EarFun Air Review | HiFiReport.com

Overview

The EarFun Air true wireless earbuds arrived in 2020 as an aggressively priced alternative to the Apple AirPods and other premium names in the space. Four years later, they still show up on recommendation lists from CNN, What Hi-Fi?, and PCMag for one simple reason: they deliver a surprising amount of performance for the money. The Air model combines a stem-based design, Bluetooth 5.0, four microphones for calls, IPX7 waterproofing, wireless charging, and a total battery life of up to 35 hours when you include the charging case.

This is not a product that will wow you with cutting-edge features like active noise cancellation or multipoint pairing. What it does offer is a well-rounded package of essentials that most people actually care about: solid sound, comfortable fit, dependable battery, and a charging case that tops up your buds wirelessly or over USB-C. The catch is that long-term reliability reports are mixed, and some users have experienced frustrating issues with Bluetooth sync and touch controls after months of use.

If you’re shopping on a budget and you’re willing to accept some trade-offs, the EarFun Air remains a compelling pick. If you’re expecting seamless performance every single time you pull the buds out of the case, you might want to temper those expectations or consider spending more.

Design and Build

The EarFun Air features a familiar AirPods-style design with stems descending from the earpieces and touch-sensitive panels on the outer surfaces. The buds are available in black or white, and the charging case is a flip-top affair with a brushed black plastic finish that What Hi-Fi? likened to a classy box of dental floss. It’s a fair comparison: the case is compact, pocketable, and stands upright on its own.

The build quality punches above the price point according to multiple reviewers. What Hi-Fi? called the finish classy, and PCMag noted that the overall construction gives little reason to complain at the price. The earbuds themselves weigh about 5.35 grams each, making them light enough to forget you’re wearing them, and they ship with four sets of silicone ear tips in different sizes.

The case communicates battery status through a single color-coded LED on the front. It glows green when the charge is above 30 percent, orange below that threshold, and red at 10 percent or less, flashing when you’re nearly out of power. It’s a simple solution, and it works well enough, though it lacks the granularity of a digital display found on some competitors.

One design complaint that shows up repeatedly in user reviews is the difficulty of removing the earbuds from the case. The combination of strong magnets and smooth, shiny plastic leaves little to grab onto. Several customers describe the process as frustrating, with one saying the magnets are so strong the buds are almost impossible to get out. Another notes that the case got chunkier in later production runs, which suggests some silent revisions over time.

Sound Quality

For a budget earbud, the EarFun Air delivers impressive audio performance. The drivers are custom-built composite bio-cellulose dynamic drivers sized at 6mm, and the sound profile is characterized as full, punchy, and expansive by expert reviewers. What Hi-Fi? praised the punchy, expansive sound while noting that treble needs more refinement, with cymbals and high frequencies occasionally sounding metallic or hissy.

CNN went further in its praise, stating that the Air sounds better than the basic AirPods across nearly every genre tested, including classical, metal, rock, pop, and dance. The EarFun Air received CNN’s endorsement as an excellent budget option specifically because of its sound quality, with deep bass, clean mids, and energetic highs that hold up well against far more expensive earbuds.

User opinions largely align with the expert consensus, though with some caveats. Many customers describe the sound as good to great for the money, with thumpy bass that doesn’t muddy the rest of the mix. One reviewer who owns high-end gear from Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, and Sony called the sound “colorful and dynamic” with decent bass and treble. Another compared the sound quality favorably to the much more expensive Bose QC35 II over-ear headphones, at least in quiet indoor settings where active noise cancellation isn’t needed.

The caveats are these: first, achieving good sound requires a proper seal in your ear canal. If the tips don’t fit well, the bass disappears and the overall sound thins out noticeably. Second, a few users found the sound quality varied depending on the streaming service they used, with one claiming the buds sounded much better on Apple Music than on Amazon Music or Spotify. Third, the default ear tips are thin and flexible, which can make achieving a consistent seal more difficult than it should be. Some users also noted that the shallow tips allow earwax to accumulate on the speaker surface over time, which can distort audio until cleaned.

Battery Life and Charging

Battery life is one of the strongest aspects of the EarFun Air. The earbuds themselves deliver up to 7 hours of continuous playback on a single charge, and the built-in 500mAh charging case extends total listening time to approximately 35 hours. That puts the Air comfortably ahead of many competitors in the same price range.

