AirPods Pro are great. Everyone knows this. Apple has spent years perfecting the tiny earbud experience to the point where recommending them feels almost too easy. But at around $249 a pop, they're also the audio equivalent of ordering wagyu at a diner - technically you can, but is it really necessary?
Lifehacker recently dove into this exact question, asking whether affordable earbuds have gotten good enough to make you seriously reconsider handing Apple another stack of cash. And the answer, delightfully, is: it's complicated.
The case for going cheap
Budget earbuds have come a ridiculously long way. Brands like Anker's Soundcore, Sony, and even lesser-known names are now throwing active noise cancellation, transparency modes, and decent battery life into packages that cost less than a nice dinner out. We're talking $50 to $100 territory for features that used to be flagship-only luxuries.
For the average commuter who mostly wants to drown out the guy on the train eating chips aggressively, a $70 pair of earbuds might genuinely be enough. Full stop.
Where Apple still wins, annoyingly
Here's where the AirPods defenders get to feel smug for a moment. The integration with Apple devices remains almost unfairly good. The instant pairing, the seamless switching between your iPhone and MacBook, the Siri stuff - none of the competitors quite nail that frictionless ecosystem experience. If you live inside Apple's garden (and let's be honest, a lot of us do), that convenience has real value.
The noise cancellation on AirPods Pro is also still a benchmark that cheaper options are chasing rather than matching. Close, but not quite there.
So, should you actually switch?
The honest answer depends on who you are. If you're an Android user, this isn't even a debate - go grab something from Sony or Samsung and be happy. If you're deep in the Apple ecosystem and use your earbuds constantly for work calls, focus sessions, and general life management, the premium probably still makes sense.
But if you're an iPhone user who mostly listens to podcasts while doing chores and hasn't thought about your earbuds in three years? You might be surprised what $80 can do in 2024.
The AirPods Pro aren't going anywhere, and they're still genuinely excellent. But the gap between them and the best budget alternatives has gotten narrow enough that it's worth at least raising an eyebrow before reflexively clicking "buy" on Apple's website again.
Your ears don't know the difference. Your bank account definitely does.
