If you're often on the go and find over-ear headphones to be a bit too bulky, in-ears and earbuds are a great portable option. They tend to be very small and easy to bring around, and some designs are also more oriented toward sports. Some might not be as comfortable as well-padded over-ear headphones, but they can be a good option for passively isolating you against the outside world without breaking the bank for high-end noise cancelling over-ears.
We've tested over 280 wireless earbuds and in-ear headphones, and below are our recommendations for the best wireless earbuds under $100. If you're looking for our top picks in general or are curious about different features, check our recommendations for the best headphones under $100, the best wireless earbuds, the best wireless headphones under $100, and the best earbuds under $50.
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Best Earbuds Under $100
Neutral Sound7.1Commute/Travel8.2Sports/Fitness8.0Office7.5Wireless Gaming5.6Wired Gaming5.4Phone Calls6.4Type In-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless Truly WirelessTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling YesMic YesThe Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless are the best earbuds under $100 we've tested. These buds are jam-packed with features like adaptive active noise cancelling (ANC), multi-device pairing, and companion app support that help them stand out from other earbuds in the same price range. They also support LDAC, Sony's proprietary codec for Hi-Res audio, and have a 'Game Mode,' which can help lower latency if you're playing games or streaming video.
These comfortable and well-built buds have a warm sound that you can customize using the app's graphic EQ and presets. Whether you're taking the train or working at a busy office, they also block out an outstanding amount of ambient noise so that you can focus on your audio. With their ANC on, they have more than eight hours of continuous battery life, and their carrying case supplies an additional four charges, which is handy in a pinch. However, like many Bluetooth earbuds, they aren't ideal for phone calls. Their integrated mic's recording quality is poor, causing your voice to sound far away and sharp.
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Best Sounding Wireless Earbuds Under $100
Neutral Sound7.5Commute/Travel7.7Sports/Fitness8.2Office7.0Wireless Gaming5.7Wired Gaming5.6Phone Calls6.3Type In-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless Truly WirelessTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling YesMic YesConsider the Nothing Ear (a) if sound quality is your top priority. These earbuds offer great build quality and a comfortable design. Out of the box, they have a balanced sound profile, with a flat mid-range that represents vocals especially well. The treble remains balanced relative to the bass, before rolling off slightly. Kick drums have extra thump, but individual notes in basslines don't jump out of the mix unnaturally. The earbuds feature a graphic EQ and presets in their companion app if you prefer a different sound. They support the high-quality LDAC codec, but unlike their more expensive cousin, the Nothing Ear, they lack support for the lower-latency LHDC codec.
While they have decent ANC, it isn't as good at blocking out the rumble of engines as our top pick, the Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless. Their continuous battery life of around five hours is also on the short side, so you'll have to top up the battery in the case during long workdays. Finally, like the Anker, their microphone isn't the best, so it's worth checking out the OnePlus Buds 3 below if call quality is important to you.
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Best Wireless Earbuds For Sports Under $100
Neutral Sound7.5Commute/Travel7.4Sports/Fitness8.2Office7.0Wireless Gaming5.8Wired Gaming5.7Phone Calls6.2Type In-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless Truly WirelessTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling NoMic YesConsider the Skullcandy Push Active True Wireless if you're looking for earbuds to take to the gym. These comfortable buds have ear hooks, which help them stay in your ears during runs and workouts. They're well-built and are certified IP55 for resistance against dust and direct water exposure, so a run in the rain or on the beach won't hurt them. They have a longer continuous battery life of over nine hours, and their carrying case supplies more than three charges for top-ups when you need them.
These buds have a bass-rich sound to help keep you pumped up during difficult reps. If you prefer a different sound, they have a companion app with a graphic EQ and presets to help you fine-tune them. Unfortunately, they don't have ANC and struggle to block out bass-range noise like car engine rumbles, which can be annoying if you're jogging along a busy street. If you don't like the look and feel of ear hook headphones, try the Jabra Elite 3 True Wireless instead. They have a smaller earbud design and can even reduce more ambient sound. However, their in-ear fit isn't as stable.
