The Best Wireless Bluetooth Headphones You Can Buy Under Rs. 5,000

Wireless headphones are significantly more affordable than they once were, and it's possible to buy a good pair for not a lot of money today. We've put together a list of the best wireless headphones in India within a reasonable budget of Rs. 5,000, which includes both in-ear and on-ear models. We've taken a close look at our list, and many of our choices remain the same; the Realme Buds Wireless Pro is still our absolute top pick at under Rs. 5,000, thanks to good ANC and support for the LDAC Bluetooth codec, along with the familiar and comfortable neckband, in-ear form factor.

The last few months haven't seen many major launches in the wireless headphones and earphones segment in India, with one key exception: Realme launched the Rs. 2,499 Buds Q2, which is to the best of our knowledge, the most affordable pair of true wireless earphones with active noise cancellation in India. We've added this as one of our key alternatives to our top picks, along with a couple of new entries in the last section. These are based on reviews we've done in the past few months, and might be worth considering if you're looking for the specific use cases mentioned.

Why should you buy wireless headphones under Rs. 5,000?

Till a few years ago, a decent pair of wired headphones cost around Rs. 5,000, while wireless would cost a lot more. Today, you can get a good pair for much less, so you might be tempted to spend that extra money to do away with wires. In our opinion, Rs. 5,000 is a decent amount to spend on a good headset, and this can be considered an investment towards ensuring that you have good sound to go with your smartphone, with the convenience of not being physically tethered.

The benefits of wireless listening are immense. The foremost is the freedom from having a physical connection between your source device and headphones, which can come in handy when commuting, during workouts or jogging, or in any generally cluttered environment where wires get in the way. In all of these cases, the lack of wires keeps things safe, convenient, and easy.

The best wireless earphones under Rs. 5,000: Realme Buds Wireless Pro

Realme has taken a while to establish itself in the audio segment, but has finally made its mark with the Buds Wireless Pro. Priced at Rs. 3,999, this is an impressive pair of wireless earphones both on paper and in practice, thanks to good tuning, support for the LDAC Bluetooth codec, and active noise cancellation, which isn't something we've typically expected to see on affordable earphones till now.

The earphones look and feel good, sound quality is very good, high-resolution audio does sound considerably better thanks to support for the LDAC Bluetooth codec, and active noise cancellation is functional and usable for the price. The wide soundstage and refined sound makes this among the best-sounding wireless earphones you can buy for the price.

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As would be expected, these aren't a perfect pair of earphones, with a particularly strange issue - active noise cancellation affects the sound quality negatively, and this means that you'll want to keep it switched off at times when you don't particularly need it. The earpieces latch together magnetically, but this also controls the power; this implementation is prone to accidents, and the earphones often switch on unpredictably.

Perhaps the only reason not to buy the Realme Buds Wireless Pro is if you specifically want true wireless earphones at under Rs. 5,000. If you're okay with the neckband-style fit, there's very little to complain about here; this is the best pair of wireless earphones you can buy for the price.

The best wireless on-ear headphones under Rs. 5,000: Jays x-Five Wireless

Priced at under Rs. 4,000 in India, the Jays x-Five Wireless might not seem like much at first. There isn't much to this pair of on-ear headphones, but it does get the basics right. We did have some issues with the design and build quality, but the excellent sound quality more than makes up for that. The sound is detailed, the sonic signature is balanced, and you get excellent value for money.

Another benefit of these headphones is decent battery life; the Jays x-Five Wireless ran for around 20 hours on a full charge for us. Although there's support for just the SBC Bluetooth codec, the Jays x-Five Wireless compensates with good drivers and tuning, and this is our top pick among wireless on-ear headphones priced below Rs. 5,000.

The best true wireless earphones under Rs. 5,000: Oppo Enco W51

Good active noise cancellation at under Rs. 5,000 is a relatively rare concept, but recent launches have shown that it's not as uncommon as it once was. The Oppo Enco W51 is a good example of this, with decent noise cancellation, wireless charging, and detailed and energetic sound, all for Rs. 4,999. This makes this the best value-for-money true wireless headset we've used in a while.

