EarFun Air 2 NC review: $70 earbuds that actually sound good

EarFun’s earbuds are consistently some of the best budget wireless earbuds we test. While its over-ear headphones were disappointing in testing, the brand’s earbuds always seem to blow us away. So I was super excited to get stuck into the Air 2 NCs, which are supposed to have hi-res sound quality and active noise cancellation. For only $69? Sign me up.

The Air 2 NCs come in a black case almost identical to that of Apple’s AirPods MagSafe cases, but the buds are a touch more angular and bulkier than said AirPods. For only $69, though, these are some seriously pro-sounding earbuds. While they don’t quite have the sound prowess of more high-end buds, the Air 2 NCs could still be some of our best wireless earbuds.

So are these super budget earbuds worth your $70? Find out in this EarFun Air 2 NC earbuds review.

EarFun Air 2 NC review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A pair of budget earbuds with good sound quality for the price — but wouldn’t impress an audiophile.
• Who is it for? People who want a cheap pair of earbuds and decent sound quality
• What does it cost? $69/£59
• What do we like? The sound quality is pretty good for only $69 and the charging case looks identical to the AirPods MagSafe case
• What don’t we like? No wear detection and the earbuds look a little dated already

EarFun Air 2 NC review: Specs

EarFun Air 2 NC review: Price & availability

The EarFun Air 2 NC earbuds are available for $69 from Amazon U.S., and £59 from EarFun U.K.. This budget price point makes them $30 cheaper than OnePlus Buds 3, which are our best budget wireless earbuds. JLab JBuds Mini earbuds are $39, which are some of the cheapest earbuds I’ve ever seen.

EarFun Air 2 NC review: Design & controls

The EarFun Air 2 NCs have a small charging case that looks almost identical to an AirPods MagSafe case. There’s a button for Bluetooth connection on the bottom of the case alongside a USB-C port for charging.

The earbuds themselves aren’t the prettiest on the market, with plastic-looking stems and a 2010s-style silver chrome brand logo. But they come with 4 tip sizes, so you'll be sure to find something that suits your ears. I did notice after about two hours the earbuds started to ache in my ears, so I switched out to the smaller ear tips. I’d recommend that you play about with ideal sizes before settling on one.

The earbuds have touch controls you can customize in the EarFun Audio app. I found the touch controls to be a little laggy, but if you’re happy to wait a second, this shouldn’t be a major problem.

EarFun Air 2 NC review: Features & connectivity

Unlike the EarFun Air 4 earbuds ($89), there’s no wear detection on the Air 2 NC earbuds. For $69, you might not expect a range of premium features, but I think wear detection is a pretty important feature for earbuds these days, $69 or not.

The EarFun Air 2 NC earbuds have Game Mode and Theater Mode. Theater Mode turns off EQ but apparently expands the soundscape to give you a more immersive audio experience. I tested this setting in a quiet room with ANC switched on. I listened to FKA Twigs, arguably one of the most cinematic artists out there today, and found the Theater Mode did give a broader, deeper listening experience, but I don’t think this would be noticeable if you were listening in a louder environment.

I tested the LDAC quality on my colleague’s Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. You must have the EarFun Audio app to utilize LDAC. And then you have to manually turn off dual device connection to turn on LDAC, which most products can do automatically. In the office we were testing the Soundcore Space 1 Pro headphones ($99) at the same time as the EarFun Air 2 NC earbuds, which managed to switch off dual device connection automatically. However, when listening to ‘Revolution 909’ by Daft Punk, I was obsessed with how deep and layered the bass sounded through the Air 2 NC earbuds — so if you have an LDAC-enabled device (sorry iPhone users), these earbuds could be an amazing budget option.

In terms of call quality, the Air 2 NC earbuds proved average. In testing, I used these earbuds on a few work calls and my colleagues reported that my voice sounded like it was coming through a mobile phone speaker, not through dedicated earbud mics. If you wanted to use these for professional calls, you might be disappointed.

EarFun Air 2 NC review: App

The EarFun Air 2 NC earbuds come with the EarFun Audio app, available on iOS and Android. The app is super easy to use. My earbuds came up as a suggested connection instantly and once they were linked with the app, I was able to customize my EQ and touch controls. I changed the touch controls to mimic AirPods, as that’s what I’m used to. You can customize the left and right earbud independently.

The EarFun Audio app is a great companion app, with settings ranging from dual device connection to firmware updates. If you’ve got a pair of EarFun earbuds, I think this app is a must-download.

EarFun Air 2 NC earbuds review: Audio quality

As a recent convert to Apple Music, I listened to the EarFun Air 2 NC earbuds via the Apple Music app with lossless streaming enabled. However, the Air 2 NC earbuds aren’t compatible with Apple’s high-res Bluetooth codec, ALAC, only Sony’s LDAC, so if you have an iPhone, you won’t be able to take advantage of Apple’s proprietary high-res streaming codec with these earbuds.

I listened to Charli xcx’s “Talk Talk” and was blown away by the bass quality and vocal clarity. Not wanting to stop the party, I put on “All My People” by Confidence Man, another thumping house track with ‘90s rave-groove bass, and the bass was infectious enough I almost wanted to start grooving in the cafe I was in. “Messy Star” by chokecherry is a reclined indie track with subdued reverb guitar verses and a heavier chorus. Thankfully, the nuance of the guitar was translated accurately through the Air 2 NC earbuds and the shoegaze-y rock track sounded awesome. To switch up the genre, I put on “Neva Play” by Megan Thee Stallion and RM, an energetic hip-hop track. The bass was dynamic and layered but some of the vocals were a little muffled, as if they were lost in the fabric of the track. Next, I played “Paint the Town Red” by Doja Cat, a mellow hip-hop track. The subtle brass motifs were groovy and hypnotic and Doja’s voice was clear and glossy.

For only $69, these earbuds performed really well in audio testing. They’re far better than the identically-priced Mixx Streambuds Ultra Mini earbuds, but not as good as the entry-level AirPods 4 ($129), which have great sound quality but no ANC.

EarFun Air 2 NC review: Verdict

If you’re in need of cheap earbuds but don’t want to compromise (massively) on sound quality, battery life, ANC, or premium features like LDAC support (sorry ALAC), the EarFun Air 2 NC earbuds are a great budget option. While they’re not the best looking earbuds on the market, if you can ignore the chrome plasticky finish, there’s no reason why these couldn’t be a serious contender for the best sub-$70 earbuds.