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Best Earphones, Headphones for Every Budget: Should You Go for Budget Options or Save for Better Ones?

Best Earphones, Headphones for Every Budget: Should You Go for Budget Options or Save for Better Ones?

Brands like Nothing, OnePlus, and Oppo are said to dominate the under Rs. 10,000 segment in India.

Written by Siddhant Chandra, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 18 November 2022 19:47 IST

Best Earphones, Headphones for Every Budget: Should You Go for Budget Options or Save for Better Ones?

AirPods Max are said to be one of the best sounding products from Apple

Earphones and headphones market in India is currently inundated with a plethora of options across all price ranges from brands like Oppo, Nothing, Apple, Sennheiser, and Sony. Even the budget options these days are packed with features like ANC and gaming mode. Notably, the audio market has also shifted towards wireless earphones and headphones in recent times. However, there are still several great wired offerings currently available in the Indian market. Whatever is your preference, you can find a product to suit your needs.

On this week's episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, guest host Pranav Hegde discusses some of the best earphones and headphones available in India with Senior Reviewer Ali Pardiwala and the Executive Producer of Trakin Tech, Ershad Kaleebullah.

What are the best wireless and wired earphones you can buy in India? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Wireless earphones have become a top pick among Indian consumers, with true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones being the most popular choice, says Pranav. He wonders what parameters consumers should consider before judging a wireless earphone. Ali explains that due to the vast number of options across various price points, it gets tricky to pick out the best one.

Pranav then asks whether the ANC and gaming features are effective in wireless earphones at budget or mid-range prices. Ershad explains that obviously, it won't be as good at lower prices and consumers should be looking at spending around Rs. 15,000 to get the best ANC experience. Ali warns that consumers should be aware of budget offerings that market a plethora of features, as they might be doing a half-hearted job on the said features. To this point, Pranav replies that the Realme Buds Air 3 were packed with features, sounded remarkably awful.

The neckband category is dead in India, points out Ershad, and Ali agrees that there haven't been any good neckbands that launched recently. The trio settled on the Oppo Enco M32 neckband as probably being the best offering.

Pranav then enquires about the best budget wireless earphone available up to the Rs. 2,500 mark. Ali says that the Oppo Enco Buds 2 are a decent entry-level offering that comes without ANC. Consumers should not meddle with these entry-level products and go for the Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro, which cost around Rs. 3,500, according to Ershad.

Brands like Nothing, OnePlus, and Oppo dominate the under Rs. 10,000 segment in India, says Pranav. Ershad picks out the Oppo Enco X2 that are fantastically tuned in his opinion. On the other hand, Ali suggests the Nothing Ear 1 is also a great option at this price point. The Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 range, consists of widely popular options like the Apple AirPods 3rd generation and Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, mentions Pranav. Ali recommends the Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS earphones at this price.

Pranav next asks for recommendations in the premium segment. Ershad suggests that users should move to headphones in this range, with AirPods Max wireless headphones being one of the best sounding products from Apple. The Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones are the top pick for Ali in the premium segment. Ershad suggests that wired earphones/ headphones are coming back in his opinion. If the sound is the priority, users should get a pair of in-ear monitor (IEM) headphones. In Ali's opinion, the Rs. 1,700 Moondrop Chu IEMs are better sounding than most Bluetooth earphones.

You can listen to all of that in detail and more in our episode by hitting the play button on the Spotify player embedded above. Don't forget to check our guide on the best ANC headphones and earphones in India, which you can find linked below.

Best Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) Headphones and Earphones in India

You can also find the Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital on your favourite platform — Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Gaana, JioSaavn, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Don't forget to follow the Gadgets 360 podcast wherever you're listening. Please also rate us and leave a review.

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Realme Buds Air 3 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Battery Life
Value For Money

Good
Good design, comfortable fit
Multi-point connectivity, good connection stability
Pleasant, comfortable, and reasonably detailed sound
Decent ANC for the price

Bad
Occasional issues with touch controls
Sound is a bit lacking in attack and drive

Read detailed Realme Buds Air 3 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones review

Headphone Type In-Ear

Microphone Yes

Connectivity True Wireless Stereo (TWS)

Type Earphones

More Realme Headphones & Headset

Oppo Enco M32 Wireless Earphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Battery Life
Value For Money

Good
Decent design, comfortable fit
IP55 dust and water resistance
Very good battery life, USB Type-C fast charging
Loud, energetic, engaging sound

