 Buds, dropping a lot of cash on a piece of technology that has no screens, has maybe a couple of LED lights, and will without doubt fall out of your ears at least once and tumble down the sidewalk is hard. And although I use wireless earbuds every day now, for years I used a $30 pair of wired earbuds, and I got used to paying that price to listen to my music on the go. So even with the large advancements in wireless earbuds tech, I still have trouble justifying the large price tags that a lot of these earbuds have. The good news is, the market is huge now, and there are tons of options for budget-friendly wireless earbuds. So these are my picks for the best wireless earbuds under $100. Let's get into it. A good wireless earbud has to check four boxes for me. They have to have good sound quality, solid Bluetooth connection, a comfortable fit without being too large, and enough battery life for at least four hours of continuous listening. And a good mic is a huge plus, but I also understand that not everybody talks on the phone as much as I do. It's like awesome, I love talking on the phone. Anywho, also keep in mind that in the under $100 range, there's a few features that you're just unlikely to find, like active noise cancellation, wirelessly charging cases, or being able to connect to multiple devices at once. Now there are countless wireless earbuds online from companies that you've never heard of. So for my research, I stuck to known brands that have established customer service operations. And in my research, I've been testing the following buds. Mic test. Okay, first up, we have the $60 Skullcandy Sesh Evos. Skullcandy's $80 Indie Evos. The $50 OnePlus Buds Z, which many of you have been asking for a review of. The $40 One More Piston Buds. The $70 JBL 215 TWSs. And last but not least, the $100 JLab Epic ANC Airs. Epic Airs ANC. Yes, Epic Air ANC. Please keep in mind that these are the regular prices for all of these buds, but buds are constantly on sale. If you're looking to get a pair of these, shop it out and you could probably find them cheaper. I started my testing by initially wearing each of these earbuds for at least one battery pass just to get a sense of pairing, their controls, their battery life, and how comfortable they are. Then I kept all of them in a pile on my desk and every morning I would see what I would naturally choose to wear the most and when. And well, very quickly, the bud that I ended up using the most and my pick for the best wireless earbud under $100, it's the OnePlus Buds Z. I choose you. For $50, the Buds Z packed great sound quality without a bulky, cheap feeling design. And out of all of the earbuds I tried, I can wear these the absolute longest without feeling discomfort in my ears. The 10 millimeter drivers deliver a full sound with decent separation of highs and lows, but above all else, a kick and bass. Electronic and pop music definitely sounds the best on these where lows really shine. And of course, buds, I made a playlist of all the songs I've been listening to while testing these. It's been a weird month, so it's a little bit of a weird playlist. Hope you enjoy. There's also IP55 water resistance and the silicone ear tip blocks out enough noise to be able to hear my music clearly, even on the subway. But even with music playing, I could still hear the world around me, like the sound of my keyboard while I work or the faucet running while I wash my hands. These also allow you to use either bud independently. And there is an in-ear sensor that pauses your media when you take it out and resumes it when you pop it back in, which is very welcomed, considered there is no ambient mode with these earbuds. Also their case can quick charge your buds. It can get you three hours of music playback with only 10 minutes in the case. And this case is super small, light and easy to fit in a pocket. I just wish that it had wireless charging. Now these buds, they sound really great. They have a solid mic and they come with some premium features like in-ear detection. But the Buds Zs lack a lot of the touch controls I've become used to with other devices, leading me to take out my phone far more often to skip tracks or adjust volume. And if you don't own a OnePlus device, you'll have to download the Hey Melody app for firmware updates and to change the double tap controls, which is the only control they have. If having all the controls at the tip of your fingertips is important to you and maybe you want a little bit more of a secure fit. Well, the pair of headphones I ended up using the second most were these buds, the Skullcandy Indie Evos. At $80, the Skullcandy Indie Evos are the loudest, most secure fitting buds I tested. And although their 6mm drivers don't have the same level of punch as the Buds Zs or JBL's Tuned 215TWS, if you find you're the kind of person that constantly has your headphone volume all the way up, well maybe clean out your ears, but also grab a pair of the Indie Evos. They are by far the loudest wireless earbud I have tested. And although