These are the Best TWS Earphones in India in 2021

Apple got rid of the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 in favor of an improved taptic engine. Or at least that’s what they claim. From a business point of view, the decision was smart since Apple could now push their new AirPods product to everyone buying a new iPhone. And just like almost everything Apple, this gave rise to a new trend. Every other brand jumped onto the bandwagon, killed the headphone jack, and started launching its own pair of TWS earphones.

Fast forward to 2021, TWS earphones have become ubiquitous. From ultra-cheap options to premium ones from renowned audio equipment manufacturers, there’s a pair of TWS earphones for everyone. With more and more brands competing against one another, there are almost too many options for a good pair of TWS earphones and it can get confusing for the end consumer.

We’re here to help by compiling a list of the best TWS earphones in India across various price segments and categories. If you’re in the US, we have a dedicated guide for the best TWS earphones for you too. If you’re cool with wires and want to dabble with lossless audio instead, we have a guide on the needed hardware to get started with lossless audio too.

Navigate this guide:

• Best TWS Earphones Overall: Sony WF-1000 XM3
  • Also Great: Oppo Enco X
• Best TWS Earphones Under ₹1,000: pTron Bassbuds Vista
• Best TWS Earphones Under ₹2,000: Boat Airdopes 281 Pro
• Best TWS Earphones Under ₹5,000: Oppo Enco W51
• Best TWS Earphones Under ₹10,000: OnePlus Buds Pro
• Best TWS Earphones for Most People: Nothing ear (1)
  • Also Great: Samsung Galaxy Buds+
• Best Budget TWS Earphones with ANC: Realme Buds Q2
• Best TWS Earphones for iPhone: Apple AirPods Pro
  • Also Great: Apple AirPods 3
• Best TWS Earphones for Working Out: Jabra Elite Active 65t

Best TWS Earphones Overall: Sony WF-1000 XM3

The inclusion of Sony’s last-gen TWS earphones might come as a surprise to a lot of people. However, at the moment, Sony isn’t selling the new WF-1000 XM4 in India. So until that makes its way to the country, the WF-1000 XM3 remains at the top. The sound output you get from these earphones is top-notch and Sony’s exemplary implementation of ANC or Active Noise Cancellation adds a cherry on top. If you’re looking for the best-sounding pair of TWS earphones, you can’t go wrong with these.

The Sony WF-1000 XM3 links to your phone via an app that can be used to configure touch controls, toggle ANC/transparency mode, and change sound profiles. They’re a pretty good option for calls too. Battery life is fantastic with up to six hours on each earbud and an additional 18 hours provided by the carrying case. There are a few flaws like the bulky earbuds and case, poor mic performance, and the lack of any sort of water resistance (all of which have been fixed/improved with the WF-1000 XM4). But if you’re looking for a well-rounded pair of TWS earphones that sound exceptional and are ready to spend a premium, you can’t go wrong with these.

Also Great: OPPO Enco X

OPPO has been doing a fantastic job lately with its audio accessories. As a result, the OPPO Enco X finds its way to the top of this list as one of the best TWS earphones you can get. Sound quality is its strongest suit along with an impressive ANC algorithm that works effectively. The OPPO Enco X is also very comfortable to wear for extended periods. Being OPPO’s flagship pair of TWS earphones, the Enco X doesn’t skimp out on features and offers an experience you would generally expect from earphones priced higher.

You can configure the touch controls once you’ve linked the Enco X to your smartphone and you also get basic features like wear detection. Wireless charging is also on board. The OPPO Enco X is also one of the few TWS earphones that have support for LHDC. LHDC allows music streaming up to a high bitrate of 900 kbps which is comparatively higher than what you can get from other popular codecs like aptX HD. The earbuds have a battery life of up to 5.5 hours, with the case adding an additional 20 hours.

Best TWS Earphones Under ₹1,000: pTron Bassbuds Vista

The sub-₹1,000 is a price point a lot of consumers would be interested in, especially those who haven’t tried a pair of TWS earphones before but want to get an experience of it. While there aren’t many reliable options in this price range, the pTron Bassbuds Vista offers decent sound quality with a bass-heavy sound signature that a lot of people seem to like. It comes with Bluetooth 5.1 and given the in-ear design, offers passive noise cancellation to a certain degree.

What’s surprising is the pTron Bassbuds Vista is IPX4 certified, which means you can use them even while working out without worrying about sweat ruining them. In terms of battery life, you can expect about four hours of usage on a single charge from the earbuds and the case can top them up twice for a total playback time of about 12 hours.