Real-world usage reports generally confirm the official numbers. One user reported getting six and a half hours of solid use at 75 percent volume before receiving a low-battery warning. Another who uses the buds during the workday says they last about a week and a half to two weeks with single-earbud use, alternating sides when one runs low. The case battery lasts multiple days in normal use, and the wireless charging capability makes it easy to keep topped up on a Qi pad.

Fast charging is another plus. A 10-minute charge provides around 2 hours of playback, which is genuinely useful when you’re heading out the door with a dead case. The case charges fully in about 1.5 hours over USB-C, or roughly 2 hours wirelessly. Both options give you flexibility that many budget earbuds lack.

There is one notable battery complaint from long-term users, though: battery life appears to degrade over time. One reviewer who initially loved the Air reported having to drop their rating after months of use because the battery lasted less than the original claim. This is worth keeping in mind if you plan on using these earbuds daily for a year or more.

Connectivity and Controls

The EarFun Air uses Bluetooth 5.0 and pairs quickly with most devices. The Bluetooth range is rated at 10 meters, and users report stable connections through walls and across rooms. Pairing is straightforward on both iOS and Android, and the buds support single-earbud mode, allowing you to use either the left or right earbud independently.

One of the biggest connectivity limitations is the lack of quick device switching. Unlike AirPods or higher-end models, the Air can only be actively paired to one device at a time, and switching requires an extra step. Users report having to turn off the connected device or put the earbuds back in the case and re-enter pairing mode to connect to a different device. If you primarily use these with one phone or one laptop, this isn’t a problem. If you juggle between devices, it becomes a daily annoyance.

Bluetooth stability is a recurring theme in user reviews, both positive and negative. Many users report rock-solid connections with no dropouts at typical distances. A significant number of others report periodic issues: audio dropping between the two earbuds, the left earbud losing connection, or the buds occasionally failing to sync when removed from the case. One long-term reviewer described sync drops happening multiple times a day after about a year of use. Another noted that the issue can sometimes be resolved by tapping the touch panel twice or putting the buds back in the case and taking them out again.

The touch controls are another area where opinions diverge. The controls are responsive, according to PCMag, but unintuitive. Double-tapping either earbud controls playback, triple-tapping the right ear skips forward, a triple tap on the left summons your voice assistant, and long presses adjust volume (right ear for up, left ear for down). There is no track backward navigation.

In practice, users report success rates ranging from about 70 percent to 80 percent on touch commands. Single taps are especially problematic, accidentally triggering when users adjust the buds in their ears. Double and triple taps are finicky and sometimes don’t register at all. One reviewer summarized the frustration well: getting the earphones to do what you want is hit-or-miss, and even after practice, it doesn’t become fully reliable. Another user complained that the volume control would jump too quickly when held, making precise adjustment difficult.

Microphone and Call Quality

The EarFun Air features four microphones, two on each earbud, with a noise-canceling design intended to reduce background noise during calls. The marketing claims it can reduce 90 percent of background noise, and the hardware was part of why the product won both the iF Design Award and the CES Innovation Award.

In practice, call quality is decent but not consistently great. Initial reviews were generally positive. One user reported that people could hear them much better on the Air than on the previous EarFun Free model, which was a big deal because they used the buds for phone calls all the time. Another tester walked outside on windy days and found the mic generally picked up only their voice, though it did catch passersby voices within about four feet. A family member told one customer their voice sounded better on the EarFun Air than on any previous neckband-style headphones they had used.

But there are also consistent complaints. Several users report that callers could hear outside noise when the call was placed in a non-quiet environment, and in some cases, callers asked them to switch to the phone handset instead. One reviewer who used the buds for a Webex meeting on a laptop was immediately told they couldn’t be heard. Another found the noise canceling “completely non-existent” during calls and turned off Bluetooth whenever a phone call came in. A long-term user reports people sometimes have a hard time hearing them during calls.

The pattern suggests the microphone system works well enough in quiet conditions but struggles in genuinely noisy environments. If calls are your primary use case, you should treat the Air as a passable option rather than a standout, and you should be prepared for the possibility that callers will hear ambient noise alongside your voice.

EarFun App and Extras

The EarFun Audio app adds a layer of customization that wasn’t available to early buyers. Through the app, you can adjust a multi-band EQ to tailor the sound to your preferences, customize the touch control gestures, check battery levels, and enable a game mode designed to reduce latency for gaming and video.