the sound can get a little mushy at such high volume levels, man, they can really kick and they can also be used independently of each other. My favorite thing about them though, it's the fit and their controls. Buds look at this list of controls. I mean, it is massive. From adjusting volume to skipping tracks to turning on the ambient mode, you can do pretty much anything you would need to do with the tap or hold of a finger. And although it took me a bit longer to get used to all of these controls, I was really happy to have them once I did. I don't love pulling out my phone when I'm on walks listening to music or a podcast. And man, with the touch of a finger, you can do so much on these headphones. Okay, and then there's the fit. I mean, these are very snug in your ears. With this top fin and the silicone ear tip, I mean, once these are seated in your ears, they aren't going anywhere. Now, I like to have my friends test out headphones for me just so I can get a second opinion. And a lot of my friends who typically don't wear wireless earbuds, well, I found them picking these as their favorite. And I think it has to do with how secure they felt in their ears. When you first get wireless earbuds, there's this like huge fear of them falling out of your ears or you losing them. But with the way these fit in my ears, at least, that fear is completely diminished. Okay, so the Bud Z and Skullcandy's Indie Evo's are great picks for most people. But for those of you out there who want the absolute most features for under $100, well, for you guys, my bang for your buck pick is the JLab Epic ANC Airs. No, it's the JLab Epic Airs ANC. Whew, these names. At $99, the Epic Airs are at the top of that $100 budget, but feature a wirelessly charging case, active noise cancellation, hella touch controls, and a long battery life with decent sound. Their biggest downfall, though, it's this bulky case. I appreciate a unique case, but this thing, this thing is a, it's a bit, it's a bit wonky. Yeah, there's a lot going on here. It is the only case I tested that wirelessly charges, but the top folding bit is this sort of leather and this USB-A cable. I mean, number one, the headphones don't even come with a brick in the box. Number two, whew, this is like really dated. And although this design was convenient, maybe even two years ago, it just seems really old now. The case does hold 36 hours of additional battery though. Add that to the 12 hours of battery life the Airs already have, that's with ANC turned off and eight hours with ANC turned on. And well, these are the only buds I tested that I truly had trouble draining the battery of. And there is active noise cancellation. Now that active noise cancellation is a lot like the ANC that I found with the Galaxy Buds Live. It cancels out the high pitches and the lower frequencies that, you know, just are abundant in life, but it doesn't cancel out everything. The Epic Airs do come with the most amount of ear tips for getting that perfect fit and seal, including a cloud foam tip, which is basically the same material as an earplug. It expands in your ear to create a unique seal and it is very comfortable for long listening sessions. The e-millimeter drivers create a really full sound, but without adjusting the EQ settings in Epic Airs app, the bass is a bit flat. And even with the bass turned all the way up, I found myself wanting a bit more. But overall, the difference in sound quality between these and the OnePlus Buds Z is hard to find. These weren't my top pick because this case is just a bit big for carrying around in your pocket and this USB-A cord, I don't love this. But for $99, there is truly a lot to love about these buds. So after countless weeks of testing, it all comes down to this and the $50 OnePlus Buds Z. They sound great, they're really comfortable, they come in a super slim case and although I wish that they wirelessly charged and maybe had a little bit longer battery life, I really think they are the best pick for most people and will truly make you feel free in the cord cutting future. I also think that if you're buying wireless earbuds for the very first time, it's a good idea to spend less money. I mean, earbuds might not feel good in your ears, they might not be comfortable at all, they might not stay in, they might block out too much outside noise and it's better to spend less money figuring that out. Also wireless earbuds, they truly have a lifespan that isn't terribly long. With how much they're being used and recharged, the battery doesn't tend to last very long and you're probably looking to get about two years out of your wireless earbuds. So maybe it's best to not spend a whole boatload of money at first. Thank you so much for joining me, buds. I wrote a little piece on the site about how I test earbuds and a little bit more about the runners up and why I didn't choose them, so check that out at theverge.com. Catch me on Instagram, maybe see me walking around Brooklyn, I don't know, wear a mask, be well. That's all I got to say. Bye, buds.