If your budget is strictly limited to ₹1,000, this can be a good pair of TWS earphones to pick up. If you can slightly extend your budget though, we would recommend you check out the next category and pick up a product from a renowned brand for better longevity.

Best TWS Earphones Under ₹2,000: Boat Airdopes 281 Pro

Boat is a homegrown brand in India that has been dominating the bestseller charts and has a large market share in the wearables space. While a lot of their earphones are heavily focused on extreme bass and don’t really offer great quality, the Airdopes 281 Pro is an exception. This is one of the best TWS earphones under ₹2,000 for multiple reasons. The build quality and design make the earphones seem more expensive than they are. The sound quality is also balanced with a slight hint of extra bass which isn’t too bad.

If you take a lot of calls, you get environmental noise cancellation which is good. The Airdopes 281 Pro is also IPX5 water-resistant so you can wear them even while working out. You get upwards of six hours of playback time on a single charge which is impressive at this price point along with an additional 25 hours via the charging case. Boat also has something called ASAP charge on the Airdopes 281 Pro which provides up to an hour of playback with a five-minute charge.

Best TWS Earphones Under ₹5,000: OPPO Enco W51

As mentioned earlier, OPPO has been doing a great job with its audio products, and just like OPPO Enco X, the Enco W51 offers great value for your money. It’s packed with features like wear detection, customizable touch controls, ANC, transparency mode, and even wireless charging which isn’t very common at this price point. The sound quality on the Enco W51 is its biggest USP. The sound stage is wide and it has a pleasing output.

The charging case is compact and can keep the earbuds powered for up to 24 hours, On a single charge though, you can use the Enco W51 for about four hours which isn’t the best, but you can extend the duration by turning ANC off. They fit comfortably in your ear and you’re surely going to enjoy using them. The Oppo Enco W51 is easily one of the best TWS earphones under ₹5,000.

Best TWS Earphones Under ₹10,000: OnePlus Buds Pro

The original OnePlus Buds weren’t the best-sounding earphones in the market. The Buds Z that were launched later surely improved on them while reducing the cost but still lacked some important features like ANC. The OnePlus Buds Pro fixes all of those shortcomings. The Buds Pro is one of the best TWS earphones that you can buy under the price of ₹10,000. The audio quality on these earbuds is great with a sound signature that leans towards a slightly bass-heavy side.

If you’re looking for a pair of earphones that sound fun and appeal to probably everyone who tries them, this is a good pair to consider. It also has all the important features you expect like in-ear detection, ANC, touch controls, etc. They work best when paired with a OnePlus phone, but you can use them with just about any Android or iOS device by installing an app. You can read more about it in our OnePlus Buds Pro review before you decide whether or not to buy them.

Best TWS Earphones for Most People: Nothing ear (1)

The Nothing ear (1) is the latest entrant into the Indian TWS market under the ₹6k mark and is definitely a great pick for anyone looking for a pair of TWS earphones that gets most things right. It sounds great, it has ANC that’s effective, it’s got a clear, unique design that makes it stand out in a crowd of similar-looking earbuds, and it has all the important features you would look for on a pair of TWS earbuds.

The ear (1) app has also been made well and can be used to customize touch controls on the earbuds. You get in-ear detection, two levels of ANC, a transparency mode, and the ability to find the earbuds in case you misplace them. There’s also wireless charging on the case which is a bonus.

There are a few shortcomings of course, like average battery life and a slightly bulky case design, but the sound quality and feature set makes up for it. If you’re looking for a pair of TWS earphones that gets the basics right, this should be your pick.

Also Great: Samsung Galaxy Buds 2

The Galaxy Buds 2 replace the Galaxy Buds+ which were easily one of the best pairs of TWS earphones on a budget. There are some much-needed improvements on these earbuds like ANC which make them all the more enticing, compared to the last-gen Buds+. The sound quality is very close to what you get from the Galaxy Buds Pro which are among the best pairs of wireless earbuds you can get.

The Galaxy Buds 2 have an IPX2 rating and come with three microphones to allow for clear audio even while taking calls. Samsung has also put in place some machine learning algorithms to help cut down on ambient noise by up to 98%. The only downside to these earbuds is that you don’t get in-ear detection, so if you remove the earbuds from your ears while you’re playing music, the track won’t pause by itself. If you’re okay with that, then the Galaxy Buds 2 are a great option.