Average battery life and unreliable controls on the headset do hold the Oppo Enco W51 back a bit, and there are definitely better sounding options for less than Rs. 5,000, such as the JVC HA-A10T. However, the Oppo is an all-rounder like no other, offering features and an overall experience that is hard to match at the price.

Also Consider: Realme Buds Q2

Only a few months ago, we thought that providing good active noise cancellation on true wireless earphones for less than Rs. 5,000 was a huge deal. Fast forward to today, and Realme has achieved this for half that price. Priced at Rs. 2,499, the Realme Buds Q2 is, to the best of our knowledge, the most affordable pair of true wireless earphones with active noise cancellation you can buy in India right now. There's also app support and touch controls, making this an excellent value-for-money pair of earphones.

Sound quality is decent for the price, active noise cancellation is effective and makes for easy listening be it listening to music or watching movies.There's also USB Type-C fast charging and decent battery life is decent, making this an excellent pick for the price. The soundstage does feel a bit closed, and the earphones sound shrill at high volumes, but these are small drawbacks that don't really take away from the overall value-for-money experience provided by the Realme Buds Q2.

How we picked these headphones

Our selections in this guide are based on our reviews and experiences with products, and we've picked options that we've used or reviewed extensively. We've selected both in-ear and on-ear options, and while it might be possible to find wireless over-ear headphones at this price, we don't think any of them are good enough to make the cut.

Most wireless headphones, including our recommendations above, are equipped with microphones and on-board controls for hands-free use with a smartphone. This is a basic requirement, and we recommend that whatever you pick, it does have these features. Furthermore, since the quality of wireless headphones depends as much on the DAC and electronics as on the drivers and tuning, it's important that you buy a product from a good brand that knows what it's doing.

Other headphones under Rs. 5,000 you could consider

HiFuture TidyBuds Pro: Among all of the budget true wireless headsets we've reviewed, the HiFuture TidyBuds Pro is unique for one big reason - class-leading battery life. We estimate over 80 hours of battery life per charge cycle on these Rs. 4,499 earphones, and you can also use the charging case as a power bank. Sound quality and design isn't very good on these earphones, though.

 Mi Neckband Bluetooth Earphones Pro: Priced at Rs. 1,799, the Mi Neckband Bluetooth Earphones Pro is among the most affordable earphones with active noise cancellation you can buy right now. Sound quality is decent for the price, making this a tremendous value for money proposition.

OnePlus Buds: The first true wireless earphones from this brand, the OnePlus Buds offer decent sound and feature fast charging. However, you'll need a OnePlus smartphone to get the most out of this Rs. 4,990 pair of true wireless earphones.

JBL Endurance Jump: With an IPX7 water and dust resistance rating, the JBL Endurance Jump is one of the most rugged and fitness-friendly wireless headsets available under Rs. 5,000. It's priced at Rs. 4,199, making it a good option for anyone looking for budget earphones to use while working out.

Lypertek Levi: At Rs. 4,999, the Lypertek Levi is among the best sounding true wireless earphones you can buy for under Rs. 5,000, with an audiophile-friendly sound and excellent battery life. There's no ANC, and availability issues may make this difficult to buy, though.

Nokia Power Earbuds Lite: With IPX7 water resistance and very good battery life for Rs. 3,599, the Nokia Power Earbuds Lite is an impressive pair of true wireless earphones for the price. However, sound quality isn't quite as good as the competition, partly due to lack of advanced Bluetooth codec support.

TCL ELIT200NC: Although sound quality isn't too good, the TCL ELIT200NC is affordable at Rs. 2,299, and has active noise cancellation along with a vibrating neckband for alerts, making this worth considering if your primary use case is phone calls.

Which are the best budget Bluetooth earphones and headphones in India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

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