Best Earphones to buy in India 2020

Of all the tech stuff that we buy - earphones are not only great value for money, they are also among the most used and abused. It no surprise that their sale number are consistently in the high ten thousands. If you are in the market for a new earphone, you have come to the right place. It is a great time to be alive especially if you are alive and also use earphones on a daily basis.

Now all you need to do is look through this list and then go to sleep. I mean, go to shop. But if you are already impatient, you can go straight to amazon through my affiliate link to view this full list there: https://amzn.to/2FMDPMm

JBL C100SI

Rating: 5/5

· Comfort ✔

· Music quality ✔

· Durability ✔

· Price✔

· Brand value ✔

Price - Usually 699

This is my most recommended earphone on this list. More often that not, I end up recommending this to my friends as I see this as a very well-rounded device for a reasonable price(699 and 599 on sale) . The sound quality is at par with the Sennheisers that retail around 1000. The microphone is the best in this budget segment. For better microphone quality than this, you will have to shell out 2K for the Sonys(also in this list). The product is quite durable though the wire sizes wont inspire confidence. This is great for casual listening, taking professional calls and even adhoc sound monitoring. This is not bass heavy and that to me a refreshing change.

boAt BassHeads 100

Rating: 4/5

· Comfort ✔

· Music quality ~

· Durability ✔

· Price✔

· Brand value ~

Price - Usually 399

If you are on a budget and are looking for burner earphones that you can toss in your back pack or jeans, the boat 100 is as good as it gets. It has tangle-free cables(not flat cables mind you). These are great for everyday use, the design is not as comfortable as the other brands in the price range but it is nothing to complain about. The build is quite sturdy and it should withstand a few accidental 'Bum-stamps'. The sound quality is not the best there is, but then again for the price(399 and 349 on sale) this is a great deal if you are really budget conscious. I am not a basshead, but hey if it floats your boat... err... you get it.

Samsung EHS64

Rating: 4/5

· Comfort ✔

· Music quality ~

· Durability ~

· Price✔

· Brand value ✔

Price - Usually 375

The most underrated earphones of this list are the Samsung EHS64s. These are great earphones for the price and they are the second most comfortable on the ear after the CX 180s. The design is pretty uninspiring as you can very well see. But the USP of this device is the price. Among the cheapest in this list on a regular day(375), this is a value proposition that is hard to beat. If you dont like it, that is fine. But next time you want to gift something to your parents, well you might want to think about this.

Sennheiser CX 180 Street(no Mic)

· Comfort ✔

· Music quality ✔

· Durability ✔

· Price~

· Brand value ✔

Price - Usually 850

The most comfortable earphones I have ever used. It’s is lighter than air. Almost like it was tailor made for our ears. I would buy this and just this over and over if I could and if it had a bloody microphone to take calls. The lack of mic on a device with this usage makes it impractical. The sound and durability are off the charts. This went into the washing machine twice and came out unscathed. But even this valiant one couldn’t survive my wife’s misplacement skills and eventually got lost. Amazing earphones, but I wouldn’t buy it unless I really don’t need a mic. Which might be never.

Sennheiser CX 275 S

Rating: 4.5/5

· Comfort ✔

· Music quality ✔

· Durability ✔

· Price~

· Brand value ✔

Price - Usually 1700

This is the brightest star of them all. My darling, my little companion, my ... OK this is getting weird. Point is, I love these. Best pair I ever owned. Super comfortable to keep them on for hours, great to take calls and excellent sound output. Typical Sennheiser. No wonder this is the most popular among Indian commuters who take public transport. The only sore point is the price, which I think is justified if bought on a deal. So if you can get these for less than 1500, it would be a steal. But honestly, the sound quality is quite similar to the CX 180, which I would rate as the most comfortable in the list. But the Germans thought that CX 180 didn't need a microphone. Why? I dont know. Maybe because life is not fair. Long story short - if you don't need a mic, the CX 180 or CX 213 would be enough. If you do, the beauty here will serve you perfectly. Sennheiser has a 2 year warranty, which, and this might surprise you, THEY HONOUR! I know right?

