Solid low-stakes earbuds are an underrated item to have at the ready.
Even if you have your nice noise-cancelling ones to rely on for the gym, long flights, or other chaotic environments, there are plenty of situations where an expensive or bulky pair like that are overkill. Between Amazon and the checkout line at Target, there's no shortage of cheap wireless earbuds that sound decent. But before you just pick some and go, there's a new $40 pair from Skullcandy that deserves consideration for being low-stakes in more ways than price.
Released right before Earth Day in 2024, the Skullcandy EcoBuds are composed of 65 percent post-consumer recycled plastics and are built with approximately 57 percent less heavy metals than competitors. Skullcandy says these materials-conscious changes cut the EcoBuds' carbon footprint in half (compared to similar headphones on the market). As the resident sucker for eco-friendly swaps in my family and friend group, I had to see what was up with these.
How does the EcoBuds design lower their carbon footprint?
Skullcandy downsizes the environmental impact of the EcoBuds in two main ways. The majority of the plastic used to build the case and earbuds is recycled post-consumer plastic that likely would have otherwise ended up in a landfill or the ocean, and the EcoBuds omit a battery in the storage case to cut back on the use of heavy metals like lithium.
Allegedly, this approach cuts the carbon footprint of the EcoBuds by 50 percent compared to similar headphones on the market. It may not feel super impactful when isolated in the palm of your hand, but no electronics brand's attention to e-waste should be downplayed. A UN report released in March 2024 states that, in 2022, people across the planet dumped a 137 billion pounds of e-waste, and less than 25 percent of that 137 billion pounds was recycled. The recycling rate of plastic in the U.S. is similarly abysmal.
If you're reading a review on eco-friendly headphones, you're probably already relatively well-versed in the environmental impacts of both manufacturing plastic and mining the metal that makes batteries, or the havoc they wreak on the earth once they're tossed. The ultimate turnaround solution is a far more corporate one than an individual person one, but reducing our own personal impact is a step in the right direction nonetheless.
Anyway, most of the EcoBuds' eco-conscious changes take place in the case. One difference compared to other earbuds is physically noticeable: The earbuds aren't enclosed. They do snap in with magnets, but it doesn't take much bumping around for one to pop out. As you could assume, these buds certainly don't have any type of device-finding app support if one falls out and gets lost.
Though you should be safe against rain or sweat droplets with the EcoBuds' IPX4 water resistance rating, the lack of a lid means virtually no protection against dirt or sand or other outside grime.
But the main alteration to the case is that it doesn't charge the earbuds. Skullcandy was able to reduce its use of metal in the EcoBuds by completely ditching a battery in the case, so the case really is merely for storage. That'll be a dealbreaker for some, but I will say that the battery in the EcoBuds themselves does stretch for an impressively long time.
Skullcandy EcoBuds comfort and controls
The wireless stemmed earbud design itself is pretty standard, complete with three sizes of rubber ear tips in the box to customize a snug fit. I'm pretty neutral on the "rubber tips versus the plastic tips of non-Pro AirPods" debate for the amount of time I typically wear headphones, but did notice the EcoBuds' rubber tips creating a pressurized plugging sensation when left in for too long.
Each EcoBuds stem features a tiny version of Skullcandy's skull logo and a tiny light bulb that serve as your main controls for the buds, because there's no companion app. In a rare turn of events, I actually found myself reading the paper instructions, because there are quite a few gestures and light flash combinations to memorize: Tap twice on both earbuds to skip forward, thrice on both to backtrack, four times quickly on the right bud to switch between EQ modes, and so on. The list of gestures is basically low-level Morse code. The EcoBuds were also a little too responsive to taps, constantly pausing my song when I was just readjusting a falling earbud.
Case qualms aside, can I hear a little commotion for the blue and white swirls? My best friend, who was sitting beside me at the airport when I got the EcoBuds out to use for the first time, immediately said, "Dude, what are those? Those are so cute."
Battery life: The case doesn't charge them, but they last for days
So yeah, the elephant in the room is that the EcoBuds case doesn't charge the EcoBuds. However, this won't be the biggest inconvenience in the world unless you're wearing them literally all day every day.
Officially, Skullcandy says that the EcoBuds have a battery life of eight hours. In my experience, that tracks. During a normal work week, I'd use the EcoBuds on and off throughout the day (averaging one to three hours per day), and I was typically able to go almost the entire week before the voice assistant gave me a low battery warning. On my trip to Vegas, which consisted of a five hour flight there and back, I used the EcoBuds for about half of each flight (switching to my Beats Studio Pro when I wanted to try to sleep), as well as in the airport and during packing beforehand. I didn't need to charge them until my first day back to work.
Charging the EcoBuds is the most straightforward possible system. The built-in cable is maybe an inch long, doesn't pull out any farther, and folds back into the back of the charging case when not in use. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the port is USB-C, not micro USB — meaning you can reverse charge the EcoBuds directly from your phone if your phone has a USB-C charging port.
