In the growing and extremely competitive world of wireless earbuds, the unique company of EarFun has been able to find its space among the elites by delivering a budget-friendly option that provides exceptional audio quality. The EarFun Air series has been able to gain attention among many reviewers as arguably the best budget earbuds, while the company also offers a variety of choices to choose from and see what best suits you.
The Air Pro 2 can be described as the company’s “flagship” with features sought most these days, including active noise cancellation and Transparency mode. Experience shows that a variety of different sales during the year drop the starting price of many items that can be gifted to your friends and loved ones. The Air Pro 2 falls in this category for the holiday season and can always be a good birthday gift to a young family member.
Returning to our main topic, I used the EarFuns for a while and have currently set aside my AirPods for other purposes—which I’ll explain later—and I honestly don’t feel that much has been sacrificed.
Before digging into any specifics, the bottom line with the EarFun Air Pro 2 is that you will be receiving a pair of earbuds that go easy on your wallet, deliver quality sound, come with amazing battery life, and provide adequate noise cancellation. All this for less than $90.
Down to earth
The truth is that with inflation soaring these days not all of us have the luxury of affording brand-name products. And when it comes to earbuds, that means Apple, Samsung, Beats, Bose, and other top-tier companies are out of reach for many of us. However, that doesn’t mean other companies in this market are failing in providing good earbuds. The Air Pro 2 by EarFun made me realize that while there is a logical and expected drop in sound quality in comparison to the abovementioned brand names, many will consider them quite adequate and would rather use the money saved for other purposes.
The sound quality delivered by the Air Pro 2 can be described as premium while they sit in your ears quite comfortably. You receive an assuring and comfy feeling thanks to the soft silicone tips, allowing you to focus on the music or other content, enjoy your walks, or concentrate on certain work that may need your uninterrupted attention for long hours. The three additional sets of tips provided by EarFun allow you to choose between three different sizes. Although a friend of mine said he didn’t feel much of a difference, meaning you’ll either receive three different sizes of ear tips or two spare sets. A win-win in my opinion.
You will receive active noise cancellation (ANC) to mute unwanted noise and up to 40 decibels reduction (as claimed by EarFun), an ambient sound mode that allows enhanced hearing of your surroundings, and up-to-date Bluetooth 5.2 tech specifications, which is well for latency. Most earbuds in this price range will only deliver one of these features.
Ambient noise mode in the Air Pro 2 worked well as I could hear the necessary sounds of my environment while also being able to focus on the main content. This was especially important when on walks or in the office when you need to enjoy concentration music and realize when your coworkers may need your attention on something. But don’t get me wrong, the Air Pro 2’s ANC will not mute a noisy bus ride or annoying family members that stop by just when you have to finish some work at home!
Amazing battery life and user-friendly controls
Plain and simple, the EarFun Air Pro 2 has better battery life than many other wireless earbuds on the market these days. A full charge (along with the auxiliary charging available with the case) will provide up to around three days of ordinary use here and there, this considering that ANC is used every now and then, and not constantly. You will have seven hours of constant battery life without ANC, and six hours with. The case itself will provide three to four charges.
And while we’re at it, the case of the Air Pro 2 also delivers another interesting feature in wireless charging, a feature you will not find in other earbuds at this price range, or even the likes of Beats Fit Pro that are far more expensive. The charging time for the buds in the case is one hour, and the case itself will need two hours for charging. I also found it cool that EarFun provides you with a neat tool for cleaning the earbuds and the charging contacts.
The case has a status LED up the front which will flash red when charging is needed, green when it’s over 30 percent and orange when it’s under. The cap closes with a good magnetic lock.
With tap control in the EarFun Air Pro, you enjoy an expansive array of commands that are quite dependable. I’ve had bad experiences with different models that fail to understand tap commands, especially at times when you’re in dire need and your other hand is tied. Various taps and hold combinations empower you with basic commands such as play/pause, toggling between different sound modes, and even volume adjustments. It is worth noting that even Apple’s all-famous Air Pods Pro fails to enable you with the capability of on-ear volume control.
Fair assessment
While there are special pros in the design of the EarFun Air Pro 2 in comparison to many other famous brand-name models, the overall package is a reminder of a wallet-friendly set of earbuds. At a first glance, they are a bit lengthier than other earbuds, and some may consider this a bit old school in comparison to today’s competition. The style has similarities to Apple’s AirPods while Galaxy Buds, Jabra Elites, Pixel Buds, and others provide smaller versions that many prefer these days.
Of course, we do have to keep in mind that the smaller the design, the smaller the case, and the shorter the battery life. So, it all comes down to your priorities and having a variety of options at different prices with different pros and cons in this trending market is becoming all the more helpful these days. Talking about design, the charging case is made of plastic, does feel a bit bulky while of cheap material in comparison to Apple and Samsung, and is easily scratched and smudged alongside other items in your bag or pocket.
While the sound quality of music or other content is quite a bargain for $89, the same can’t be said about the Air Pro 2 microphones. Although don’t get me wrong, you can conduct your quick phone calls but they’re not reliable for important matters such as work meetings with Zoom or Skype, or other calls that may last a while. For those sound tech gurus, you get good lows, the mids are almost perfect, but the highs are not super crisp while they can be distinguished.
The sound is audible, yet you and others will probably notice some distortion and fuzziness, and the people you talk with over the phone may think you are away from your device. All in all, microphone quality is a 50/50 or a six out of ten. Here’s hoping for upgrades in future EarFun models.
Final verdict
The EarFun Air Pro 2 is arguably the best budget earbud on the market out there, especially considering the holiday season sales and follow-up clearance specials. Adequate sound quality and a comfortable fit in your ears lands this model alongside other brand names that are far more expensive. The ambient sound capabilities and ANC delivered in the Air Pro 2 are not only decent, but quite the bargain for the price tag.
All in all, these EarFun earbuds will provide you with fair sound quality, excellent features, and an above-average build that could use some upgrades in future models. If budget-friendly is your main priority, the Air Pro 2 is your choice.