Bad
Bass is overpowering, detail is lacking
Outdoor call quality isn’t very good

Read detailed Oppo Enco M32 Wireless Earphones review

Headphone Type In-Ear

Microphone Yes

Connectivity Wireless

Type Earphones

More Oppo Headphones & Headset

Oppo Enco Buds 2 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Battery Life
Value For Money

Good
Comfortable fit, convenient charging case
App and native settings support on Android
Good battery life
Loud, good sound quality

Bad
No app support on iOS
Sound sometimes feels strained

Read detailed Oppo Enco Buds 2 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones review

Colour Black

Headphone Type In-Ear

Microphone Yes

Connectivity True Wireless Stereo (TWS)

Type Earphones

More Oppo Headphones & Headset

Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Battery Life
Value For Money

Good
Looks good, comfortable fit
Clean, attacking sound
Decent ANC performance
Good app with lots of scope for control customisation

Bad
Average battery life
Sounds shrill at high volume

Read detailed Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones review

Headphone Type In-Ear

Microphone Yes

Connectivity True Wireless Stereo (TWS)

Type Earphones

More Oppo Headphones & Headset

Oppo Enco X2 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Battery Life
Value For Money

Good
Dual-driver setup, advanced Bluetooth codec support
Comfortable fit, good controls
Decent ANC performance
Very good audio and call performance
Superb value for money

Bad
Average battery life

Read detailed Oppo Enco X2 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones review

Headphone Type In-Ear

Microphone Yes

Connectivity True Wireless Stereo (TWS)

Type Earphones

More Oppo Headphones & Headset

Nothing Ear 1 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Battery Life
Value For Money

Good
Excellent design, useful controls 
Good ANC with two intensity levels 
Wireless and fast charging 
Decent app 
Balanced, detailed sound

Bad
Charging case is a bit big 
No voice assistant support 
Sound falls a bit short on attack and aggression

Read detailed Nothing Ear 1 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones review

Headphone Type In-Ear

Microphone Yes

Connectivity True Wireless Stereo (TWS)

Type Earphones

More Nothing Headphones & Headset

Apple AirPods (3rd generation) True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Battery Life
Value For Money

Good
Comfortable fit, good controls
MagSafe wireless charging
Works well with iOS, Siri, and Apple Music
Good battery life
Very good sound quality and performance on calls

Bad
Expensive
Lack of noise isolation can be bothersome
Full feature set needs an iOS device to use

Read detailed Apple AirPods (3rd generation) True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones review

Colour White

Headphone Type In-Ear

Microphone Yes

Connectivity True Wireless Stereo (TWS)

Type Earphones

More Apple Headphones & Headset

Sony WF-1000XM4 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Battery Life
Value For Money

Good
Good noise isolation and active noise cancellation
Very good app
LDAC Bluetooth codec support, stable connectivity
Entertaining, detailed sound
Decent battery life,
Useful extra features

Bad
Fit feels somewhat precarious
Limited customisation of controls

Read detailed Sony WF-1000XM4 True Wireless Stereo (TWS) Earphones review

Headphone Type In-Ear

Microphone Yes

Connectivity True Wireless Stereo (TWS)

Type Earphones

More Sony Headphones & Headset

Apple AirPods Max Wireless Headphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Battery Life
Value For Money

Good
Beautiful, comfortable, and luxurious 
Best-in-class controls 
Seamless connectivity with Apple devices 
Very good ANC and Transparency modes 
Wide, spacious soundstage 
Excellent, flexible sound

Bad
No power button, unpredictable power consumption  
Below-par battery life 
Smart Case is a bit silly 
Lightning charging port 
No ANC level adjustment

Read detailed Apple AirPods Max Wireless Headphones review

Headphone Type Over-Ear

Microphone Yes

Connectivity Wireless

Type Headphones

More Apple Headphones & Headset

Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Headphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Battery Life
Value For Money

Good
Looks good, comfortable fit
Very good app and features
Detailed, well-tuned, flexible sound
Impressive active noise cancellation
Excellent battery life

Bad
A bit expensive
Does not fold fully, less portable

Read detailed Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Headphones review

Colour Black

Headphone Type Over-Ear

Microphone Yes

Connectivity Wireless

Type Headphones

More Sony Headphones & Headset

Moondrop Chu Wired Earphones

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design / Comfort
Audio Quality
Value For Money

Good
Good build quality
Detailed, loud sound
Tight bass, clean mid-range
Excellent for the price

Bad
Little tricky to wear correctly
Slightly harsh treble at times

Read detailed Moondrop Chu Wired Earphones review

Headphone Type In-Ear

Microphone Yes

Connectivity Wired

Type Earphones

More Moondrop Headphones & Headset

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