Cheaper Alternatives to AirPods Pro 2 That Actually Sound Good
Real alternatives to AirPods Pro 2 at half the price, ranked by what matters: sound quality, ANC, call mic, and how they actually feel after eight hours.
The AirPods Pro 2 are a great pair of earbuds. They are also $250 at retail and welded to Apple's ecosystem. No iPhone, or an iPhone and no appetite for spending $250, and three real alternatives get you 80-90% of the experience for 30-50% of the price.
We ran each against the AirPods Pro 2 (USB-C) over two weeks, on the commute, on calls, at the gym, and on a plane, then ranked them by what matters day to day.
1. Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC ($79-99)
The price-to-performance pick. The noise cancellation reaches roughly 75% of the AirPods Pro 2 on planes and trains, the battery outlasts them (10 hours against 6 with ANC on), there is LDAC for Android, and the companion app is actually usable for EQ.
The compromises: the call mic struggles in wind, and the case is bigger and less pocketable. Out of the box the sound is bass-heavy, but flatten it in the app and it closes most of the gap to the AirPods.
Get these if you have no iPhone, or you own one but care more about battery and price than the H2 chip tricks.
2. Nothing Ear (a) ($99)
The best-looking thing under $100. Translucent casing, a lovely small case, and noise cancellation that punches above the price. The sound leans balanced rather than bass-pumped, with a slight treble tilt that flatters vocal-led music.
The compromises: the ANC does not dig as deep as the AirPods Pro 2 on higher-frequency noise like office chatter and screen babble. Call quality is fine in a quiet room, mediocre in wind.
Pick these if you want a design statement plus real audio quality, on Android or iPhone.
3. Sony WF-C710N ($120)
Sony's mid-tier pair. Better ANC than the Anker, slightly better sound, and Sony's adaptive sound control, which shifts the ANC to match what you are doing (commuting, walking, sitting still). Multipoint to two devices holds up.
The compromises: the case feels plasticky, the touch controls fire too easily, and the app pelts you with notifications. Battery is a solid 7-8 hours with ANC.
For Sony fans chasing the WF-1000XM5 experience without the $300 sticker.
What you actually give up
The H2 chip tricks: instant pairing across all your Apple devices, automatic switching between them, hands-free Siri, conversation awareness, and the spatial audio head-tracking that some people adore and others find gimmicky. None of the alternatives fully replicate that ecosystem glue.
And the water rating: the AirPods Pro 2 are IP54. The Liberty 4 NC are IPX4, the Nothing Ear (a) are IP54, the Sony C710N are IPX4. All sweat-proof, none swim-proof.
What you do not give up
Sound quality is not where the AirPods Pro 2 win. The Anker, the Nothing, and the Sony all hold their own on raw audio. The AirPods earn their premium on integration, not drivers. Skip the integration and you will not miss it.
On ANC, the AirPods lead this group, but the gap stays small in normal commuting. On a plane you feel it. In a coffee shop you barely do.
So which one
iPhone you will keep three years or more: the AirPods Pro 2 are worth the premium for the integration alone, even at $250.
Android phone, or a habit of switching phones, or a budget under $150: the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC is the buy. More than 80% of the experience for under $100.
Search any of these on Havlo to see live prices across stores in your country. We surface the cheapest current listing and the cross-border landed cost, so you can decide where to actually buy.