--- title: The Best Cheap Earbuds description: These are my favorite earbuds under $30. canonical: https://time.com/4656861/best-cheap-earphones-earbuds-xiaomi/ author: Alex Fitzpatrick article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-01T18:34:49.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T12:25:25.000Z og:title: These Are My Favorite Cheap Earbuds og:description: For $26, they can't be beat og:url: https://time.com/4656861/best-cheap-earphones-earbuds-xiaomi/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These Are My Favorite Cheap Earbuds twitter:description: For $26, they can't be beat twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # These Are My Favorite Cheap Earbuds > Sponsored content. 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It covers the reporting, scoops and conversations shaping AI and the decisions facing leaders. #### Where can I get reported AI news rather than commentary? In the Loop is TIME's AI newsletter, built on original reporting and access to the people building and governing AI. It publishes Tuesdays and Fridays and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes TIME's In the Loop? Harry Booth, a tech reporter at TIME, writes In the Loop. #### Is In the Loop free? Yes. In the Loop is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-loop-2026q3/newsletters?i=9cec84a5-299e-476b-9b94-71b9b1695e86&cr=time-nl-loop-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Apple's 2017 iPhone is Going to be Awesome [Watch (HLS stream): Apple's 2017 iPhone is Going to be Awesome](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aUI8gjKW.m3u8) (1:04)  _Published 2016-11-29. Predictions are out for the next iPhone and it's shaping up to be so new that it'll break sales records._  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:25 PM UTCPublished: Feb 1, 2017 6:34 PM UTC  by [Alex Fitzpatrick](https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/)  ## Alex Fitzpatrick Updated: Dec 13, 2023 12:25 PM UTCPublished: Feb 1, 2017 6:34 PM UTC Finding the right headphones is like finding a hoodie that fits exactly right: You’ve got to try a bunch before you find the one, but when you do, you know it right away. For most of my listening needs, I like the [AKG N60s](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B015HDS5TC/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timetechafitzgadgets-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B015HDS5TC&linkId=eba3ab2ca1cba03bbb0d334b6d470aca), a pair of wired, noise-cancelling on-ear headphones that run for around $250\. They sound great, they’re comfortable for hours of listening, and the noise cancellation drowns out my busy city commute. Thankfully for headphone jack-less iPhone 7 users, AKG recently announced a wireless pair is on the way, but I haven’t had the chance to try them yet. But bigger headphones have their limits. You can’t shove them in a pants pocket, they’re not great for the gym, and the ones worth buying are typically on the expensive side. So if you’re not into headphones, you can’t go wrong with a solid pair of cheap-but-great earbuds. And yes, your phone probably came with a pair of buds. But if you’re a music fan, it’s worth spending a little bit of money on an upgrade – the difference will be night and day. So which cheap earbuds are actually worth buying? My favorites are [these $26 Xiaomi buds](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018AMDCLI/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timetechafitzgadgets-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B018AMDCLI&linkId=d4cbe214f83037583161841681e4dc0f). The sound is solid, if a little bass-heavy, they’re in-ear, meaning they block a good amount of outside sound, and for $26, it’s not the end of the world if I lose them or accidentally throw them in the wash, as I’ve done more than once. Given the price and performance, these are one of the best-bang-for-the-buck buys you can make. **(Update:** Shortly after publication a fellow editor here chimed in to recommend these [Koss Sparkplugs](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00001P4XA/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fsp%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=timetechafitzgadgets-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B00001P4XA&linkId=e188012f824ccb7d74d563b435f3d047), which he says has a foam component that “actually contracts and expands within your ear.” Weird but maybe cool!) One drawback here: Weirdly enough, the volume up/down buttons on the cord won’t work with an iPhone, but the play/pause button will. That’s never really bothered me, but it’s worth considering before you make a purchase. [(_Read TIME’s affiliate link policy_.)](http://time.com/4605406/time-affiliate-link-policy/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4656861/best-cheap-earphones-earbuds-xiaomi/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4656861/best-cheap-earphones-earbuds-xiaomi/"},"headline":"These Are My Favorite Cheap Earbuds","datePublished":"2017-02-01T18:34:49.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T12:25:25.000Z","description":"For $26, they can't be beat","url":"https://time.com/4656861/best-cheap-earphones-earbuds-xiaomi/","keywords":["Gadgets","Tech","timeshop"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Fitzpatrick","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-fitzpatrick/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/gadgets/","name":"Gadgets"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4656861/best-cheap-earphones-earbuds-xiaomi/","name":"These Are My Favorite Cheap Earbuds"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Apple's 2017 iPhone is Going to be Awesome","description":"Predictions are out for the next iPhone and it's shaping up to be so new that it'll break sales records.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/aUI8gjKW/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-11-29T18:26:26.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aUI8gjKW.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4656861/best-cheap-earphones-earbuds-xiaomi/","duration":"PT1M4S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4656861/best-cheap-earphones-earbuds-xiaomi/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```