The app is a welcome addition and gives the Air a degree of flexibility that many budget earbuds don’t offer. The game mode in particular can make a noticeable difference if you play mobile games or watch video where audio sync matters. That said, some users are reluctant to install another app just for earbuds, and the app doesn’t fundamentally change the reliability concerns noted by long-term owners.

Notably, the Air does not have active noise cancellation or a transparency mode. It relies entirely on passive noise isolation from the silicone ear tips. With the right tips, the passive isolation is actually quite good, according to both experts and users. Multiple reviewers said the buds effectively block out air conditioning, computer fans, and other ambient noise when properly sealed. One downside of that strong isolation is that you won’t hear much around you, and there is no ambient mode to let the outside world in without removing the buds.

Water Resistance and Durability

EarFun markets the Air with an IPX7 waterproof rating, which means the earbuds can be submerged in water up to one meter for up to 30 minutes. The company backs this with SweatShield Technology, which they claim resists corrosive sweat more effectively than ordinary nano-coating methods.

Expert and user testing suggests the durability claims hold up. What Hi-Fi? highlighted the IPX7 rating as a key selling point, noting it’s rare to see at this level. Users have pushed the buds hard: one wore them in the shower regularly for two months with no issues, another worked in construction and stepped on them and the case multiple times without damage, and another dropped a single earbud in a public sink, cleaned it with alcohol, and watched it recover to full function the next day.

One important note: the charging case is not waterproof. Only the earbuds themselves carry the IPX7 rating. Multiple users warn to dry the earbuds before placing them back in the case, noting that moisture on the charging contacts can cause them to stop working until the contacts are cleaned.

The durability record is not spotless, however. Several users report that earbuds stopped charging or connecting after one to two months, with the left bud being a common failure point. In many cases, the issue could be fixed by cleaning the charging contacts, performing a reset, or contacting customer service for a replacement. But the frequency of these complaints suggests quality control can be inconsistent across production batches.

What Customers Are Saying

Customer feedback on the EarFun Air is characterized by strong enthusiasm at the time of purchase, tempered by reliability concerns that emerge with long-term use. The aggregate rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars across more than 17,000 Amazon ratings suggests the majority of buyers are satisfied, but the distribution of reviews tells a more nuanced story.

The most common praise centers on value, battery life, and sound quality. Customers repeatedly describe the Air as sounding far better than expected for the price, with some going so far as to say they sound as good as or better than Apple AirPods. The long battery life, especially the case’s ability to recharge the buds multiple times, is a consistent highlight. Comfort also earns positive marks from many users, with several noting they forget the buds are in their ears after a few minutes. The IPX7 waterproofing is another frequently mentioned positive, with users reporting their buds survived workouts, rain, and even accidental water exposure.

On the complaint side, the issues cluster around a few themes. Fit is inconsistent across ears, with some users reporting the buds work loose while talking, chewing, or running, despite trying all four ear tip sizes. The touch controls are unreliable for a meaningful share of users. Bluetooth connectivity problems, including un-syncing between the two earbuds and random dropouts, become more frequent with age. And some units simply fail, with left earbuds ceasing to charge or connect after several months of use.

Customer service is an unexpectedly bright spot in the reviews. Multiple reviewers who experienced problems report that EarFun’s support team reached out proactively, sent replacement units, and engaged in lengthy conversations to gather feedback for their engineers. Several customers who initially posted negative reviews later updated them to reflect that EarFun made things right. This appears to be a company that takes customer satisfaction seriously, even when individual product units have quality issues.

In-ear detection, which pauses playback when you remove an earbud and resumes when you replace it, receives mixed feedback. Some users love it and say it works flawn from the product quality issues. Others say it’s roughly 50/50, occasionally triggering when the buds are simply palmed or adjusted. The feature is a nice addition at this price point, but it isn’t consistently reliable.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Punchy, expansive sound quality that outperforms many pricier competitors
Strong bass response without muddling mids and highs
Lightweight, comfortable design for most ear shapes
IPX7 waterproof rating provides genuine peace of mind for workouts and weather
Excellent total battery life of up to 35 hours with the charging case
Wireless charging and USB-C fast charging give you flexible options
10-minute quick charge delivers about 2 hours of playback
EarFun app adds EQ adjustment, gesture customization, and game mode
Single earbud mode for left or right independent use
Strong passive noise isolation with properly fitted ear tips
Outstanding customer service according to multiple buyers