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Best Wireless Earbuds For Work Under $100
Neutral Sound6.9Commute/Travel7.8Sports/Fitness8.3Office7.2Wireless Gaming5.7Wired Gaming5.5Phone Calls7.1Type In-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless Truly WirelessTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling YesMic YesThe best Bluetooth earbuds under $100 for work we've tested are the OnePlus Buds 3. These earbuds have an integrated mic with much better recording quality than the Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless, so your voice sounds clearer over the phone. They also have good noise-handling performance, so background conversations and clacking keyboards won't drown out your voice.
Out of the box, they have a bass-heavy sound profile that muddies mixes a bit. Still, they reproduce voices clearly, and you can adjust their sound with an in-app graphic EQ and presets. Their ANC feature does a good job of reducing office-type noise, so you can focus on your work, although they won't block out as much noise overall as our top pick. They also have a shorter continuous battery life of just under seven hours, so if you plan to use them all day, you'll need to pop them back in their case for a recharge at some point. If you're an Android user, consider the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE; they have superior noise isolation and a better microphone, but their companion app only works with Android devices, and they don't support multi-device pairing like the OnePlus.
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Best Wireless Earbuds For iPhone Under $100
Neutral Sound6.9Commute/Travel7.7Sports/Fitness8.1Office7.0Wireless Gaming5.4Wired Gaming5.3Phone Calls6.0Type In-earEnclosure Closed-BackWireless YesTransducer DynamicNoise Cancelling NoMic YesThe Beats Flex Wireless are the best Bluetooth earbuds for iPhone under $100 that we've tested. These colorful neck cable earbuds have some Apple-centric features worth considering if you're an iPhone user. Unlike other picks on this list, they have a W1 chip to let you quickly pair them with iOS devices. Their comfortable and stable in-ear fit also makes them suitable for jogs in the park.
Fans of EDM and hip-hop can especially enjoy their bass-heavy sound profile, which delivers rumble, punch, and boom to mixes. Their mid-range response is fairly flat, so vocals and lead instruments are still present in your mixes. However, their companion app has no sound customization features, so you can't adjust their sound to suit your tastes. On the plus side, they last for roughly 11 hours of continuous playback time and fully charge up in just over an hour. Even though they don't have ANC, and they struggle to block out bass-range noise like bus engine rumbles, they do a better job when it comes to isolating you from ambient chatter.
Notable Mentions
- Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless:
The Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC Truly Wireless perform similarly to the Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless but have a stem design instead of the A40's bud-only design. They're a little more expensive and block out slightly less noise in the bass range, but they include virtual surround sound features for a more 3D, immersive soundstage.
See our review - Anker Soundcore C30i:
The Anker Soundcore C30i are open, cuff-style earbuds that are a good option for working out or going for a run. They're significantly more stable than the Beats Flex Wireless but can be uncomfortable due to their less common fit. While they have a longer battery life at 14.2 hours and support multi-device pairing, their open fit means they won't deliver much bass compared to the Beats.
See our review
Recent Updates
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Due to their limited availability, we've removed the Anker Soundcore Life P3 Truly Wireless from the Notable Mentions and replaced them with the Anker Soundcore C30i as an open-ear option.
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The Nothing Ear (a) are our new pick in the 'Best Sounding' category for their flat mid-range and well-controlled bass performance. The Samsung Galaxy Buds FE are now an alternative pick in the 'Best Earbuds For Work' category for any Android users who don't need multi-device pairing. Finally, we removed the JBL Tune Buds True Wireless from our Notable Mentions.
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The article now mentions the Nothing Ear (a) Truly Wireless as an alternative to the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Truly Wireless for their in-app EQ and feature set.
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Aug 06, 2024 : This article has been updated with minor edits for clarity and no changes to the picks.
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Jul 02, 2024 : We made a few changes to the text for clarity, but our picks didn't change.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds under $100 to buy for most people. We factor in the price (cheaper headphones win over pricier ones if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no headphones that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to choose for yourself, here is the list of all our reviews of wireless earbuds and in-ears under $100. Be careful not to get caught up in the details. There are no perfect headphones. Personal taste, preference, and listening habits will matter more in your selection.
