Many will recognize Apple’s white AirPods with their distinctive drop down stem worn by plenty of commuters going about their daily work routine. The AirPods design initially looked a little strange when it first arrived, but has now become so admired and popular that dozens of brands are emulating the eye-catching stem and overall style of Apple’s iconic earbud design.
Most recent earbuds tend more towards a rounded shape, but if you prefer the elongated look, these could be your most economical options. In this guide, we’ve gathered together the best fake AirPods that replicate the iconic stemmed design of the Apple AirPods and AirPods Pro — albeit without Apple’s premium pricing.
All the earbuds highlighted below are unlikely to beat the very best wireless earbuds in terms of overall sound quality, but we know from our exhaustive hands-on product evaluations and comprehensive listening tests that each has genuine qualities to offer at the price.
Read on to find out which of these fake AirPods models below are worth considering and don’t forget to also take a look at our recommendations for the best cheap wireless headphones overall based on our complete testing.
Top 3 best fake AirPods
Best fake AirPods deals
Black Friday 2022 is right around the corner so it’s time to start thinking about what to look out for in this year’s deals. The best fake AirPods earbuds are always in high demand, so it pays to start shopping as early as possible if you’re looking for top performance that echos the iconic style of the real thing but without the big price tag. Many of our favorite picks will be on sale making this period an ideal time to buy one of the best fake AirPods. Be sure to follow our Black Friday deals page for all of your shopping needs this season and get ready for a second Amazon Prime Day in October with the rumored Prime Early Access Sale, which is essentially Amazon’s Black Friday 2022 preview. (They held a similar retail event last October).
What are the best fake AirPods?
Taking the top spot are the sleek all-black design that offers powerful specs at budget-friendly price. There’s no ANC but they offer well engineered audio that produces a rich bass depth and have strong playtimes.
Offering great balance between sound output and battery life with effective ANC, Donner DoBuds One are a great value package in a fake AirPods design. Not everything hits the mark but you’re still getting an incredible deal for the price.
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The RHA TrueConnect may be an older model, but they offer a robust build and sound performance alone makes them worth owning, especially for around $60.
The best fake AirPods to buy right now
A sleek all-black design and powerful specs for a budget-friendly price, EarFun has clearly taken cues from other sub-$100 competitors like Anker. The Air is a solid effort that’s well engineered on the audio end, giving high-pitched vocals prominence on recordings, while producing rich bass depth to balance out sound. We attribute the Air’s resonant output to the buds’ fit, as the tips create a tight seal around the ear to keep music from leaking out and noise from seeping in. You’re also getting much more playtime out of these than the regular AirPods or AirPods Pro; we appreciate the buds coming fully charged right out of the box.
The case is wireless charging compatible, but it’s also larger and heavier than most other models. However, the Air’s biggest problem is the touch controls, which fail to work most of the time.
Read our full EarFun Air review.
The Donner DoBuds One are one of the most affordable ANC models we’ve seen and a fantastic fake AirPods-style design and one of the most competitive cheap noise-cancelling earbuds market.
Any noise-cancelling earbuds that come with more playtime than the AirPods Pro (4.5 to 5 hours) are a win in our book, and the DoBuds One give up to 6.5 hours of play with ANC on, and 8 hours with ANC off. They undercut several mid-range models by delivering superb sound and surprisingly good ANC in an affordable package. Not everything hits its mark, such as app connectivity, comfort, and the EQ, but you’re still getting an incredible deal for the price.
Read our full Donner DoBuds One review.
In the conversation of overlooked wireless earbuds makers, RHA is a name that often gets brought up. The Glasgow, Scotland-based company continues to put out solid products, specifically the True Connect. You get a fun, dynamic soundstage with emphasized lows, along with decent playtime (5 hours on a full charge) and a handsome charging case that resembles an old-school Mophie portable charger. The premium design is covered in a soft-touch rubberized material and is IPX5 sweat- and splash-resistant. Bluetooth 5.0 is also onboard for steady wireless range: up to 33 feet.
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Being an older model, the TrueConnect does not come with a companion app or extra features. In addition, using the multifunctional button can cause discomfort. Despite these flaws, the sound performance alone makes the TrueConnect worth owning, especially for around $60.
Read our full RHA TrueConnect review.
With an MSRP of just $79, the Anker Soundcore Life P3 is a remarkably affordable noise-cancelling option with audio quality that has a warm and satisfying sound signature. Battery life stands up to the added strain of noise cancellation as well.
Surely some corners must be cut to get premium features on a set of earbuds this cheap? Maybe slightly: the touch sensors and call quality could both be better. But as as ANC earbuds go, few are as affordable as the Soundcore Life P3, and even fewer can perform as well. And yes, it’s available in white.
Read our full Anker Soundcore Life P3 review.
The fragility of AirPods scares budget shoppers. Skullcandy created these sub-$25 wireless earbuds to afford you better protection and sound at an insanely lower price. Audio quality is high, and the charging case design — which saves space by cutting out holes in the lid for the earbuds themselves to fill — is distinctive, clever, and very sturdy. The company even allows you to purchase a lost or broken component for either the buds or case, which should save you a little more coin instead of buying another pair. Something else that is greatly appreciated is the number of unique color options: chill grey, dark blue/green, golden age red, golden age orange, light grey/blue, and true black.
Battery life is short, at just 3.5 hours per charge, and with only 12 hours available from the case you will need to fill both up relatively often. But for short bursts, like listening on a commute or while doing chores, the Dime is comfortably one of the biggest cheap headphone bargains on the market right now.
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Read our full Skullcandy Dime review.
We have always considered the Liberty Air True to be the first legitimate AirPods clone when it released back in 2019, and for a few good reasons. One, sound quality surpasses the performance on most of the models in its price class, as well as the current-gen AirPods, producing clear, bass-forward audio to enjoy contemporary music genres. Two, the inclusion of ear tips is a huge bonus, delivering a pleasant and stabilized fit. Three, the 5 hours of playtime you get is pretty close to what Apple’s buds offer and is longer than the AirPods Pro, though the latter requires extra juice to operate noise cancellation, which these buds don’t have.
Had Anker managed to make the touch controls more reliable and the design less of a scratch-n-scuff magnet, then the Liberty Air could have been a bigger threat to the real thing. As it stands, it’s a still a worthy member of the best fake AirPods club, and cheaper than the newer Liberty Air 2.
Read our full Anker Soundcore Liberty Air review.
LG has really nailed sound quality on the Tone Free T90. These are some of the best wireless earbuds at the price, and their immersive performance elevates them a few levels further when enabling Dolby Atmos. They’re well featured too, and the electronics giant has added every feature you could possibly think of. On the checklist: Adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC), Bluetooth 5.3 with wireless transmission, a customizable EQ, multipoint technology, smart controls, spatial audio with headtracking, and UV-C light sterilization.
Not everything performs quite as it should ― ANC is a considerable let down ― but when it comes to out-and-out sound, these flagship buds really make the grade.
Read the full LG Free Tone T90 review.
The Oppo Enco Free2 are on sale priced at £89 / AU$199. They’re not cur
