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The UGreen HiTune X6 feature active noise canceling for $30.
David Carnoy/CNETYou'll find many inexpensive earbuds on Amazon from companies you've never heard of. Many aren't so good, but some, like UGreen's HiTune X6 buds, are surprisingly impressive for the money. They list for $50 but an instant $20-off coupon brings their price down to $30 (make sure to clip it). That's 40% off.
Yes, they're a bit weird looking but they should fit most ears well and come with a few different sizes of ear tips ( I went with large). Their charging case feels solid and the buds themselves don't look or feel cheap. They feature active noise cancelling -- it does manage to muffle a reasonable amount of ambient noise -- but their best feature is arguably their sound. They offer good clarity along with a wide soundstage and very plump bass that avoids being boomy. They sound as good as many buds that cost over $100 and sometimes even $150.
There are some caveats. First, I noticed that these sound better with the noise canceling off (they lose some clarity). Also, while the included tips should fit most people's ears, I swapped in a pair of my favorite tips and got an even tighter seal, which improved sound quality.
Read more: Best Cheap True-Wireless Earbuds for 2022
The HiTune X6 buds are IPX5 splash-resistant. As for voice calling performance, it's pretty good but they don't reduce quite as much background noise as advertised. Still, people said they could hear my voice clearly and they should work just fine in quieter environments (I test calling in the noisy streets of New York). You can use a single bud and leave the other charging in the case.
Battery life is rated at 6 hours at moderate volume levels with noise canceling off and 5.5 hours with it on. If you play your music louder, those numbers will drop a bit, but 5-6 hours is pretty standard for true-wireless earbuds these days.
Again, don't expect perfection for $30, but I was quite satisfied with their sound and fit for that modest price.
The HiTune T3 buds can be had for $17 but don't sound as good the HiTune X6.
David Carnoy/CNETUGreen also sells the HiTune T3. Those buds look more like the AirPods Pro and cost even less -- you can get it for $17 with an instant 35%-off coupon.They're decent for the money but this X6 sounds significantly better. The HiTune T3 also pump out a lot of bass but they're a little short on detail and clarity. As for call quality, the T3 did a better job of reducing background noise but callers said they couldn't hear my voice as clearly as they could with the X6.