Best Budget Wireless Headphones 2021: Our Top Picks For November


If you're looking for some wallet-friendly options for audio with some of the best budget wireless headphones, then you've come to the right place.

We've selected what we think are some of the best bang-for-your-buck wireless headphones out there, based on specs, reviews, features they offer, and of course price point.

Whether you're looking for a cracking Plantronics pick with the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless or the brilliant battery life of the Anker Soundcore Life Q20, then we've got you covered, plus our guide to finding the best set for you.

Let's get into it!

Best Budget Wireless Headphones

Best Budget Wireless Headphones - JLab Studio Bluetooth

Image Credit: JLab
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Image Credit: JLab

Manufacturer: JLab | Battery Life: 30 hours | ANC: No | Foldable: No | Weight: 141g

The JLab Studio Wireless headphones are a standout budget choice for us.

In terms of battery life, these headphones should provide up to 30 hours of playback on a single charge, on par with some of the best wireless headphones available.

Thanks to Bluetooth 5, these headphones should maintain a strong, uninterrupted connection of up to 30 feet away, allowing you increased freedom when listening.

The JLab Studio Wireless also boast EQ3 sound technology which promises to deliver high-quality sound and a wide range of frequencies.

Best Budget Wireless Headphones Plantronics - Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless

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Image Credit: Plantronics

Manufacturer: Plantronics | Battery Life: 22 hours (With ANC)/ 28 hours (Without ANC) | ANC: Yes | Foldable: No | Weight: 227g

For a nice-looking set of headphones under 50, look no further than the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless.

These over-ears offer a nice complete package that looks to include a premium, understated design as well as some balanced audio with tinges of warmth to it.

The 810 Wirelesses also have active noise cancellation which is usually a rarity at this price point, so if you do want to do away with any unwanted noise, then these should be a good choice.

Their business class looks appear to be backed up by a hard plastic construction that also features faux leather padding that also should help with passive noise isolation and comfort when the ANC is turned off.

Best Budget Wireless Headphones For Battery Life - Anker Soundcore Life Q20

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Image Credit: Anker

Manufacturer: Anker | Battery Life: 40hours (With ANC)/60 hours (Without ANC)| ANC: Yes | Foldable: No | Weight: 263g

If you're going to be on the go for a lot of your day, then you'll want a set of headphones that can go the distance, and the Anker Soundcore Life Q20 will do just that.

Their standout figure of either 40 or 60-hour battery life looks to remain unmatched in the affordable headphone space, and combine this with a couple of funky colour options and these look like a great choice.

You'll also find ANC bundled in with these, firmly putting them in the frame for those looking for a wallet-friendly set that still packs some nice features.

For the audiophiles on a budget too, there's support for hi-res audio codecs with the Soundcore Life Q20s meaning that even with such an affordable pair, support for quality audio isn't sacrificed.

Best Budget Wireless Headphones For Everyday Usage: Sony Wireless Headphones WH-CH510

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Image Credit: Sony

Manufacturer: Sony | Battery Life: 35 hours | ANC: No | Foldable: No | Voice Assistants: Yes | Weight: 132g

In the world of budget headphones, it's difficult to find some that have support for voice assistants, but the Sony Wireless Headphones WH-CH510 certainly appear to deliver on that front.

Whilst they may not have ANC bundled in, they look to be as light as a feather with a total weight of just 132g, and a battery life of 35 hours will keep any prospective listeners going for more than a day.

The WH-CH510's audio appears to be rather good, especially as they're an on-ear set. Moreover, their bass features plenty of clarity, and there's a Bluetooth 5.0 connection here, allowing for a faster and clearer connection, but more integrally, can aid with gains in battery life.

You'll find support for Google Assistant with them too, thanks to a configuration that allows these to be used with the Google app, which can be mighty handy if you need to ask any questions.

On the front of build quality for these, it looks to be the usual hard plastics that does mean that these Sonys are built relatively well and should be fine being slung in a bag.

Best Budget Wireless Headphones For Design - Jabra Move

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Image Credit: Jabra

Manufacturer: Jabra | Battery Life: 35 hours | ANC: No | Foldable: No | Water Resistant: Yes | Weight: 150g

It can be important to have a pair of headphones that also exude style as well as sound good - enter the Jabra Move.

In conjunction with the plethora of colour options, the construction of these looks relatively sturdy thanks to some hard-wearing plastics. Also, their padding looks moderately thick which should help with noise isolation.

The Moves' most surprising feature though is quite simply signal quality. Where other headphones may feature intermittent dropouts, these Jabras look to remain stable, as well as offer some balanced audio in the process.

Their soundstage looks to be quite vast for the price, and their detail rather remarkable, too. It's actually hard to argue with the entire package here, as well as those understated looks.

Best Budget Wireless Headphones Foldable - Bluedio T2S

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Image Credit: Bluedio

Manufacturer: Bluedio | Battery Life: 40 hours | ANC: No | Foldable: Yes | Weight: 231g

For a set of headphones to chuck into a bag whilst you're travelling, the Bluedio T2Ses appear to be a clever choice.

They fold down to basically nothing, emphasising their nature as space-savers and appear to feature an intriguing design comprised of black plastics, inflexions of metal, and a mesh headband that can be helpful in warm weather, for instance.

In addition, their sound is rather bass-heavy which can be good for songs that rely on a thumping low-end. Battery life for the price is excellent, offering 37 hours of playback time on Bluetooth. They can also be used as wired headphones, too.

In terms of customisation, these Bluedio options also come in either black or white, which looks to keep things business-like, even with that left-field design.

Frequently Asked Questions About The Best Budget Wireless Headphones

What is a good battery life for the best budget headphones?

This depends on the feature set more than anything and the way the headphones have been engineered.

Anything from 25 hours upwards can be considered great for headphones in general, especially budget ones like we've got here. If you can get even higher, such as with the Bluedio T2S set that offers 40, then you're onto a winner.

Are cheap wireless headphones worth it?

Yes, especially if you're taking them to places where they can get damaged as they're inexpensive enough to be replaced.

But, that isn't to say that cheaper headphones aren't well built in their own right. The likes of the Plantronics BackBeat Go 810 Wireless look to feature a hard plastic shell and plenty of padding which suggests they are a well-built pair of budget headphones.

Apart from price, what is the main difference between cheap and expensive headphones?

In reality, if you're purchasing a budget pair of headphones, you can expect a basic feature set with balanced or bassy audio, decent levels of padding and some may have ANC like the Anker Soundcore Life Q20.

By paying more, you'll get access to additions such as wider voice assistant support, or a more advanced form of ANC that works in real-time. You may also get an even tighter seal and more powerful drivers which provide clearer, punchier and more detailed audio.

Read More: Best Budget Earbuds 2021: Our Top Affordable Picks

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