Best True Wireless (TWS) Earbuds under Rs 10,000 in India: From Nothing Ear (2) to OnePlus Buds 3

The true wireless earphones or TWS earbuds as they are commonly called have become immensely popular in India. The obvious reason is that they are a lot more affordable now and even sell for a 3-digit sum. But more importantly, their sound quality and battery backup have gone up in leaps and bounds since their inception. Of course, you may not find something that blows your mind at the lower end of the spectrum, but there are some excellent options in the Rs 5,000 to 10,000 range. Today, we will look at the best in that budget band in India from the most expensive to the least at the time of writing.

Best TWS earbuds under Rs 10,000 in India

Nothing Ear (2)
Price: Rs 7,999

What’s good about it:
- Balanced and detailed sound output
- Attractive design, comfortable in the ears
- Buds and case both are splash-resistant
- Lots of sound tweaks in the companion app
- Good call quality indoors, dual pairing support
- Good battery backup without ANC
- Supports fast charging and wireless charging

What’s not:
- Active noise cancellation in below-par
- Codec support is limited to AAC on most phones
- Poor battery backup with ANC on
- Call quality drops in noisy areas

The Nothing Ear (2) launched for a Rupee under 10K but can often be spotted close to Rs 7,499 even without online sales. For that price, it’s a pretty good deal for its unique transparent design, sound quality and feature set. The Balanced profile here is one of the best-tuned sound presets we have come across in TWS earbuds. You get tight and punchy bass, good midrange response, crisp vocals and perfectly tempered highs that retain ample sparkle without sounding sibilant.

There is a good amount of detail in the sound, and the fairly broad soundstage accentuates the overall experience. These earphones support LHDC codecs but the compatibility is largely limited to Nothing phones and a couple more. It works with AAC on most devices, which probably limits its full potential. Even as is, its sound quality is one of the best in this segment. And you also get a ton of sound tweaks in the companion app for these good-looking earbuds.

The active noise cancellation (ANC) drains the battery a lot more than it should, but without it, the battery backup is pretty good with the buds going on for over 5 and a half hours and about 29 hours overall with the charging case, which also supports wireless charging and fast wired charging. Also, the ANC is not that great here, and if that is one of your key requirements, you should look at a couple of other options in this list like the Sony, LG or OnePlus.

Sony WF-C700N
Price: Rs 7,990

What’s good about it:
- Balanced sound output with smart sound tweaks
- Comfortable in the ears, excellent passive noise isolation
- Very good ANC and transparency
- Configurable sound and controls through companion app
- Good call quality, dual pairing support
- Decent battery backup for the buds

What’s not:
- Codec support limited to AAC
- Charging case holds a limited charge for this age
- No wear detection sensors or touch controls

The Sony WF-C700N is an unusual case, and one can’t be blamed for thinking that it’s a three-year-old product looking at its specs sheet - no touch controls, no wear detection sensors, only 15 hours of battery backup with the case, and that too with ANC off. And yet, it finds itself in this elite list. How? Purely for its sound quality, ANC and the feature-rich companion app that makes this product more versatile. Intentionally or otherwise, Sony made this product a touch retro but did not lose focus on those two key elements.

The sound quality here is excellent with a good balance between the three major frequency ranges. Being a Sony product, it does favour the low-end frequencies more, but the bass is tight and punchy and lets the midrange frequencies have a good presence. The highs are perfectly sharp without going overboard or rolling off too soon. Mind you, these do not sound as detailed as the 1000X4 or XM5 from the same company, nor is the ANC that good, but for a fraction of the cost, it does a great job in those areas.

The earbuds fit really well in the ear and the passive noise isolation here is one of the best around, so much so that you may not even need to turn on ANC in several cases. The ANC does a good job of cutting out a lot of ambient noise when outdoors. At 7.5 hours in normal mode, the battery backup for the buds is quite good. But the charging case barely provides another round of charge, which is a highly questionable decision on Sony’s part; they messed up the easy part. If you can live without all its missing features, and care only for its strengths, the Sony WF-C700N is a great-sounding pair of TWS earbuds for this budget.

