12 Best AirPods And AirPods Pro Alternatives That You Can Buy In 2021
Apple is not only the biggest smartphone market share globally, but it is also the trendsetter for the entire world to follow.
Since the first AirPods came out back in 2016, hundreds of AirPods alternatives aka true wireless headphones have popped up in the market. And that “hundreds” does not include AirPods knockoff or AirPods-like headphones that are literally in abundance.
Cheap AirPods and Fake AirPods have become a thing now. From budget to premium, there is now an AirPods knockoff in every price segment.
Also Read: Do Apple Airpods Work With Android Devices?
How To Choose The Best AirPods Alternative In 2021?
If you’re in the market to choose the best Apple AirPod alternative, we have some tips for you to help you choose the best out of the options available. Before choosing the product, plan out your requirements — sound quality, comfort, battery backup or design. Once you’ve analyzed your requirements, it’ll be easy to choose the best AirPod alternative. If you’re an audiophile, you can go with Jabra Elite 85t or Samsung Galaxy Buds Live. For gym-goers, we recommend OnePlus Buds or Sony WF-1000XM3.
In this article, we will discuss some of the best AirPods alternatives as well as some of the best knock off AirPods that you can buy right now —
12 Best AirPods Alternatives 2021
- Samsung Galaxy Buds Live
- Jabra Elite 85t
- Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
- Sony WF-1000XM3
- Realme Buds Air Pro
- Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro
- OnePlus Buds
- Panasonic RZ-S500W
- Oppo Enco X
- TickPods 2 Pro+
- Lypertek Tevi
- Bose QuietComfort
1. Samsung Galaxy Buds Live
If you prefer the open design of AirPods, where buds don’t go inside the ear, then Galaxy Buds Live is one of the best AirPods alternatives for you.
The Galaxy Buds Live comes in a bean-shaped design and offers excellent sound quality. Just like the AirPods, noise cancellation is not its strong suit.
However, the unique ergonomic design and glossy finish alone is enough to consider it as an AirPods alternative. Galaxy Buds Live pairs best with a Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | 5.6 g |
| Battery Life | 6 Hours with ANC |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | Yes |
| Bluetooth | v5.0 |
| IP Rating | IPX2 |
| Price | Rs. 11,990 (~ $164) |
2. Jabra Elite 85t
The Jabra Elite 85t is for people looking for the AirPods Pro alternative since it’s got that profound noise cancellation and excellent bass.
The Elite 85 has a “semi-open” design which means, unlike the AirPods Pro, the earbuds go only half into the ear. You can go for its predecessor Jabra Elite 75t if you are looking to completely shut down the outside noise.
The Jabra Elite can also be configured thanks to the Jabra Sound+ Android and iOS app. It also features multipoint Bluetooth pairing in which the AirPods alternative can be connected to two devices simultaneously. Overall, it’s one of the best AirPods Pro alternatives.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | 7 g |
| Battery Life | 5.5 Hours with ANC |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | Yes |
| Bluetooth | v5.1 |
| IP Rating | IPX4 |
| Price | Rs 17,999 (~ $246) |
3. Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro
The Galaxy Buds Pro is the latest true wireless earphones from Samsung. They don’t follow the AirPods Pro design, however they seal off the ear canal just about right. Noise cancellation and sound quality is top-notch.
Again, if you have a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, all the better. Because the AirPods alternative can only trigger Bixby with voice commands and nothing else. Overall, the Galaxy Buds Pro is one of the best AirPods alternatives in 2021.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | 6.3 g |
| Battery Life | 5 Hours with ANC |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | Yes |
| Bluetooth | v5.0 |
| IP Rating | IPX7 |
| Price | Rs. 15,990 (India), $199 (U.S.) |
4. Sony WF-1000XM3
Sony WF-1000XM3 has the “Sony” sound, and therefore it is one of the best AirPods alternative that you can buy in 2021.
Thanks to the companion app, the sound quality can also be personalized for your needs. The noise cancellation is also quite good on the Sony WF-1000XM3. However, people have complained that the touch gestures are not as smooth and snappy as in AirPods.
Also, the call quality is not quite up to the mark. That being said, its luxury design and great sound quality are definitely worth checking out.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | 8.5 g |
| Battery Life | 4 Hours with ANC |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | Yes |
| Bluetooth | v5.0 |
| IP Rating | No |
| Price | Rs. 14,990 (~ $205) |
5. Realme Buds Air Pro
If you are looking for cheap AirPods knockoffs then Realme Buds Air Pro is the perfect buy. The $68 headphones come with Active noise cancellation, transparency mode, and bass boost.
Of course, it cannot be compared with the best AirPods alternative from Sony, Samsung and others. However, you will certainly be shocked to see what these Chinese smartphone manufacturers can do in the affordable segment.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | 5 g |
| Battery Life | 5 Hours with ANC |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | Yes |
| Bluetooth | v5.0 |
| IP Rating | IPX4 |
| Price | Rs. 4,999 (~ $68) |
6. Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro
Anker has recently gained popularity amongst users for its Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro earbuds. Equipped with an Active Noise Cancellation feature at a much lower price than Apple AirPods, Anker’s earbuds come with a traditional design but it could be a great option for audiophiles; especially if you pair it with the Soundcore app. From the app, you can choose different listening modes.
