Sometimes, there's a budget earphone so good for its price, other earbuds really have to do their best to outperform it. Can the first releases of 2025 defeat the 2023's Oppo Enco Air3?
Let's put the Huawei Freebuds SE3, SoundPEATS Air5 Lite, Redmi Buds 6 Active and 1more Q10 Mini to the test.
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The one to beat: the Oppo Enco Air3
If you're looking for affordable wireless earbuds without rubber ear tips, there's no better offering on the market than the Oppo Enco Air3 released in 2023.
These earphones cost anywhere between $30 on AliExpress to $70 on Amazon, and they're excellent at both price points. A good reason to crown them the Best Value for Money Earbuds in 2024.
The Oppo has a secure and comfortable fit, has easy touch controls, lasts 5,5 hours on a single charge, and is sufficient for phone calls. On top of that, it has multipoint connection, so you can connect it to your phone and laptop at the same time.
Best of all, the Oppo Enco Air3 has a balanced and entertaining sound, with a nicely kicking bass, comfortable treble, and outstanding vocals. It sounds so natural, it's one of the rare rubber tip-less earbuds that made the guide of Best Sounding Earbuds under $100.
The question at hand is not just if the new releases are good, it's: can they beat the Oppo Enco Air3?
Check price on your Amazon country or AliExpress
SoundPEATS Air5 Lite review: The sweet spot!
$50 — 5 hours playtime — LDAC Codec — IPX5 waterproof
The SoundPEATS Air5 Lite is a cheaper alternative to the previously released SoundPEATS Air5, that came with weak and unnecessary Active Noise Cancelling. Is the ANC-less SoundPEATS Air5 Lite the sweet spot?
Lose the shiny finish of the regular SoundPEATS Air5, and you'll know what the SoundPEATS Air5 Lite looks and feels like. You push the top of the lid to open the case, and the magnets on the inside are strong enough to put the earbuds in (and also out) easily.
The earbuds have more or less the same shape as the SoundPEATS Air3 Deluxe HS, SoundPEATS Air4 Lite, and SoundPEATS Air4 that came before it, and sets itself apart with a new sleek, shiny part on the stem.
The earbuds can require a bit of fiddling and putting them in and out again before you get the most secure fit, but they're light and comfortable to wear during their 5 hours playtime on a single charge.
Recharging the buds for 15 minutes, gets you another 3 hours of playtime.
Like its predecessors, the Air5 Lite controls well with the touch panels on top of the stem. It's easy to change the volume with a single-tap, pause with a double, and change tracks by triple-tapping.
And just like its predecessors, the SoundPEATS Air5 Lite comes with multipoint connection, meaning you can connect it to two devices at the same time. It switches seamlessly when you pause on one device and play on the other, or when you receive a call.
That's welcome, because the call quality is good. Your voice sounds natural to warm and loud enough, and noise around you is reduced well. The same goes for wind noise, although it can give your voice a slight crackle.
As more often with SoundPEATS products, the app support is a bit sluggish - the PeatsAudio app on iPhone and Android looks amateurish and doesn't always pick up the earbuds directly.
The app does let you customize controls and (de)activate the low latency mode, which synchronizes the sound in games very well. There's also an option to activate a Movie mode, which adds lots of bass and echo - which could benefit some Hollywood blockbusters.
The most important app addition is the Dynamic Bass button. Activated by default, it gives the Air5 Lite plenty of weight in the lows - unlike many other rubber tip-less earbuds.
The mid-bass is thumpy and full, and boosted lower mid-tones bring out darker electronic tones, instruments and lower vocals well. They help giving the Air5 Lite a warm and even somewhat dark tonality, especially on lower and moderate volumes. The sound also gets a bit of bloom because of it: an echo-y feel.
On higher volumes, the Air5 Lite loses its darker character and throws in more treble and clarity. Higher vocals become more prominent, and brighter instruments gain texture. Happily, treble still rolls off before the sound becomes harsh.
The more expensive regular SoundPEATS Air5 has flatter and more natural mid-tones, but it misses the energetic bass of the Air5 Lite. It's hard to say which one sounds better - but the Air5 Lite definitely sounds great for half-in-ear earbuds, with its bass, fulness, smoothness and warmth.
The SoundPEATS Air5 Lite is a great sum of good comfort, call quality, multipoint, and smooth and bassy sound. It's an easy recommendation for its $50 price.
