Budget True Wireless Earbuds in 2026: When Cheap Finally Got Good (and When It Doesn’t)

I’ve been daily-driving a pair of QCY T13s for the better part of two years. They cost me about S$25, paired instantly, and sounded perfectly fine for podcasts and the occasional commute playlist. For the price, they were a no-brainer.

Then one morning the left bud decided it was only half-listening. Not dead — just noticeably softer than the right, like someone had turned the balance knob without telling me. A quick clean of the mesh, a reset, a firmware check (there isn’t one worth mentioning) — nothing fixed it. That’s the thing about budget earbuds: when they fail, they fail quietly and there’s no repair path, just replacement.

So I went shopping. And here’s what struck me in mid-2026: the floor has risen.

The S$25 tier is no longer a joke

Two years ago, a S$25 pair meant tinny audio, laggy video sync, and a case that died in three months. The QCY T13 was already a step up from that. Today, the same money gets you Bluetooth 5.3 or 5.4, multipoint on some models, and ANC that actually takes the edge off train rumble — not silence, but enough that you stop noticing the carriage.

Brands like QCY, SoundPeats, and the endless stream of white-label earbuds on Shopee and Lazada have quietly closed the gap on the things most people actually care about: connection stability and battery life. If your use case is “audio in my ears while I walk to the MRT,” a S$30 pair in 2026 does 90% of what a S$250 pair does.

Where the money still buys something

The remaining 10% is real, though. Three things still separate cheap from premium:

• **Call quality in noise.** Budget mics flatten your voice into mush the moment there’s wind or a busy street. If you take calls on the move, this is the first place cheap shows.
• **Fit and seal.** ANC is only as good as the seal, and budget buds ship with generic tips. Spend S$10 on better tips and you’ll get more improvement than spending S$100 on a fancier bud.
• **Longevity.** My T13s lasted two years. That’s actually decent. But the softer-left-bud failure is common across the category — moisture and earwax creep into the mesh, and there’s no serviceable filter. Premium sets tend to cope better, or at least offer replaceable bits.

The three contenders: QCY MeloBuds N70 vs SoundCore P40i vs Redmi Buds 8 Pro

Since my T13s died, I narrowed it to three budget pairs that keep showing up in 2026 roundups. They’re close in price but built for different priorities — and one of them matters more because I’m on a Pocophone.

QCY MeloBuds N70

The N70 is the successor to the well-regarded MeloBuds Pro. It runs Bluetooth 6.0 with LDAC Hi-Res, adaptive ANC rated around -56dB, a 6-mic setup for calls, wireless charging, multipoint, IPX5, and roughly 7 hours per charge with ANC on (9 with it off). Reviewers (Scarbir, GadgetMatch) rate it about 4.5/5 for the price, with the standout being clear, natural call quality — your voice stays stable even with background noise. The sound is fun and bass-forward, though the treble can turn a little “hissy” at times. One real annoyance: the QCY app demands a login and a pile of permissions just to change EQ or ANC mode.

In Singapore it’s about S$72 on Shopee/Lazada (voucher-dependent), so check live.

SoundCore P40i (Anker)

The P40i is the budget entry in Anker’s SoundCore line. Bluetooth 5.3 with AAC only (no LDAC), decent ANC, and genuinely class-leading battery — about 9 hours with ANC on, nearly two days with the case. The app is excellent: a 10-band EQ, control remapping, game mode, and a quirky built-in phone stand in the case. Fit is secure enough with its five tip sizes.

But the compromises are exactly where I need them least. SoundGuys found the microphone quality poor — your voice comes through thin and distorted on calls — and the default tuning is heavily bass-boosted (fixable with EQ, but you shouldn’t have to). The fit also loosens during workouts, and the touch controls feel sluggish. In Singapore it’s about S$68.90 on Shopee/Lazada.

Redmi Buds 8 Pro (Xiaomi)

The Buds 8 Pro is Xiaomi’s 2026 budget flagship and the successor to the Buds 6 Pro. It uses a triple-driver system with updated acoustics, 55dB adaptive ANC (about 20% stronger than the 6 Pro, now covering 20Hz–5kHz), Dolby Audio, head-tracked spatial sound, and wireless Hi-Res via LDAC. Bluetooth 5.4 with Google Fast Pair, dual-device connection, and — usefully for me — audio sharing across Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices. Each bud has three mics with AI call noise reduction (rated for 12m/s wind), IP54 rating, and ~8 hours per charge (33h with the case). Reviewers (Scarbir, EarbudsArena) rate it highly: comfortable sealed fit, engaging soundstage, and genuinely strong ANC for the price. The catch: no wireless charging, and battery is a touch down on the 6 Pro (8h vs 9.5h).