Recommended Articles
Comments
Best Wireless Earbuds Under $100: Main Discussion
What do you think of our picks? Let us know below.
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- 21010
Note that we don’t test 1440p resolutions anymore as this format was never intended for TVs, but we do have that information for the U8N and yes, it supports 1440p @ 60, 120, and 144Hz.
That is awesome. It would be great if you could at least test this resolution, even just to see if the TV can accept the signal, ongoing. There are a lot of gamers that are looking at TVs for gaming monitors. They are much more inexpensive, especially considering how big of a display they can get.
- 21010
you said, “The TV supports all common resolutions up to 4k @ 144Hz on two of its four HDMI ports.” Does that include 2K resolutions, 2560x1440?
- 21010
any reason why no one is posting the actual bezel size on these TVs? I can’t find it anywhere, other than quoting Hisense themselves, saying “thin”.
- 21010
1.) Yes VRR ist part of the HDMI 2.1 standard, but it is optional. The same way 4K120 and a bunch of other stuff is optional. The only limitation is that when advertising a TV as HDMI 2.1 you have to list at least one supported feature of HDMI 2.1. A TV make could only support HDCP 2.2, no VRR, no 4K120, no eARC and still advertise it as HDMI 2.1 2.) The HDMI 2.1 bug found by ct has nothing directly to do with compressed vs. uncompressed video signals. The bug is in the implementation of one of the signal patterns used in FRL (fixed rate link). FRL is a new encoding format used in HDMI 2.1 that is required to transmit video signals at 48gbit/s. To avoid compatibility issues at 4K120 there are 2 ways: .) Use a different signal pattern that is not broken. Afaik PS5 is not affected because it does not use the broken signal pattern, but only different ones while XBox Series X is affected. .) If you use compressed video data you need less bandwith so you are not required to use FRL. This was discussed as a workaround because the used signal pattern is probably not changeable via a software update. After all this bug so far only applies to HDMI 2.1 receivers, so another way to avoid it is to not use a receiver at all, but connect the console directly to the TV and send audio by using eArc if you just need the receiver to use your sound system. 3.) There has are whole lot of issues with 4K120 and VRR. The HDMI 2.1 bug on the receivers one of the smallest. Some of them are: .) Cables that claim to support 48gbit HDMI 2.1, but in reality most non certified cables do not. .) TVs having trouble rapidly changing refresh rate as this will mess up the panel .) TVs that promised VRR in the datasheets, but do not support it yet .) TVs having problems with 120Hz like the Sony XH90 that has blurry picture which makes 4K120 useless .) TVs not supporting 4K120 and VRR at the same time (at least officially) .) Some random connect/reconnect glitches at 4K120 .) Having all sorts of picture enhancing optionas like local dimming disabled when using VRR 4.) If you do not apready have your 3080 I doubt you will get it next year anyway without paying insame prices as we are again in the middle of a mining boom and if ethereum prices do not drop again I suspect global hashrate to need 1 year to catch up enough to make buying all cards on the market not profitable. Currently we are at 700$ for a 3060 Ti in mass quantities from the AIBs without dealers, tariffs, sales tax. warranty etc. So basically there will be no restock for dealers except cards that are already on their way by ship. I am considering to skip this generation and buy the next one (Lovelace) that is rumored to provide again around 70% performance increase.