Design and comfort: 4/5 - Decent battery and comfortable, if not the most secure fit
Controls and connectivity: 5/5 - Multipoint, responsive controls, including volume changing
Playback: 4.5/5 - Flawless in videos, great gaming performance
Call quality: 4/5 - Natural to warm voice, stable enough with noise or wind
ANC: -
Sound quality: 4.5/5 - Thumpy bass, warm, controlled treble - a tad bloomy
VERDICT: 5 STARS (Excellent)
$20 - $25
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Huawei Freebuds SE 3 review: It had one job…
$60 — 9 hours playtime — AAC Codec — IP54 waterproof
The 2025's Huawei Freebuds SE 3 builds upon the strong foundation of the Huawei Freebuds SE 2 from 2023, but it doesn't add the feature it really needed.
The 2025's Freebuds SE 3 still looks a lot like the 2023's Huawei Freebuds SE 2. It comes in the same compact square charging case, and the earbuds have the same shape as well. There are some design choices you may or may not like, however.
The new case has a shiny metallic lid and a faux-leather texture seen on older Samsung Galaxy phones. The earbuds itself now also have a metallic finish on the outside of the stem. Sleek, but it attracts fingerprints too easily to look premium.
Unfortunately, Huawei now uses a matte finish on the earpieces’ inside. It's less grippy than the SE 2’s shiny coating. Even though the the earbuds have the exact same shape and are just as comfortable, the SE 3 falls out of your ears much easier.
It's unwise to sport with these, even though they are IP54 protected from rain and sweat.
The biggest downside is that you can't connect the Freebuds SE 3 to two devices at the same time. It switches quickly to another device when you click on the earbuds in your Bluetooth list on that device, but there's no real multipoint connection.
This is the one big improvement the SE3 needed over the SE 2, but it's not here.
It's a big missed chance, as the rest of the Huawei Freebuds SE 3 is truly impressive. It still has a staggering 9 hours playtime on a single charge, and the call quality is fantastic. Your voice sounds incredibly natural and clear, and it withstands some wind noise well too, even though your voice may lose a bit of clarity then.
If you can use the Huawei AI Life app in your country (check the App Store or Play Store beforehand), it's also possible to add volume controls to the perfectly responsive touch panels on top of the stems.
Moreover, the Freebuds SE 3 sounds much like the SE2 and, thus, sounds good too. It has extremely forward vocals with great clarity and openness. Mid-instruments like guitars and piano play have a natural tonality, and the slim mid-bass strikes quickly. Certain drum kicks can cause a crackle.
Huawei boosts lower mid-tones further than on the previous model. Darker male voices, instruments, and electronic tones have more emphasis, and help giving the sound fulness and warmth.
Nevertheless, the main word that applies to the SE 3 sound is clean. The sound is clear, focused and instruments and frequencies are separated well from each other.
Due to the slippery finish of the earbuds, however, it's tricky to get the best fit and sound. With a less than ideal fit, the lows miss their weight and the earbuds sound too bright. This wasn't a problem on the SE 2.
Considering the Huawei Freebuds SE 3 also hasn't added multipoint connection and that the older model costs only half of this one, the Huawei Freebuds SE 2 is still a better choice. And so is the Oppo Enco Air3.
Design and comfort: 4/5 - Exceptional battery life, but slippery earpieces don't always ensure a secure fit
Controls and connectivity: 3.5/5 - Great touch controls with possible volume controls via the app, but no multipoint connection
Playback: 4.5/5 - Flawless in videos, great synchronisation in games
Call quality: 4.5/5 - Super clear and natural, a bit less so in wind noise
ANC: -
Sound quality: 4/5 - Great clarity and vocals, weighty lower-mids, but the slippery fit makes it hard to get the best sound
VERDICT: 4 STARS (Good)
$60
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Redmi Buds 6 Active review: A great choice?
$20 — 5 hours playtime — AAC Codec — IPX4 waterproof
The Redmi Buds 6 Active is the rubber tip-less model in Xiaomi's earbuds lineup next to the Redmi Buds 6 Play and Redmi Buds 6 Lite. Are these 20 dollars earbuds a great Oppo alternative?
Despite its small price, the Redmi Buds 6 Active has a nice presentation. The square charging case comes with a transparant lid that seems to withstand key scratches well, and you can actually look inside to the internals from the middle part of the stem.
The Redmi is comfortable to wear during its decent 5 hours of playtime and has a more secure fit than the SoundPEATS and Huawei.
It has reliable touch panels on top of the stems, and you can even adjust the controls with the Xiaomi Earbuds app (check to see the availability in the App Store or Play Store in your country beforehand) and add volume controls to single taps.
