Snag this excellent AirPods Pro alternative for only $48 with an extra 10% off code

This story is part of Holiday Gift Guide 2020, CNET’s gift picks with expert advice, reviews and recommendations for the latest tech gifts for you and your family.

I previously highlighted a good deal on Mpow’s updated X3 noise-canceling earbuds, which are excellent for their moderate price — around $53. But that deal sold out. Now we get the just-launched EarFun Free Pro, which may be an even better deal at $48 with the extra 10% off code FREEPRO10 at checkout at Amazon. The list price is $60 but there’s an instant 10%-off coupon, so when you add the additional 10% off you’re getting a $12 discount. These should be on sale for a few days. 

I’ve been using these earbuds for a couple of weeks. From a design standpoint, they seem identical to the Fiil T1XS, which is also on sale for $48. The Earfun Free Pro has better features, however, including active noise cancellation with a transparency mode, wireless charging and Bluetooth 5.2. They’re rated for seven hours of battery life without the noise-canceling function on, or about six hours with it on. They’re IPX5 water-resistant, which means they can withstand a sustained spray of water.

As I said, they sound good for the money, with relatively clean, balanced sound and bass that has some kick to it — they’re pretty open-sounding. Lightweight and comfortable to wear, they have little fins that help keep them securely in your ears, and they’re fairly discreet-looking.

Don’t expect them to cancel noise as well as the AirPods Pro, but they do provide some decent muffling. It’s worth noting that you can use either the left or right earbud independently and there’s a low-latency mode for video watching (and presumably gaming). Call quality was decent, too: Callers said they heard some background noise but it wasn’t intrusive and they could hear my voice well. The touch controls were responsive. 

While these earbuds currently have no ratings on Amazon, you should see some soon. For now, you’ll just have to take my word that they’re great if you want to pay less than $50. The only problem with the review unit I got was that the Earfun logo seemed to be upside-down on the left earbud. Earfun told me that’s just a way for you to tell the left bud from the right one, but it’s reconsidering that design decision — I humbly suggest that it’s not a great idea to have your logo upside-down when displayed on someone’s head. But that’s a minor cosmetic issue.