If you need a pair of wireless earbuds that don’t cost much but will last you, take note of the Soundcore by Anker Life A1 pair. I’ve had them for a couple of years, and while they don’t cover every audio need, they serve me well—and they’re on deep discount right now during Prime Day.
First, be aware these earbuds won’t win any awards for audio quality. Listening to music on them is just OK; I prefer my wired over-the-ear headphones for that. When I’m doing chores, exercising, cooking, or working on a repair project, though, those wires get in the way and the headphone cups can feel too cumbersome to carry on my head. So I pop out the Life A1’s when I need to stay mobile and avoid entanglements, especially if all I’m listening to is a podcast or YouTube video. I’m not an audiophile, so music often sounds good enough for me as background while I’m busy.
Soundcore Life A1
$33 $50 Save $17
These affordable wireless earbuds have a battery life and noise cancellation abilities that will keep you listening all day long.
Even then, music sounds better on these compared to other cheap wireless earbuds I’ve used in the past. The active noise cancellation (ANC) works well enough I can listen clearly in a loud environment, like while I vacuum. There are some nice little quality-of-life features, too, like the case’s ability to charge wirelessly. The case itself holds enough juice to recharge the earbuds three times and can give your earbuds about 2 hours of life in 10 minutes of charging. Fully charged, the Anker says the earbuds last 10 hours. In my experience, it’s more like 8 hours, but that’s probably due in part to my pair being a couple of years old now.
Normally, the Soundcore Life A1 earbuds will run you $50. If you look at the Amazon price history, you’ll see they regularly go on sale for $35, so being available at $33 right now (a 35 percent discount) is a slightly better deal than normal. The only time in recent history they’ve been cheaper was when they hit $30 this past December, so you’re likely going to have to wait a while to get a better deal.
If you need better audio quality, it’s worth checking out the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds, which have better drivers and more advanced ANC. They’re also on sale right now for $70, which is 30 percent off the regular price, and we think they’re some of the best wireless earbuds out there. For my needs, though, the Life A1s get the job done at a super affordable price.
