting at $29.99, phoozy.com
Phoozy/TNS
Phoozy’s Apollo smart device cases are promoted as Spacesuit technology for every adventure, bringing protection with the brand’s patented Chromium Thermal Barrier. Adapted from NASA technology, the barrier prevents overheating in the sun and extends battery life in the cold.
The case deflects up to 90% of the sun’s heat to maintain a safe operating temperature. The inner layer insulates the device in cold environments, enabling up to four times more battery life than that of an uninsulated device.
The heat protection was easy to test. I took a drive with a phone in a Phoozy case and another phone not cased sitting on my dashboard. I played music from the uncased phone to gauge that it was working. Once the music stopped, I pulled over, and, sure enough, the uncased phone had overheated and shut off. The Phoozy-cased phone was still in fine working order.
In addition to heat management, Phoozy’s Apollo cases are designed to be climate-proof, germ-proof, drop-proof and sink-proof — handling extreme conditions of almost any kind.
You can find a Phoozy case to fit almost all of today’s smartphones and tablets. They all protect against heat and cold but differ in looks and other features, including a water-resistant flotation XP3 rating and antimicrobial materials.
Starting at $29.99, phoozy.com
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3 of the best Wi-Fi routers on the market right now
Satechi/TNS
Charger-maker Satechi keeps up on what people need and provides different charging options, often with better features than the original chargers that came with your product (if your product even came with a charger), and often with a smaller price tag.
Satechi’s magnetic wireless car charger features Qi wireless 7.5W charging with a magnetic attachment. The charger (3.4-by-2.53-by-0.29-inches, 3.7 ounces) is built with clips for attaching to a vehicle’s air vents and rotates for proper hands-free viewing. A USB-C port is built into the charger for the included USB-C cable.
$44.99, satechi.net
Satechi/TNS
Charger-maker Satechi keeps up on what people need and provides different charging options, often with better features than the original chargers that came with your product (if your product even came with a charger), and often with a smaller price tag.
Satechi’s magnetic wireless car charger features Qi wireless 7.5W charging with a magnetic attachment. The charger (3.4-by-2.53-by-0.29-inches, 3.7 ounces) is built with clips for attaching to a vehicle’s air vents and rotates for proper hands-free viewing. A USB-C port is built into the charger for the included USB-C cable.
$44.99, satechi.net
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3 of the best Wi-Fi routers on the market right now
Twelve South/TNS
Twelve South’s StayGo mini USB-C hub brings four extra ports to your iPad or MacBook: a headphone jack, USB, USB-C and HDMI.
The ports can add external drives, pass-through power, external displays, headphones and speakers or other external peripherals.
The hub measures 2.8-by-1.25-by-1.49 inches and is built with an aluminum exterior shell to dissipate heat. It can be connected directly to the device or via the included 19-inch extension cable for added flexibility — which is great when you have a protective case on the device.
$59.99, twelvesouth.com
Twelve South/TNS
Twelve South’s StayGo mini USB-C hub brings four extra ports to your iPad or MacBook: a headphone jack, USB, USB-C and HDMI.
The ports can add external drives, pass-through power, external displays, headphones and speakers or other external peripherals.
The hub measures 2.8-by-1.25-by-1.49 inches and is built with an aluminum exterior shell to dissipate heat. It can be connected directly to the device or via the included 19-inch extension cable for added flexibility — which is great when you have a protective case on the device.
$59.99, twelvesouth.com