Charging the EcoBuds on my laptop felt like it took forever, but only takes around an hour with a regular wall brick. In a hurry, just 10 minutes of wall charging gets you about two hours of battery.
Skullcandy EcoBuds sound quality
Between minimal materials used and the super low price point, you'd be valid to expect the EcoBuds to sound like glorified radio static. But when the '80s-reminiscent synth and reverb guitar waves hit in the first song I played — "The Other Side" by Drab Majesty — I was genuinely impressed by the immersive sound these little buds were able to produce.
Raw, emotional vocals, like those in "Rainbow" by Kacey Musgraves and Alice In Chain's performance of "Down in a Hole" on MTV Unplugged were particularly pronounced and crispy, and it didn't seem that any of the harmonies or individual guitar twangs got lost. Some Slipknot songs did get a little muddied, but weren't nearly as cacophonous as you'd expect from $40 headphones.
As a palate cleanser after those tear jerkers, I tested out some lighter options. The EcoBuds were hit or miss with picking up on crucial background echos that make or break a song with a lot going on: I didn't get goosebumps from "I Am Moana" like I do when listening on my Beats, but they did grab Chappell Roan going off in the polyphonic ending of "Red Wine Supernova."
While the bass in regular music mode is already pretty punchy, anyone who likes a beat that feels like it vibrates will appreciate that these budget earbuds actually offer a hearty bass boost mode. "Ps and Qs" by Lil Uzi Vert and "Ocean of Tears" by Caroline Polachek sounded awesome.
I was pretty indifferent about podcast mode, as I felt like voices in the episodes I listened to were fine in music mode. Likewise, voices on the other end of any phone calls I took sounded fine indoors, and I didn't get any complaints about my microphone. I definitely couldn't have a productive conversation on the EcoBuds while walking around outside, though.
Downsides: Not ideal for long days and loud environments
I already know the whole "no charging case" thing probably had several readers X-ing out of the review way earlier than this section. And for anyone who really is shopping for their sole pair of go-to headphones — and really is listening to something or using headphones on calls all day — it's valid to only be considering pairs whose cases can provide backup juice. It's definitely a bummer that skipping a battery in the case is so inherent to the eco-friendliness that sets the EcoBuds apart, too.
The case's lack of a lid is a misstep that'll be annoying to any user, and one that I think could have been remedied while still remaining conscious of the materials used. I see the vision of keeping the EcoBuds as minimalist as possible, but the earbuds being so exposed feels dirty and risky, especially when traveling. Also, couldn't a larger case with a lid just also be composed of recycled plastic and do more diverting from a landfill?
The last "downside," no active noise cancellation, is pretty expected in this price range. (Apple charges way more for its regular AirPods that still don't have ANC.) However, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the lack of ANC did make me intentionally not reach for my EcoBuds for a gym session or during work when there was construction happening at my apartment.
As with any headphones without ANC, the EcoBuds rely on a seal and sheer volume to drown out those distracting sounds. That's just not comfortable for longer than like, 20 minutes, and I know my audiologist friends would roast me for blaring that directly into my eardrums.
The competition
Admittedly, the EcoBuds are going to have a hard time competing with pairs like the Anker Soundcore Life P3i. As Mashable's current pick for the best budget wireless earbuds, these packed earbuds have a charging case and ANC for just $10 more than the EcoBuds.
The EcoBuds stand a much better chance against Apple. Consider that the cheapest AirPods with ANC go for $189.99 on sale — the other AirPods, all of which are way more expensive than the EcoBuds, also don't have ANC. Though AirPods do come with a charging case, the battery life of the headphones themselves maxes out at about five or six hours, so you'd still be charging relatively often either way.
If I had to close my eyes and pick a pair of earbuds at random to be stuck with for a walk or a short flight, I wouldn't be mad if I grabbed the EcoBuds over my AirPods. The only reason I'd opt for the AirPods is if the duration in this hypothetical life or death situation was several hours, just for comfort purposes. (And in that case, I'd want my Beats Studio Pro over either of them.)
Are the Skullcandy EcoBuds worth it?
For $40, the EcoBuds are a seriously impressive pair of cheap earbuds. Despite paring back on plastic and metal to lower the impact their manufacturing has on the environment, Skullcandy still managed to arm the EcoBuds with high-impact sound and bumping bass that does justice to a ton of songs.
Opting for these will ask you to sacrifice some features that a few similarly-priced pairs offer, like active noise cancellation and a charging case. If you need a pair of gym headphones or all-day work headphones, these won't be it. But if you need a pair of easy-to-grab earbuds to supplement your heavy duty over-ear pair or a cute, low-stakes first pair of headphones for kids, there's little reason to not prioritize the environment and consider the EcoBuds.
And if you're getting rid of an old pair of headphones, recycle them at Best Buy instead of trashing them.
