5 Cheaper Alternatives To AirPods Pro Actually Worth Buying – BGR

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The Apple AirPods Pro are some of the most popular premium wireless earbuds, with the AirPods Pro 3 being the newest version. These have been on the market for a while now, and their standout features have started to make themselves clear. Features like active noise cancellation, live translation, premium audio quality, and spatial audio, however, come at a cost with the AirPods Pro 3. The flagship earbuds retail for $249, and many of their most sought-after features can be found in similar products with a lower price point.

Brands like Google and Samsung have flagship options of their own, for example, and the marketplace is littered with budget brands that deliver quality buds for less. The key is finding wireless earbuds that don’t compromise on quality to undercut the price of the AirPods Pro. With so many options out there, we decided to track down some AirPods Pro alternatives that both cost less and still offer a quality listening experience. We aimed to find options that replicate some of the AirPods Pro’s most popular features but do so with less strain on your wallet.

The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a flagship wireless earbuds option that comes with a range of premium features, just like the AirPods Pro. They have active noise cancellation and provide a high-quality listening experience by utilizing 11mm drivers and a high-frequency chamber that delivers powerful bass and balanced treble. These wireless buds also have spatial audio and head tracking, which makes them a great option for both watching movies and listening to music. These features create an immersive listening experience that makes it feel like you’re in the movie or like the band is in the room.

These wireless earbuds don’t offer huge savings compared to the Apple AirPods Pro 3, as they check in at a retail price of $229. But they are frequently discounted quite a bit at Amazon, and even at their regular price, they offer slightly more value. They have premium hardware like Google’s Tensor A1 chip, which powers their noise-cancellation capabilities, as well as Gemini integration for AI-powered features. These wireless earbuds work with both Android and Apple devices, though keeping things within the Google Pixel ecosystem allows you to tap into their full feature set.

Samsung’s direct competitor to the AirPods Pro 3 is the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, but we feel they aren’t a worthy rival. A more affordable Samsung option that still has a solid feature set is the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE. At $150, they offer a lot of value. Just like the Pixel Buds Pro 2, these wireless earbuds produce quality bass and balanced treble with an 11mm dynamic speaker. And while they deliver a quality listening experience for music and movies, Samsung has put an emphasis on making the Galaxy Buds 3 FE just as clear and well-tuned when talking on the phone or on video chats.

AI features are also accessible with the Galaxy Buds 3 FE, as Samsung has integrated Google Gemini into the package. For users of other Galaxy devices, the Galaxy Buds 3 FE offer deeper features like automatic device switching. This makes them not as feature-packed for users of Apple devices, but they will connect to and provide a quality listening experience for any Bluetooth device. They offer great value at their regular price, but the Galaxy Buds 3 FE are also discounted heavily at Amazon from time to time, so you can add even more value if you purchase them at the right time.

Nothing is a brand that puts some flagship features into its wireless earbuds, yet manages to keep its prices well beneath the competition. The Nothing Ear wireless earbuds are priced at $129, but retailers like Amazon love to discount them, and they can be available for as little as $89. We gave these earbuds a 9/10 in our Nothing Ear review, as we like their comfortable fit, good audio quality, and the fact that they have solid active noise cancellation like the Apple AirPods Pro.

If there’s a drawback to the Nothing Ear earbuds, it’s that you might find them a little dated. Newer models of the Nothing Ear are on the market, though they are also more expensive. But for $129, the Nothing Ear offers Hi-Res Audio, a long playtime with up to 40.5 hours of playback between charges, and the ability to remain connected to multiple devices at a time. They are a quality, go-anywhere set of wireless earbuds that share some premium features with the AirPods Pro.

With Beats being owned by Apple, there are several wireless earbuds in its lineup that could make a good alternative to the AirPods Pro. The Beats Studio Buds+ are worth considering, as we point out that they have AirPods Pro sound quality at a much lower price in our Beats Studio Buds+ review. Audio quality is powered by the Beats custom acoustic platform, which utilizes three acoustic vents for sound clarity and physical comfort. For earbuds users who need their privacy, the active noise cancellation is greatly improved upon over previous Studio Buds models.

Wireless charging is a feature that’s becoming standard in wireless earbuds, but it’s something the Studio Buds+ lack. You’ll need to connect the charging case to a power outlet via USB-C cable. That isn’t necessarily a bad compromise, as quality audio playback, an all-day comfort design, customizable controls, and up to 36 hours of listening time between charges are part of the deal as well. The Beats Studio Buds+ are also frequently discounted. The retail price is $170, but retailers like Amazon will drop their prices often throughout the year.

If you’re in search of an alternative to the AirPods Pro, it could be because you prefer the Apple software ecosystem. If that’s the case, the Apple AirPods 4 make a great alternative. Their full feature set can be tapped into when working with other Apple devices. They can switch automatically between your iPhone and your iPad, and they can even recognize when you move over to your MacBook or desktop Mac if you have one in your device ecosystem. At $129, the AirPods 4 are much more favorably priced than the AirPods Pro 3.

These AirPods aren’t going to come with features like MagSafe charging, touch controls, extended battery life, or hearing protection, as Apple reserves those for the AirPods Pro. But the AirPods 4 can still reach up to 30 hours of playback between charges with their charging case, and they do have some premium-level features like spatial audio with dynamic head tracking and active noise cancellation. We feel they offer plenty of smart features at a low price, which you can read more about in our AirPods 4 review.

In selecting these AirPods Pro alternatives, we focused on pricing and brand recognition. We wanted to ensure we presented options that are more affordable than the AirPods Pro 3’s regular price of $249, while at the same time staying within model lineups of brands that are sure to deliver a quality listening experience. Our priority within these criteria was to find wireless earbuds that offer feature parity with the AirPods Pro. Spatial audio, audio quality, and top-notch active noise cancellation are features that help the AirPods Pro stand out, and these alternatives can compete on those fronts.