One of the most unique features of Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro is 6 noise-cancelling microphones with noise reduction. While earbuds are not known for offering a clear audio quality on phone calls, Anker’s Liberty Air 2 Pro are different.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | 5.2 g |
| Battery Life | Up to 7 Hours |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | Yes |
| Bluetooth | v5.0 |
| IP Rating | IPX4 |
| Price | Rs. 9,999 (~ $99) |
7. OnePlus Buds
Another best AirPods clone is from OnePlus, called OnePlus Buds. They pair well if you have a OnePlus smartphone and can be called the best AirPods alternative for Android.
While the $80 buds are packed with features and offer a whopping 7-hour battery on a single charge, they are not quite close to the real AirPods. In fact, they are pathetic when it comes to call quality.
However, it’s important to keep the price tag in mind. That’s because every AirPods alternative under the $80 price tag will have something or the other not as good as the gold standard i.e AirPods.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | 4.7 g |
| Battery Life | 7 Hours |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | No |
| Bluetooth | v5.1 |
| IP Rating | IPX4 |
| Price | Rs. 4,990 (~$68) |
8. Panasonic RZ-S500W
Panasonic entered the wireless earbuds market with RZ-S500W and for its first product in the category, the earbuds are exceptionally good. You can find almost all the features like noise-cancelling, an ambient mode, twin mics for voice calls and more features you’d expect from an Apple AirPod alternative.
Unlike other earbuds, the touch controls on Panasonic RZ-S500W are very responsive and intuitive. In terms of sound quality, Panasonic’s earbuds have received warm reviews from users saying that the music quality is refined and clear across different frequencies. Moreover, you get a total of 19.5 hours of uptime from the earbuds including 13 hours from the charging case.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | 7 g |
| Battery Life | 6.5 Hours |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | Yes |
| Bluetooth | v5.0 |
| IP Rating | IPX4 |
| Price | Rs. 20,925 (~$179.99) |
9. Oppo Enco X
Oppo Enco X is Oppo’s attempt at coming up with the the cheap version of AirPods Pro. The AirPods alternative comes with two levels of active noise cancellation and brilliant sound quality.
The gesture control has always been good on Oppo’s earbuds and this one is no different. However, with ANC turned on, the battery takes a fall which you won’t see in higher priced AirPods alternatives.
Apart from that, iPhone users might face some issues since there is no iOS app. That being said, it’s still one of the best AirPods alternatives available on the market right now.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | 4.8 g |
| Battery Life | 4 Hours with ANC |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | Yes |
| Bluetooth | v5.2 |
| IP Rating | IP54 |
| Price | Rs. 9,990 (~$136) |
10. TickPods 2 Pro+
One of the best AirPods knockoffs in the premium price segment is the TickPods 2 Pro+. We have reviewed the TickPods 2 Pro so we know it’s a worthy AirPods alternative.
The TickPods 2 Pro+ comes with hand gesture controls, dual mic noise cancellation, volume slider, and supports aptX audio; all of these things are a rare find even in the premium wireless headphones.
The TickPods 2 Pro+ features the same AirPods 2nd gen design, so do not expect the best noise cancellation. Also, the battery backup is on the lower side with 4 hours of playback on a single charge.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | 4.4 g |
| Battery Life | 4 Hours |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | No |
| Bluetooth | v5.0 |
| IP Rating | IPX4 |
| Price | Rs 13,000 (India), $118 (U.S.) |
11. Lypertek Tevi
The $95 Lypertek Tevi has received a lot of acclaim for its audio quality for its price. The AirPods alternative doesn’t feature noise cancellation, but its design adequately isolates you from ambient noise.
The headphones support aptX, a scarcely available feature at this price point. Also, Lypertek promises a whopping 10 hours of continuous playback and a total of 70 hours.
The microphone quality is not up to the mark. Regardless, at this price point, it’s truly one of the best AirPods alternatives of 2021.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | – |
| Battery Life | 10 Hours |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | No |
| Bluetooth | v5.0 |
| IP Rating | IPX7 |
| Price | Rs 6,900 (~$95) |
12. Bose QuietComfort
Another premium Apple AirPod alternative that you can try is Bose QuietComfort. With one of the best noise cancellation features in any of the earbuds currently, Bose QuietComfort are a serious competitor of Apple AirPods. Offering. comfortable and snug fit, Bose’s earbuds carry a large design and the charging case is also awkwardly big. However, when it comes to sound quality, QuietComfort offers excellent sound quality and the battery backup of 12 hours from the charging case is also decent.
Overall, if you’re planning to buy AirPods Pro, Bose QuietComfort deserves your attention as well.
| Specifications and Price | |
| Weight | 8.5 |
| Battery Life | 6 Hours |
| Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) | Yes |
| Bluetooth | v5.1 |
| IP Rating | IPX4 |
| Price | Rs 26,900 (~$249) |
Best AirPods Alternatives 2021: Our Recommendation
So these were some of the best AirPods alternatives that you can buy this year. Now, choosing the best out of these options depending upon your requirements. For example, for sound quality, you can choose Samsung Galaxy Buds Live, Bose QuietComfort or Sony’s earbuds. Similarly, if battery backup and comfort are your priorities we recommend choosing OnePlus Buds or Anker Soundcore.
Let us know if we left any of the best knock off AirPods in the comments section below.
AirPods Alternative FAQs
Yes, there are many cheaper alternatives to Apple AirPods like OnePlus Buds, Oppo Enco X, Realme Buds Air Pro and more.
Instead of fake AirPods, you can buy cheaper AirPods alternatives like Realme Buds Air Pro, OnePlus Buds, Oppo Enco X.
All the AirPods alternatives that we have enlisted above are compatible with Android devices therefore, you can choose any.
