My budget is maximum $50

There's a Dutch weather man who reviews a crazy amount of earbuds as a hobby. They're all Bluetooth ones though. I found that you get better quality for a similar price if you get a wired one.

Anyway, recommend that you check out https://www.scarbir.com/

He has lists per price range, but also recommendations per usage type. E.g. I bought ones that were less affected by wind noise (during a call).

Skullcandy has been a good experience. Cheap and durable. I've had two, a pair of Smokin' Buds 2 (died from a broken cable, now discontinued), and a pair of Jib True (my current earbuds).

I bought the Jib True five years ago for about $40 and so far they've survived a dog, getting dropped in the toilet, and multiple drops onto a hard surface. I haven't noticed any battery degradation. The audio quality is kinda mid (I used them in a factory at my previous job) and I can't speak for the microphone, but they've served me well. My biggest issue has been some oxidation on the charging pins and contacts.

Just audio, or miked?

I found some by klim that have been very durable so far. Something like five years and no issues. Well built, come with their own case. Wired buds. Sound can be a bit muddy for music, but not unbearable. In calls, they're great.

Bluetooth wise, check out tozo. They do respectable buds on a budget. Not the best sound, but acceptable, and their mics pick up decently. Battery life is decent.

Back to wired, if you can find a sale, the tin t2 model is damn good sound for the price range. You usually have to be patient to get the 50 price point, or go used. But they really do sound great on a phone with a decent DAC. But that's sound only, no mic.

Do you want wired or wireless? If wireless check out the Moondrop space travel, if wired then Moondrop Aria, linsoul tin t2, there's plenty of chifi options that'll outperform any name brand stuff.

Are you after wireless or wired earbuds? And what kind of music do you generally listen to?

I'm thinking about getting BaseUS Bowie earbuds. Seems like a lot of bang for the buck. At least on paper.

See if you can find a friend who owns a particular model and is comfortable letting you try it on. How it fits is the most important thing IMO.

Samsung ones seem reliable, but one big downside is that the app (Galaxy Wearable), has a number of required permissions. The app does not function without them, even if you don't need those features. I'm not sure what the workarounds are, and maybe you can make do without the app, but here is the list:

• Calendar
• Call logs
• Contacts
• Nearby Devices
• Phone
• SMS

You can read more about the privacy aspect of the popular brands here:

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/privacynotincluded/categories/headphones/

I have JBL vibe ear buds and they are working fine so far.

Check out RTINGS.com, they're the most data-driven testing site I know of. They have their own frequency response curves they test audio fidelity with.

Jabra elite 3 or 4. They are solid IMO.

Recommendations*

Beats fit pro are good but pricy. You can always buy second hand/refurbished from eBay.

Love my samsung buds 2. Got them for 45 on ebay I believe and even have some ANC

I love my buds pro but they came with me phone. Id probable go for the monies if I have to replace them

Check out woot https://www.woot.com/category/headphones?ref=mwj_scr_cat_electronics

Edit: not sure why the above link doesn't seem to work but you can go here then filter by headphones https://www.woot.com/category/electronics?ref=mwj_scr_cat_electronics