Three wireless earphones you can get for less than $200 before Christmas

CHRISTMAS is fast approaching, which means you could be searching for gift ideas. Here are three options that won’t break the bank.

THERE is a growing trend of smartphones ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack in a move to push consumers toward wireless earphones.

And while there are plenty of premium Bluetooth earphones on the market, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a good set.

To help you make a decision, here are a selection of the best products currently on the market across a range of price points.

PLANTRONICS BACKBEAT FIT 305 — $129.95

The earphones have extremely high quality sound.

The BackBeat FIT 305 are described as one of the world’s lightest Bluetooth earphones, designed to easily transition between fitness and everyday life.

And having tried this product, I can say it lives up to the hype ... for the most part.

The earphones sound amazing and do a sensational job at blocking out ambient noise, despite not being noise-cancelling.

With three different sizes available, the earbuds are made to fit securely in your ear and an extra silicon ear hook is supposed to offer extra protection.

While the buds stayed secure for the most part, I did find they fell out my ears when I was on a long run.

This could have either been attributed to my sweat or the heavy volume/track control unit on the right hand side of the cable that could have pulled the product loose from my ear as a result of the constant bouncing.

While the earbuds are connected with a cable, it has been made short enough to avoid hanging annoyingly low, plus a small clip is included so that it can be neatly attached to your shirt.

The battery life offers six hours of use or up to 240 hours on standby mode, which both seem to be accurate from my testing.

An in-line microphone lets you enjoy hands-free calls, while sweat-resistance makes you comfortable knowing your earphones will survive even the most intense workout.

Overall the design does feel a little cheap compared to other products on the market, but when you’re paying a fraction of the price this seems like a non-issue.

And even though the design might be somewhat lacklustre, the audio quality certainly makes up for this.

BLUEANT PUMP AIR — $169.99

Just like Apple's Airpods but far less ugly.

While Bluetooth headphones remove the need to be connected, some models have gone as far as removing all the wiring completely.
Apple’s Airpods were among the first truly wireless earbuds to attract customers, but they were often criticised for an ugly design.

Enter BlueAnt’s Pump Air

The product is among the smallest true wireless earbud currently available, with the units weighing just four grams each.

As one of Australia’s most trusted consumer electronics and audio lifestyle brands, the company has a reputation for quality and the Pump Air is no exception.

The product uses the latest Bluetooth 4.2 technology and are coated in sweat-proof coating, meaning you don’t have to worry about working out too hard while wearing the buds.

BlueAnt’s Pump Air comes with a charging case to deliver up to fifteen hours of battery life from a single hour of charging. Likewise 20 minutes of charging will give you one hour of playback.

The only issue with the charging is BlueAnt’s case is much larger than some of the competition, which could be an issue for those wanting to carry it with them.

Understanding everyone has different ears, the earbuds come with three different sized tips for a secure and comfortable fit — having run in the headphones multiple times with no drama I can confirm this to be true.

Additionally, BlueAnt has included a built-in microphone for calls, simple and intuitive one-touch controls, plus Siri and Google integration.

In terms of sound, the product offers quality audio with more than enough volume to block out people on your morning commute.

The only issue I had with these was keeping track of them at the end of a workout, because being so small they are easily lost.

AUDIOFLY AF100W — $189.00

AudioFly's AF100W are some of the most comfortable earphones ever.

Making the move from pro audio into consumer headphones was no mistake for AudioFly, with the company’s latest products offering amazing quality.

The premium AF100W Bluetooth headphones might be more expensive than the company’s other offerings, but it’s worth every cent.

With large plastic enclosures and cabling designed to trail over the ear, the product looks like

higher-end earphones and has comfort to match.

The memory foam tip combined with a hook that can moulded to the shape of your ear ensures comfort for long periods of use, while the design also help keep the product secure during workouts.

Rather than using a neckband for the implementation of wireless tech, the product has a pair of chunky plastic boxes playing home to the battery, controls and additional electronics.

While the plastic enclosures might bring down the overall appearance of the product, the sound from the single dual-membrane dynamic microdriver certainly makes up for this.

You could be mistaken for forgetting you are wearing earphones, with the product offering the high-end audio usually reserved for headphones.

Similar to the other products, the AF100W has been made to be water-resistant to ensure you don’t have to worry about wearing them during a workout — the carry case has also been made to handle getting wet.

Supreme comfort and audio quality aside, the product does lack in battery life with only around five hours usage per charge.

That said, if you can remember to charge them these are well worth your time and money.

What earphones do you use? Continue the conversation in the comments below or with Matthew Dunn on Facebook and Twitter.