LG Tone Free Fit TF7
Price: Rs 6,990

What’s good about it:
- Enjoyable and lively sound output
- Good ANC and passive noise isolation
- Sturdy build with IP67 rating and snug in-ear fit
- UV cleansing in the case to kill off bacteria
- Feature-rich companion app
- Good call quality
- Decent battery backup
- Multi-point support up to 5 devices

What’s not:
- Lacks support for high-end codecs
- Bulky charging case
- Average transparency mode

As the Fit in the name suggests, this pair of TWS earbuds from LG is targeted primarily at fitness enthusiasts, who can wear them for a jog or a workout without the buds popping out or worrying about sweat ruining them. These earbuds have IP67-rated dust and water resistance and one can even wear them for a walk in the rain; they can even survive a quick dip in a puddle. The LG Tone Free Fit TF7 produces an enjoyable sound output and is good enough to consider even if you have a sedentary lifestyle. Probably it will inspire you to get off your seat.

Most of the key bases are covered as you can see from the list of pros above. There’s just one unusual feature that I would like to highlight. The charging case has UVnano technology that uses UV light to supposedly kill 99.9 per cent of bacteria on the speaker mesh inside the buds in 5 minutes. That should translate into a lot fewer ear infections. The overall battery backup is in the range of 16 to 24 hours with the case depending on your usage of ANC, with the buds lasting for 8 hours and a little over 5 hours with ANC off and on respectively.

Support for a better audio codec than AAC would have probably improved the sound quality even more. And while the ANC is more than decent, the transparency mode needs a bit more work to block some persistent wind noise. Despite its flaws, the LG Tone Free Fit TF7 is a very good all-round option, and an even better deal now at its current selling price of Rs 6,990, which is a good 6K lower than its launch price last year.

EarFun Free Pro 3
Price: Rs 5,999

What’s good about it:
- Fun and energetic sound output
- Useful sound tweaks, configurable controls with volume control
- Support for aptX Adaptive codec
- Hi-Res Audio and Snapdragon Sound certified
- Compact and cool design, snug fit
- Dual pairing support, IPX5 rated splash resistant
- Good battery backup, supports wireless charging
- 18 months warranty

What’s not:
- Average transparency mode
- No wear detection sensors
- Touch controls tend to misbehave at times

The lesser-known EarFun Free Pro 3 is packed with features and also packs a punch when it comes to performance. These earbuds are quite compact and the same goes for its charging case that looks like a small bar of chocolate. This little package is Hi-Res Audio and Snapdragon Sound certified and supports aptX Adaptive codec too; the only earbuds in this list to flaunt that. The sound quality is pretty good and if you do not like the default sound, the companion app lets you tweak it further using a 10-band equaliser and a bunch of presets.

What’s even better is that the company shares the EQ config of its audio presets. So if you only need to make minor adjustments to a particular preset that you like, you can do so from the equaliser, rather than starting from scratch to recreate a similar sound profile, as is the case with most audio products. This is a great option to have. The battery life is good too, ranging between 5.5 to 6.75 hours for the buds and 23 to 28 hours with the charging case with and without ANC.

On the flip side, the ANC, though functional, is not the best in the segment, and the transparency mode sounds a bit cosmetic. Similarly, the environmental noise cancellation during calls can use a bit of improvement too especially in noisy areas. Despite its shortcomings, the EarFun Free Pro 3 is an excellent pair of TWS earbuds for its competitive selling price. And you get 50 per cent extra warranty too as compared to the rest. Stay tuned for its detailed review.

OnePlus Buds 3
Price: Rs 5,499

What’s good about it:
- Energetic sound output, support for LHDC 5.0 codec
- Comfortable in-ear fit, IP55 dust and splash resistance
- Customisable sound and controls through the companion app
- Smart implementation of volume control on the buds
- Wear detection, dual-pairing support
- Impressive call quality
- Good battery backup, supports fast charging
- Well priced

What’s not:
- No ingress protection for the charging case
- Smart noise cancellation is not very smart
- Could have got a bit more out of the dual driver setup

Last but by no means least, the newly launched OnePlus Buds 3 is a great option close to 5K. It ticks a lot of boxes be it sound quality, battery backup or even call quality. The design may be flashy for some and cool for others, but it’s certainly comfortable in the ears for all. You get smart touch controls that include slide gestures to change the volume or skip tracks. The companion app also lets you customise the sound output to your liking using a 6-band equaliser and other features like the OnePlus Audio ID 2.0.

You get dual-drivers in each earbud that produce a loud and punchy sound output that is enjoyable across various genres of music. The Smart ANC may not be very smart but the Max mode does the job well. The call quality on the OnePlus Buds 3 is even more impressive with good clarity and the background noise kept well in check. Lastly, the battery backup is quite strong too with the buds going on for 5.5 hours and 7 hours with and without ANC respectively, and 24 to 30 hours with the charging case.