Interesting. I kinda think a lot of that information should be more readily available. Like all the stuff that is in HDMI 2.1. I never knew they were optional, but were suppose to be standardized. Being optional, that just seems like that has so much potential for compatibility issues, whereas HDMI being universal and standard, was suppose to get rid of compatibility issues. Especially when it’s someone that’s not very technical enough to know all the different things to look at, they can just see HDMI 2.1 and match it with another component that is also HDMI 2.1, and have faith that it works. The info that I found on the HDMI 2.1 ‘bug’ was that A/V receivers, the Panasonic HDMI chip supported compressed signal, but not accept non-compressed signal. And consoles and Ampere cards only used non-compressed signals. This was a while back (not sure how long, time has kinda lost meaning now days, lol), so I’m not sure if there was new information on it. I never followed up on it since I’m not a console gamer, and I have a Yamaha RX-A3050 and don’t see a need to upgrade. I have a Denon AVR-S750H hooked up to my gaming PC. For my gaming setup, the biggest issue is not having eARC on my Samsung TVs to be able to keep Atmos. I have to go from PC>Denon>TV to keep Atmos, and that introduces a bit more lag. So it’s a trade off of which I want more. Atmos or a bit of lag and no VRR option. And, yea, kinda crappy situation with the Ampere cards. The 3080ti has been postponed indefinitely. Maybe by end of summer. I do find some 3090s in stock, albeit at $2500CAN. I was contemplating pulling the trigger on one of those, but now I might have to move. Landlord is trying to have us evicted because rent prices have skyrocketed where we live and he can get several hundred dollars more for the place if we move out. So now, money wise, is being kept for the possibility of having to move.
- 21010
1.) Yes in theory it works with 3 displays, but there are lot of things regarding VRR that should work in theory, but in reality do not. 2.) The problem is that rtings only makes a short test (maybe only the pendulum demo) to see if it works, but they do not test with a stress test or test with different games for several days to find out if there are issues in some cases where frame rate changes a lot. Also they only test one firmware and there have been also cases where a new firmware broke VRR when it was already working. 3.) HDMI 2.1 is only a new version of the standard that adds a bunch of optional features: 4K120, VRR, ALLM, eArc, HDCP 2.3 The only requirement by the HDMI forum is that if you have to support at least one feature and name the supported features every time you mention HDMI 2.1 So you could choose to only support HDCP 2.3 and still advertise the TV as HDMI 2.1 capable and still then there are lots of cases where TVs are advertised as VRR compatible, but do not even have the option in the firmware.
From the tech paper I found at HDMI.org, VRR, and other technologies are the new STANDARD with HDMI 2.1. These aren’t options, but standard. The only “option”, and one that they really screwed up on, was the compressed vs non-compressed video signal. That is what the HDMI 2.1 “bug” is all about with the consoles and A/V receivers that have HDMI 2.1. They aren’t compatible. Consoles send uncompressed signal, but the A/V receivers only support uncompressed. As far as I know, the TVs that have HDMI 2.1 support both, and that’s why the consoles still work directly connected to the TV. To me it doesn’t sound like a big deal. Crappy that there are even really high end receivers that don’t support it and that it’s hardware related (not fixable by firmware), but at least people can plug their console into the TV and use eARC to the receiver for Audio. Anyway, even NVidia has it on their site that VRR is the new standard for HDMI 2.1, and has a link to a Samsung page that advertises gaming with NVidia cards. Side note. I don’t think it’s the responsibility of RTings to test this feature and do a full review on it. I believe it should be the responsibility of ALL the other tech review companies and professional tech review Youtube channels to cover this. I have absolutely no idea why they don’t. RTings seems to be the only one that actually mentions it.
- 21010
I dont know if this would be representative for your case: .) I dont know if VRR works with more than one monitor .) 3080 has one HDMI port, so you would have to use at least 2 DP to HDMI adapters and it is questionable if they would forward VRR
It depends on the manufacturer of the GPU. Some do come with more than one HDMI port on the back. Also NVidia’s “surround mode” does work with G-Sync, so triple display is possible with the general idea of Variable Refresh Rate. But my question wasn’t specifically for a triple display set up, but just in general. I cannot find a single review of the new Ampere cards that actually analyze all the new technology. For my main interest, yes, I am interested in the HDMI 2.1 and VRR capable displays, but there are other new technologies that have been overlooked for some unknown reason. Personally, I think the HDMI 2.1 and VRR is a rather huge one considering how many decent 4K TVs are out there with low latency and VRR capable. RTINGS, when they first reviewed these TVs said that they were “G-Sync” compatible, which was the reason I bought them to begin with. Only for RTINGS to change it a couple of months later saying they had a flaw in their testing. But HDMI 2.1 has VRR built in. So, properly, the new Ampere GPUs should be VRR compatible with any TV that has HDMI 2.1 and/or VRR built in, too.
