EarFun Air: Two Minute Review
Earfun has done a good job of developing the best budget earbuds in recent times, even if it remains relatively unknown in the mainstream due to the lack of an extensive range of products.
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Price and release date
Design and Features
Audio Performance
Should I buy them?
With the EarFun Air, the company has once again proven its growing reputation. While their controls could be a little more user-friendly and the charging case is pretty ugly, the EarFun Air is great where it counts.
These wireless earbuds do a pretty good job of providing many of the features you’d see in more expensive entries in our list of the best true wireless earbuds.
They look just like Apple AirPods, but are a bit heavier and bulkier. They take a little more effort to find the right fit for your ears (and you’ll need a bigger pocket for the cover), but in return you get remarkably powerful sound, wireless charging and great battery life for just $80/£ 60.
Granted, the EarFun Air doesn’t have an ANC, which would have been a nice bonus, but instead you get great sound quality. A nice mix of punchy bass and detailed mids that are far from overpowered will keep you happy. The only downside here is the highs which are a bit muffled at times. However, at this price something has to be given.
Elsewhere, the EarFun Air offers much of everything else you could wish for. There’s wireless charging, which is still the most effortless way to charge earbuds.
Plus, a water resistance rating of IPX7 means you can submerge them in water to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. Always useful.
In addition, a long battery life of 35 hours, which actually largely lives up to its expectations, proves superior to many competitors, with 7 hours of running from the case looking good. Not that we’re big fans of the rather bulky charging case, but fast charging means you get an extra 2 hours in 10 minutes and we’re certainly happy with that.
The EarFun Air has touch controls that are a bit finicky, but with highly effective in-ear detection you can at least avoid using the controls too often.
So there are concessions to be made when picking up the EarFun Air, but they are worth it at this price. They’re a great fit with some key features and are among the best wireless earbuds, whether you’re looking for earbuds for your workout, or just don’t feel like spending a fortune.
EarFun Air review: price and release date
- Released Summer 2020
- $80 / £60
- Available in three colours: black, white and red
The EarFun Air is currently on sale in the US and UK. Priced at $80/£60, they can often be heavily discounted at third-party retailers for around $50 or £40.
EarFun does sell its products in Australia, but this model is not currently available there.
With a choice of colors, the price (or actually the discount) can vary depending on your favorite style. At the time of writing, the red variant is not available.
EarFun Air review: design and features
- Bulky charging case
- IPX7 water resistant
- 7 hours battery from earbuds, 35 from case
The EarFun Air mimics Apple’s AirPods in many ways. They are a bit longer and a bit bulky, so it takes a little more effort to fit them firmly in your ear, especially if you move while doing so. Once inside, however, they’re quite snug and we found them to be safer than non-Pro AirPods, even if they were just walking around on a windy day.
The rounded area at the top of each stem provides the touch controls. They are pretty typical with a combination of long press or tap to change volume, pause or skip tracks, as well as support for voice assistants. You’ll need to practice though, as we found that double tapping and triple tapping took some effort, especially while moving.
In-ear detection means that pausing and playing are handled almost separately and it works effectively too. There is hardly a pause between taking out an earplug and pausing the music.
The charging case is a bit of a beast. Bigger than most, it’s satisfyingly safe but inconvenient to put in a vaguely small pouch. Placing the earbuds is a little more complicated than simply sliding them into place.
USB-C and wireless charging are both supported here, with the former proving to be faster and the latter more convenient. A quick 10 minute charge via USB-C will get you two hours, but you don’t have to do this too often with 7 hours from the earbuds, keeping things going for a while, with up to 35 hours courtesy of the case .
Bluetooth 5.0 support means we never experienced connectivity issues either.
EarFun Air review: audio performance
- Custom 6mm . drivers
- Fairly strong bass
- Noise Canceling Microphones
For budget earbuds, the EarFun Air sounds pretty good. They offer fairly strong bass and a wide enough soundstage that you don’t feel like songs are being squeezed right into your ear. While they may not rival more expensive options for detail, rhythm, and overall range, at this price point, they’re perfectly satisfactory.
Listening to music like Foo Fighters’ All my life sounds suitably snappy and enthusiastic. Alternatively, something like David Bowie’s Under pressure sounds appropriately clear. Every word from Eminem My name is is bright and powerful no matter how fast it gets. The weakness here? Trebles are a bit muddled, and nothing is as revolutionary as more expensive earphones – spending a little more on the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 Plus will undoubtedly get more out of your music.
Keep an eye on the volume with the EarFun Air. Turn it too high and things get distorted – but it’s not good for your ears either way.
There is no way to adjust anything in their sound balance as there is no app support here. If you want to customize your music, you’ll need to use the EQ that your music player can hold (if at all).
The EarFun Air also offers noise canceling technology with four microphones for taking calls. Call quality was quite clear and crisp, with a largely noise-free experience.
