It won’t come as a surprise to anyone that you don’t need to spend Apple AirPods-equivalent money (about $130) to get a decent set of comfortable wireless earbuds. But I’ll bet most folks will be stunned to learn that you can buy a set of AirPods alternatives for just $17.
And no, I’m not talking about some no-name brand on Amazon that didn’t exist six months ago (and may not exist six months from now). The company in question is 1More, a brand that we are very familiar with here at Tech Reader. Over the years, it has consistently wowed us with its ability to produce great headphones and earbuds at prices that are always much lower than we expect.
However, the company’s latest effort, the TWS Q10, might set a record for our best cheap earbuds and headphones category. They certainly won’t win any awards for originality or features, but with a $17 price, they don’t have to.
Editor’s note: at publication time, there was a big discrepancy between 1More’s website price on the Q10 ($17) and Amazon’s ($30), so shop accordingly.
The Q10 are shaped just like Apple’s iconic buds, with a semi-open design that won’t seal your ear canal. This is one of the major reasons the AirPods remain so popular: You can pop them in your ears and it doesn’t feel like you’ve just shoved three Q-tips in there.
The similarities don’t end with the shape. Like the AirPods, the Q10 only come in white, and their touch controls are limited to play/pause, track skip forward/back, and call answer/end. You need to control volume from your phone.
It’s impossible to say how they sound without trying them — and let’s be clear, they’re unlikely to blow you away — but 1More has equipped the Q10 with 13mm drivers, which have proven to be a successful ingredient in other semi-open earbud models.
Battery life is a claimed 7.5 hours per charge, with an additional 18.5 hours in the case, for a total of 26 hours — perfectly adequate for all but the longest of stretches without power. Their IPX4 rating is also going to be plenty of protection from sweat and rain as long as you remember to wipe them clean before putting them back in their case.
There are, however, some features you give up at this price. The Q10 can’t trigger your phone’s voice assistant, there’s no Bluetooth multipoint for simultaneous device connections, no wireless charging, and you’ll even have to supply your own USB-C charging cable.
Unlike many of 1More’s other wireless earbuds, you can’t customize the Q10 via the 1More Music app. If you want to adjust the sound signature, you’ll need the use the EQ settings built into your streaming music app (if applicable).
