TL; DR: If you are in the market for a set of wireless earbuds and Apple’s AirPods are out of your budget, EarFun Air wireless earphones are a decent offer. They lag slightly behind AirPods in terms of craftsmanship and comfort, but the extremely lower price point outweighs the shortcomings.
Wireless audio has become a balloon in popularity, thanks in part to Apple AirPods. This becomes somewhat clearer with a quick walk through the mall than the park. Wireless is going this way these days, and Apple currently holds about half of the market for wireless earbuds. In terms of user experience, AirPods are hard to beat, but that comes with a steep price tag and ecosystem limitations. These days, standard AirPods retail for ~ $ 140. The Qi wireless charging case bumps that up to $ 170, and if you want AirPods Pro, you need to be prepared to shell out $ 250.
Now, AirPods work great if you’re already in Apple’s ecosystem of devices, they will pair easily and work most smoothly in that walled garden as you move from one device to another. Move to an Android phone or Windows laptop, and the experience is no better than your average competitor. Another factor to consider is that standard AirPods are decent but not great audio devices, so a less expensive alternative is definitely in order.
Sony’s well known WF-1000XM3 are superior to AirPods in the audio department, but they’s still almost $ 200. Google, Amazon, Huawei, and Samsung all have competing alternatives, but the least you’ll pay for these are Galaxy Buds from former gen, which are pretty decent for $ 110, most others are around $ 150 +. Jabra’s $ 150 Elite 75t from Jabra are also great for sports.
So when a small electronics startup called EarFun contacted us and offered to review a set of new AirPods alternatives that would only cost $ 60 on Amazon, we were all ears (pun intended).
The EarFun Air “true wireless” earbuds are the company’s latest offering, so we commissioned two of our writers who have been using AirPods on a regular basis to try them out for a few weeks. That here’s what we think …
In terms of craftsmanship, the EarFun Air earphones are similar to AirPods. They feel sturdy and are maybe just a touch heavier. They have a slightly different design than the standard AirPods, look more like the AirPods Pro. They come with four different sized ear tips and felt, if fitted well in the ear, safer than AirPods. It never felt like they were falling out, except when they were getting wet from sweat. Apple’s standard design can feel a little unsafe in the ear, even when it’s dry, and especially if you’ve jogging or doing high-impact exercises.
The charging case feels durable overall, but the lid looks flimsy than Apple’s. Holders of AirPods use a machined aluminum hinge, while the EarFun Air case is made entirely of plastic. The joint exhibits a bit of flex as it deliberately expands, but it could break more easily than Apple’s if the case sat on with the top open.
EarFun’s first generation wireless earphones called EarFun “Free” had physical switches for pause and pairing, but the company brought touch controls with the EarFun Air we were testing, this is a welcome improvement. These may take some getting used to, but the same can be said about the touch controls of the AirPods.
One foot up that the EarFun Air has over AirPods is that you can adjust the volume by touching your finger on one earbud – left for down and right for up. AirPods volume can only be controlled by the device to which it is connected, which is annoying. AirPods allow you to use Siri to control volume, but it’s a pretty clunky experience.
The EarFun Air case has both a USB-C port and a Qi coil for wireless charging, just like the AirPods. However, the charging time is a bit longer (about two hours). Perhaps more importantly, the single LED indicator of the EarFun Air charging case is not a reliable way to tell the charge level. Knowing if the unit is completely soft is a bit of a judgment game.
Battery life is also somewhat inconsistent and depends on volume and usage. EarFun claims that these can last up to 7 hours, and they do when you listen to podcasts or music at about 25-30 percent volume. At 50 percent, they only last about 4-5 hours, and a little less for conversations. We got about 4 hours of talk time on one charge during phone calls.
In our tests, the headphones could get 4-5 charges from a completely juicy case, which is about the same as AirPods. One notable advantage we discovered when using the EarFun Air buttons was that 15 minutes in the case equals about an hour of use at 50 percent volume.
The output quality is decent for a pair of wireless earbuds and would be indistinguishable for most people. The mids and highs are surprisingly clear despite the noticeable bass boost. AirPods have more accurate bass reproduction despite their small size, which tends more towards audiophiles. The bass boost on the EarFun Air is not yet as exaggerated as most other popular headphones like Beats or Skullcandy, but more in line with something like Audio Technica AD900X open-back headphones. The sound of the AirPods is surprisingly similar, but not nearly as loud.
As far as input is concerned, the microphone is mediocre, but the mic of the AirPods is also somewhat disappointing. Both input mechanism writes “high quality.” It will do a decent job indoors for voice calls, but when you are outside, they can pick up some background noise and wind connection.
One thing we really liked about the EarFun Air is the voice feedback. With the AirPods you only get a subtle sound effect as hints that they are connected or need charging. It’s easy to miss the “low battery” sound when listening to music or when you’re in a noisy area like the subway. EarFun Air eliminated this with its voice prompts, which was nice. The notifications also work independently with anyone who tells you when they are connected. With AirPods, often only one person will indicate that it is connected, which can be frustrating if you spend a few minutes figuring out why you are only getting sound from one side.
Not quite as good as AirPods, but at a third of the price they are definitely worth considering
Although we experienced some inconvenience with the EarFun Airs, this was partly due to not having the right ear canal tips. After changing cup sizes a few times, we were able to find the right fit, and much of the discomfort was alleviated.
That said, even with the most comfortable ear tips, the inner part of the ear gets a little sore after an hour or two of use. By comparison, AirPods can be worn most of the day without experiencing any discomfort. So in that respect, the EarFun Airs are not very similar to Apple’s offering. This can be seen as a small compromise because they are much cheaper. In addition, replacements of memory foam tip may increase. Aftermarket foam ear tips are easy to get for as low as $ 7 on Amazon, so it’s not an expensive upgrade after purchase.
Overall, EarFun Air wireless earphones do not try to be as good as the AirPods, but they do an excellent job at a significantly lower price point, making them a worthy alternative. Sound quality is acceptable to all except audio files. Craft standards are not as high as Apple’s, but are also within the reach of competitors with similar price.
If you are looking for cheap wireless buttons, we believe the compromises are worth the savings, especially for those who are not already locked into the Apple ecosystem. EarFun Air is available on Amazon for $ 60, but the company is currently offering them at a discount of $ 49.99 until the end of the month. Just check the coupon box on the product page to get the discount.