That's not all: the Redmi Buds 6 Active handles phone calls well. Your voice comes through loud and clear, and resists other sounds and wind noise too.
The price tag shows in other features. You won't find a multipoint connection here, and the synchronization in sound effects while playing games is a little off.
You'll definitely need the app to get the most out of the sound. The default sound is a tad bright, somewhat restless and powerless in the bass area. Yet, by changing it to the Enhance Bass preset, the sound becomes much more engaging - just like on the Redmi Buds 6 Play.
Now, there's a neatly kicking bass that can even produce a bit of rumble. Darker instruments and electronic tones still appear slim, but these lower-mids are boosted more and throw in warmth to oppose the clarity higher up.
Treble is prominent, and not in a very refined way. Vocals are forward but can appear artificially bright and nasal. In songs with lots of brighter instruments, the emphasis on them can be a bit tiring.
While the Redmi Buds 6 Active offers great value for money, it's mostly still a nice product due to its sound - while the Oppo Enco Air3 for a tenner more is splendid.
Design and comfort: 4/5 - Sturdy and comfortable fit, decent battery life
Controls and connectivity: 3.5/5 - Great touch controls with possible volume controls via the app, but no multipoint connection
Playback: 3.5/5 - Good for videos, some delay in games
Call quality: 4/5 - Clear and loud, even doable with noise and some wind
ANC: -
Sound quality: 3.5/5 - Clear yet tiring treble, nice kicking mid-bass thanks to the app
VERDICT: FOUR STARS (Good)
$15 to 25
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1more Q10 review: Great no-nonsense rockers
$20 - 7 hours playtime - SBC codec - IPX4 splashproof
The 1more Q10, also called the 1more Q10 Mini, might be the perfect pair of simple earphones for anyone wanting to save some money.
The 1more Q10 (Mini) has a simplicity that just works for its small price that ranges from $30 to sometimes only $15 (!) on Amazon and AliExpress. The charging case is lovely compact, and the same goes for the stems on the earbuds.
Moreover, these earbuds have a secure, grippy fit that's comparable to the Oppo Enco Air3, and they're light and comfortable to wear for hours.
Despite their size, these last around 7 hours on a single charge. During that time, it's safe to take a phone phone call with them in easy circumstances. Your voice loses clarity when there's much noise going on, and more when there's also a bit of wind involved, but you'll stil be audible.
You will not find app support, a multipoint connection or volume controls on the 1more Q10, but you can activate a gaming mode by holding the left earbud. It synchronizes the sound effects in games greatly. Gaming is quite intense too, as the 1more has a solid bass.
No, really. The 1more Q10 Mini has a sound that reminds of earphones with rubber tips. It has a full, punchy mid-bass. Lower-mid tones are fiercely boosted as well, awarding darker electronic tones and lower male vocals and lower instruments a prominent role.
Meanwhile, treble is smooth. Vocals are forward enough, but brighter instruments are toned down a bit as highs roll off early. There's more warmth than clarity on the 1more Q10.
The friendly sound character just adds to the no-nonsense character of these budget earbuds. These are just great, no-nonsense rockers.
Design and comfort: 5/5 - Pocketable, comfortable and with 7 hours playtime
Controls and connectivity: 2/5 - Not the most responsive touch panels, no volume controls, no app support, no multipoint. Just basics
Playback: 4.5/5 - Handles both videos and games with ease
Call quality: 3.5/5 - Mostly safe, although effects can attack your voice stabilty
ANC: -
Sound quality: 4/5 - Little clarity, but its smoothness and full bass do the job
VERDICT: 4.5 STARS (Great)
$15 to $30
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Verdict: is the Oppo Enco Air3 beaten?
The Oppo Enco Air3 still offers the best value for money for rubber tip-less earbuds, with its multipoint connection, good call clarity and great sound.
With a slightly looser fit, the SoundPEATS Air5 Lite is a great alternative, and the 1more Q10 Mini could save you more money if you just want simple earphones that work.
The Huawei Freebuds SE 3 has fantastic call quality but is less of a threat, still lacking multipoint connection for its $60 asking price. The Redmi Buds 6 Active misses refinement in its sound.
Also read: Best wireless earbuds under $25
Disclaimer: I bought these TWS true wireless earbuds myself or I received these products from the manufacturer or a distributor. I test and review all audio products equally honest - read about it here.
Consider buying this earphone? I'd really appreciate it if you use the links in this article. It won't cost you extra, yet it will financially support me a bit in my ongoing quest for great affordable audio. <3
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