Best Budget TWS Earphones with ANC: Realme Buds Q2

This is one of the most recent products from Realme and has made it into this list for the sheer value it provides, considering its price point of around ₹2,500. The Realme Buds Q launched last year were a good pair of TWS earphones for anyone on a tight budget. The Realme Buds Q2 takes it up a notch by adding ANC while still maintaining an affordable price tag. Realme has done a great job to democratize ANC despite the fact it isn’t as effective as what you would get on more premium offerings, which is understandable.

The sound quality is excellent for the price and you even get smart features like Google Fast Pair and touch controls on the earbuds themselves. They connect via Bluetooth 5.2 and are IPX5 certified so don’t worry about wearing them to the gym. There’s a gaming mode as well which reduces the latency to 88ms. In terms of battery, the Realme Buds Q2 can give you a total of 20 hours of playtime with ANC on whereas turning it off will bump it up to 28 hours.

Best TWS Earphones for iPhone: Apple AirPods Pro

This one’s a no-brainer. If you have an iPhone, the way the AirPods Pro integrates into the ecosystem is fantastic. It has the H1 chip which allows it to instantly pair with your iPhone as soon as you open the case. Not just that, but if you have other Apple devices like a Mac, iPad, or Apple Watch, it can automatically pair with all of those devices and smartly switch between them based on which device you’re currently using for audio.

Apart from the convenience aspect, the AirPods Pro has good sound quality with ANC which is one of the best in the business. You get a slew of features like in-ear detection, customizable controls, transparency mode, wireless charging, spatial audio, Siri, etc. which make them a great option if you’re into the Apple ecosystem. The AirPods Pro has a battery life of up to 4.5 hours on a single charge with the case adding an additional 20 hours. It’s also IPX4 rated.

Also Great: AirPods (Third Generation)

If you’re not a fan of in-ear style ear tips and want something that just rests inside your ear, the AirPods 3 are for you. They come with an open-ear style design similar to previous generations of AirPods. Of course, you also get the goodness of seamless connectivity with Apple devices thanks to the H1 chip. You get multi-device support if you’re using an iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Apple Watch with seamless switching. Apple has improved the sound quality on the AirPods 3 considerably compared to the last-gen AirPods.

There’s support for Spatial Audio too this time so you can enjoy the surround sound effect from the AirPods Pro even on these. The major difference between the AirPods Pro and the third-generation AirPods is the absence of ANC. The AirPods Pro have Active Noise Cancellation which a lot of people will appreciate, especially while commuting or flying. The AirPods 3 come in a new case that has support for MagSafe charging. The usual features like Siri integration and force sensors for play/pause, skip tracks, etc. are present. If you feel that in-ear earbuds aren’t comfortable, skip the AirPods Pro and get the AirPods 3.

Best TWS Earphones for Working Out: Jabra Elite Active 65T

Jabra is one of the more renowned brands in the audio equipment space and the Elite Active 65t is a great offering from the brand especially if you’re a fitness enthusiast. The earphones have Active in their name indicating they are specifically meant for users who wear them while working out in the gym or for casual walks and runs. They fit very well inside the ear and do not fall out easily which is one of the most important factors for such earphones. They have motion sensors built-in and you can use the Jabra app to customize your playlist for when you’re working out.

Just like you would expect, the Jabra Elite Active 65t is water-resistant thanks to the IP56 rating. Jabra even offers a two-year warranty against water and dust damage, something we don’t generally see with tech gadgets and accessories. The earphones have up to five hours of battery life on a single charge and the case can top them up twice bringing the total to about 15 hours which is decent. The Jabra Elite 65t is the best TWS earphones for working out or for any kind of work that involves rigorous activity.

These are our recommendations for the best TWS earphones you can buy in India across various price brackets and categories. Right from the ultra-cheap price point of ₹1,000 to premium TWS earphones that cost upwards of ₹20,000, we’ve tried to cover all the good options so there’s something for everyone.

If you want a reliable pair of TWS earphones on a budget, we would recommend the Realme Buds Q2 or the Boat Airdopes 281 Pro. If you can spend around ₹6,000, the Oppo Enco W51, and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 should be on your wishlist. If you want the ultimate experience with the best sound quality and features, the Sony WF-1000 XM3 is what you should get.

The post These are the Best TWS Earphones in India in 2021 appeared first on xda-developers.