Cons

Treble can sound metallic and harsh on some tracks
Touch controls are unreliable, with accidental activations and missed taps common
No multipoint pairing and device switching is clunky
Bluetooth sync issues between left and right earbuds reported by some long-term users
Fit is inconsistent; no stabilizing fins and some users report frequent loosening
Proprietary ear tips may not fit the charging case if you substitute third-party tips
Ear tips are thin and shallow, leading to earwax buildup on the drivers
No active noise cancellation or transparency mode
Call clarity degrades noticeably in noisy environments despite quad mic setup
Some units fail after a few months, with left earbud disconnection a recurring pattern
Earbuds are difficult to remove from the charging case due to strong magnets

Verdict

The EarFun Air is a genuinely impressive budget earbud that earned its reputation. It sounds significantly better than the basic AirPods in the eyes of expert reviewers, offers a feature set that includes wireless charging and IPX7 waterproofing, and comes with a battery life that outlasts many pricier competitors. For the money, there simply hasn’t been much that can touch it in terms of pure value.

But the word “budget” implies compromise, and the Air makes its compromises in the areas of reliability, consistency, and refinement. The touch controls are frustrating. The Bluetooth connection can be flaky over time. Call quality is hit or miss in noisy environments. And the fit is genuinely dependent on your ear shape. These are not deal breakers if you’re flexible, but they are aspects of the product that are impossible to ignore after extended use.

The key question is what you’re looking for. If you want a comfortable, great-sounding pair of wireless earbuds for music, podcasts, workouts in the rain, and general everyday use, the EarFun Air is easy to recommend. If you rely on your earbuds for important phone calls, need seamless switching between multiple devices, or demand flawlessly consistent performance every time you pull the buds from the case, you may find the Air’s quirks more than you’re willing to put up with.

Pricing for the EarFun Air varies depending on where and when you buy, and it has frequently appeared at discounted levels since launch, so check the current product page for an up-to-date figure.

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Given the combination of excellent core audio performance, strong battery, admirable water resistance, and responsive customer support, the EarFun Air still earns its status as one of the best budget true wireless earbuds you can buy today. Just understand what you’re getting into, and be ready to work around a few rough edges in exchange for a very solid pair of buds that won’t break the bank.

Specifications

Brand: EarFun
Model: Air
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Bluetooth Range: 10 meters
Driver Size: 6mm dynamic drivers
Driver Type: Dynamic driver with composite bio-cellulose construction
Frequency Response: 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz
Impedance: 32 Ohms
Sensitivity: 100 dB
Battery Life: Up to 7 hours per charge
Total Battery Life: Up to 35 hours with charging case
Case Battery: Built-in 500mAh
Case Charging Time: 1.5 hours wired, approximately 2 hours wireless
Earbud Weight: 5.35 grams each
Water Resistance: IPX7
Microphones: 4 total, 2 per earbud
Charging: USB-C and Qi wireless charging
Fast Charging: 10 minutes for up to 2 hours of playback
Ear Tips: Four sizes included
Controls: Touch-sensitive panels with customizable gestures
Additional Features: In-ear detection, single earbud mode, EarFun Audio app support, game mode

Sale

EarFun Air True Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth Earbuds with 4 Mics Clear Call | IPX7 Waterproof, Game Mode, Deep Bass, Wireless Charging, USB-C Fast Charge, 35H Playtime, Black

CNN Best Budget Wireless Earbuds. CNN praised "EarFun Air is just as good as the high-end earbuds in controlled, quiet, indoor settings. The sound is expansive, deep, and about as good as any high-end options." The EarFun Air wireless earbuds equipped with 6mm dual dynamic drivers achieve balanced, high-quality sound. PEEK + PU high fidelity dynamic drivers deliver deep, resonant bass with an authentic treble to match.
Crystal-Clear Calling, Immersive Feeling. EarFun Air is the only wireless earbuds that received the "iF Design Award" and "CES Innovation Award" together. The true wireless earbuds feature 4-microphone noise-canceling calls, effectively reducing 90% background noise, creating a stable and clearer calling environment. Besides, only touching the control button can answer/reject phone, volume adjusts, enjoying hand-freely calling anytime and anywhere.
35H Listening, On-The-Go Charging. The wireless earbuds last for total 35 hours with a built-in 500mAh charging case and 7 hours from a single charge. Get rid of the trouble of repeatedly charging, providing listening for a whole day. The Bluetooth Earbuds support both wireless charging and USB-C quick charging, simply charge 10 minutes and get up to 2 hours of playtime. Enjoy fast and convenient charging way from now on.