Sony MDR-EX150AP

Rating: 4/5

· Comfort ✔

· Music quality ✔

· Durability ~

· Price~

· Brand value ✔

Price - Usually 799

While I am not a big fan of this pair, I had to include it as a something to satisfy the rabid Sony fan following. I mean why do so many people like Sony anyway? They build great audio devices, that is why. I do not share their enthusiasm for this earphone though, but the folks who got it seem to be happy with this. So if you want a Sony below 1000, this is the way to go. But if you want the best Sony has to offer in the budget segment, please check the next in the list.

Sony MDR-XB55AP with Mic

Rating: 4/5

· Comfort ✔

· Music quality ✔

· Durability ✔

· Price ✗

· Brand value ✔

Price - Usually 2100

This is the absolute best earphone you can buy on a budget of less than 2500. The audio output from the 12 mm drivers is just insane. While I have heard some gripes about the earphone being heavy or mildly uncomfortable, that is not a deal breaker. It is not exactly feature-packed, but it does ship with a heck of a mic. The microphone alone is outstanding. Most of the times I felt people were talking through a podcast mic when I heard their calls. Probably the only mic here that I would easily recommend for any level of professional calling. The only question you need to ask yourself is, why are you still single? I mean why would you need a earphone that costs 2000 when you can get a very similar experience for literally 1/3rd of the price? Also this is now in Sony headphone territory, which is a discussion for another time.

Realme Buds 2

Rating: 5/5

· Comfort ✔

· Music quality ✔

· Durability ✔

· Price ✔

· Brand value ✔

Price - Usually 600

Another easy-to-recommend pair of earphones.This is one of the highest rates earphones on both Flipkart and Amazon. It is no surprise that this made my list. It has a 11.2mm driver and is possibly the cheapest earphone on this list with such a large driver. This is the only earphone in the list with magnetic earheads. Very neat to use and comfortable. IF it checks the durability box in a few years then this coudl very well top the list. Possibly the best VFM offering out there.

boAt BassHeads 225

Rating: 4.5/5

· Comfort ✔

· Music quality ✔

· Durability ✔

· Price ✔

· Brand value ~

Price - Usually 600

These boat 225 pairs are insanely popular on amazon. They sell out every time there is a sale. Again, not without good reason. These are those rare earphones that address the constant Indian complaint of poor quality wires. They comes with awesome flat cables, probably one of the most important reasons to buy them too. The excessive bass might turn off some people, but in case you haven't heard, Indians love bass. So it is what is it. I wouldnt recommend the boAt ahead of established players in this list, but this is not a bad pair at all.

Honourable mentions aka 'So what should you consider but mostly avoid?'

Below is a list of earphones that you can avoid. They are not necessarily bad earphones. But I feel with the offerings on this list, you can easily skip the below earphones to avoid confusion. If you still want to consider them, I advice a second thought.

Other Boat earphones- Now you are either a boat guy or not. If you are one, I am sorry to hear that. I would prefer going with companies like Sony, JBL and Sennheiser over Boat. That said, I have nothing against Boat as a company. I just have a hard time recommending them as their audio quality is too base-reliant. And I am not a bass guy as well. But if you like, hey go for it.

Sony MDR-XB55 without Mic - Expensive for earphones without Mic. Sound quality is amazing. But for the price(1500), you can easily get the Sennheiser CX 275 or shell out more cash and the get the same earphone with mic for 2000. Or you could just get the Sony MDR-EX255AP, which is usually cheaper.

JBL C50HI - Average build. No need to cheap out on CS 100SI, this also has mediocre reviews.

JBL C200SI - Too expensive for what it offers. Sound quality is on par with C100SI, so not worth the premium. You can grab this if it comes up on sale.

Any Ptron wired earphones - Quality issues and bad reviews. Otherwise cheap and good for the price. Has dual drivers too.

You made it this far? Great. But you get nothing. Sorry.