- 21010
We discovered a flaw in the way we were testing for G-SYNC compatibility with TVs. We corrected it, and retested the 2019 Samsung and LG TVs - unfortunately, we found that the Samsung RU8000 doesn’t work properly with NVIDIA’s current Adaptive Sync drivers.
I was wondering a couple of things about your testing. Discussions seemed to be turned off for this TV or something because when I click on Discussions, I’m getting 404 error. I don’t remember if I saw it before. But I was wondering about a few things that I don’t think were mentioned. What GPU were you using? I think you said a Turing card, maybe the RTX 2070, but I’m not sure. What firmware on the TV? What HDMI port? One supports ARC, but I can’t find if there are any other differences on that HDMI port. What HDMI cable were you using? HDMI 2.0 or 2.1? Was the G-Sync option displayed in the NVidia Control Panel (the TV I can put Free Sync to Ultimate, but the G-Sync doesn’t even show up in the NVidia Control Panel)
Right now I have two GTX 1080ti’s in SLI, and three Samsung 55" RU8000 TVs in surround mode. I understand that Free Sync/G-Sync will not work with my GPUs, but I am hoping to get the next gen ones at the end of the year if they offer a big enough speed increase. The Samsung TVs are great for gaming and just being able to put the refresh rate to 120Hz makes a great difference. But I did buy these specifically based on your article where as I was looking at the TCL ones before hand.
- 21010
That sucks pretty bad. Especially considering I bought three Samsung 55" RU8000 TVs for my computer based on your information. I’m curious how you guys did test it. How did you get the GSync option to even show in the NVidia Control Panel?
- 32120
We discovered a flaw in the way we were testing for G-SYNC compatibility with TVs. We corrected it, and retested the 2019 Samsung and LG TVs - unfortunately, we found that the Samsung RU8000 doesn’t work properly with NVIDIA’s current Adaptive Sync drivers.
That sucks pretty bad. Especially considering I bought three Samsung 55" RU8000 TVs for my computer based on your information.
- 21010
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/lg-gsync-compatible-hdmi-big-screen-gaming/
doesn’t talk about my TV, but does talk about what series over HDMI. if that’s the case, it is literally a driver thing since the 10 series and the 20 series both use the same HDMI version
Edited 5 years ago: update - 21010
https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/news/lg-gsync-compatible-hdmi-big-screen-gaming/
doesn’t talk about my TV, but does talk about what series over HDMI. if that’s the case, it is literally a driver thing since the 10 series and the 20 series both use the same HDMI version
Edited 5 years ago: edit - 21010
I was going to ask what version HDMI cable you are using, but that doesn’t matter, your graphics card does not support 4k 60Hz. I am almost positive your HDMI is only version 1.4. I am not sure about the display port. I know they are generally well ahead of HDMI, so it’s possible you can get a display port to HDMI adapter. Check the version of the display port before buying one though, and when you do go shopping for one, make sure you check the versions of the display port and HDMI it supports. You’ll need one that says HDMI 2.0 I have two GTX 1080ti in SLI and I picked up three of these TVs for surround mode. I’m still struggling with how to get freesync to work. I have tried different resolutions, including 1440p @120Hz. It actually looks pretty decent since it’s not a native resolution.
- 21010
yea, I noticed they updated the article and says it works with newer cards. BTW, did you try the new firmware that was just released for the TV as well? I have a 1080ti and I don’t see the settings for G-Sync so I’m wondering if it’s only on the newer cards.
update: I did find that it is suppose to be supported on the 10 series and up, but I have been unable to get it to work. I’ve got all the latest Win 10 updates, including feature ones, running 441.41 drivers, and even the latest firmware for the TV that came out yesterday. Gsync option still won’t show in the NVidia control panel.
Edited 5 years ago: update