The Pocophone advantage: this is the one that matters for me. Poco phones run Xiaomi’s HyperOS, and the Buds 8 Pro integrate with it the same way they do on a Redmi or Mi phone — open the case near your Pocophone and you get the native MIUI-style pop-up pairing, plus full control through the Xiaomi Earbuds app (ANC levels, battery, firmware, gesture remap). You also get LDAC end-to-end since both the phone and buds support it, so hi-res tracks actually decode at full bitrate instead of falling back to AAC. None of the QCY or SoundCore pairs give you that first-party pop-up or the LDAC handshake as cleanly. The trade-off is ecosystem lock-in: on a non-Xiaomi phone you lose the pop-up and some app niceties, but it still works as a normal Bluetooth bud.

A note on the Xiaomi Buds 5 (the open alternative)

Xiaomi’s flagship Buds 5 is tempting for the brand loyalty — same HyperOS pop-up, Xiaomi Earbuds app, triple-mic calls, and a built-in audio recorder. But it uses an open, unsealed design (like AirPods 4). That kills it for my needs: no silicone tip means no real seal, so ANC is weak by construction and bass is capped. It also runs aptX Lossless rather than LDAC, which my Pocophone won’t use. At S$112 it’s also the priciest of the lot. If you hate the plugged-up feeling of in-ear buds, it’s worth a look — but I want ANC, so the sealed Redmi Buds 8 Pro wins outright.

Head to head

• **Calls:** N70 and Buds 8 Pro both clear; P40i’s weak mic is its biggest flaw, and I take calls on the move.
• **Sound:** N70 is fun/bass-forward; P40i is boomier out of the box (EQ-fixable); Buds 8 Pro is the most balanced with the widest soundstage and Dolby tuning.
• **ANC:** Buds 8 Pro leads (55dB, wider band); N70 close behind (~-56dB); P40i decent but a step down.
• **Battery:** P40i wins (9h+ vs 8h Buds 8 Pro, 7h N70).
• **Codec:** N70 and Buds 8 Pro have LDAC; P40i is AAC only. On a Pocophone, Buds 8 Pro’s LDAC is fully unlocked.
• **App/ecosystem:** Buds 8 Pro wins on a Pocophone (native pop-up + Xiaomi Earbuds app + POCO audio sharing); P40i’s app is the most polished overall; N70’s app is functional but naggy about permissions.
• **Extras:** P40i’s phone stand is a genuine nice-to-have; N70’s spatial audio is a guilty-pleasure party trick; Buds 8 Pro adds head-tracked spatial audio + Dolby.
• **Price (SG, live):** N70 ~S$72, P40i ~S$68.90, Buds 8 Pro ~S$70–90 (voucher-dependent; global €69.99 / Malaysia RM299).

The honest take

If you’re coming from a failing pair of budget buds, don’t assume you need to jump to premium. The category has improved enough that a S$40–90 replacement will feel like a genuine upgrade over what you had — and if it dies in two years, you’ve spent less than a single nice dinner.

For my situation — replacing a T13 where one bud went quiet, taking calls on the move, using a Pocophone, and wanting real ANC — the Redmi Buds 8 Pro is the pick. The sealed in-ear design gives actual noise cancellation (55dB, wider than the 6 Pro it replaces), the clear-call mics fix the weakness I’d feel most, LDAC is fully unlocked on the Poco (no AAC fallback), and the native HyperOS pop-up pairing plus POCO audio sharing is a small but real daily convenience the QCY and SoundCore can’t match. The N70 is the close runner-up if you’re not in the Xiaomi ecosystem; the P40i only wins if battery life and app polish matter more than call clarity. The Xiaomi Buds 5 is the open-fit alternative, but its lack of a seal makes ANC a non-starter for me.

I’m still deciding which pair replaces the T13s. The Buds 8 Pro is ahead on points for a Poco user who wants ANC. I’ll report back if the left bud behaves this time.