Technologies
Best Budget Earbuds for 2025: Cheap Wireless Picks
Cheap wireless earbuds have come a long way. These true wireless earbuds, tested by CNET’s audio expert, are the best budget earbuds 2025 has to offer.
What to consider
Budget
Determine how much you’re willing to spend on wireless earbuds and how that lines up with quality and functionality.
Fit
Your earbuds should offer a comfortable, secure fit. The seal will determine how noise-isolating they are, so keep an eye out for how tight of a seal they provide.
Return Policy
In case the earbuds aren’t a great fit for your ears, it’s important that the retailer offers a good return policy.
Durability
You want earbuds that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality. This is especially important for budget earbuds, which are more susceptible to damage because of their cheaper design.
Performance
You want the best-sounding earbuds with the best sound modes, call quality and features for whatever you’re able to spend.
Affordable true-wireless earbuds have significantly improved in recent years, with better sound, more features and performance that often exceeds expectations. I’ve tested all the budget earbuds on this list, including those that cost less than $100. If you’re looking for a wider selection of top earbuds, check out CNET’s list of best wireless earbuds of 2025, which I update regularly with the latest top earbuds. And if you’re willing to spend more, we also have a list of best-sounding earbuds.
What are the best budget earbuds overall?
With so many decent budget earbuds available, it’s hard to declare one model the best overall. That said, one has to sit at the top of this list, and that currently is the Soundcore by Anker P40i. Beats’ no-frills Solo Buds, QCY’s MeloBuds Pro and the Baseus MC1 clip-on buds are recent additions.
Best budget wireless earbuds for 2025
Best budget wireless earbuds overall
Pros
- Comfortable fit
- Decent sound quality and noise-canceling
- Solid voice-calling performance
- Good battery life
- Case converts into a stand for your phone
Cons
- Slightly bass-heavy sound may not appeal to everyone
Anker makes so many value earbuds it’s hard to keep track of all of them. Released in early 2024, its Soundcore P40i buds are arguably the company’s best budget earbuds, with a comfortable fit (they come with six sizes of ear tips) and very solid performance for around $50. Not only do they have decent active noise canceling as well as a transparency mode, but they offer multipoint Bluetooth connectivity and respectable voice-calling capabilities. As far as sound goes, they’re billed as «bass heavy» earbuds, and indeed, they deliver pretty powerful bass, though it’s not boomy or muddy and there is ample detail. They just lean a little warm You can tweak the sound a bit in the sound profile, but I mainly stuck to the earbuds’ «signature sound,» which I thought worked well with a wide variety of music genres. Worth noting: They have a pretty wide sound stage and low-latency modes for movie watching and gaming.
As a bonus feature, the earbuds’ charging case converts into a stand for your smartphone when watching video. That’s a feature more earbuds cases should have. Equipped with wireless and USB-C charging, battery life is rated for up to 12 hours at moderate volume levels, but the number dips to more like 8 hours with noise canceling on. The buds are IPX5 splash-resistant (they can survive a sustained spray of water).
Best budget earbuds from Apple
Pros
- Affordable
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Very compact case
- Good sound and voice-calling performance
- Strong battery life
Cons
- Few features
- No battery or LED charging indicator in charging case
Available in four color options, the Solo Buds are missing some key features found in more premium buds, including a battery in their very compact charging case, ear-detection sensors and active noise canceling. But they get the fundamentals right. They’re lightweight and not only offer decent sound quality and strong battery life but very good voice-calling performance that rivals what you get with the company’s more expensive Studio Buds Plus.
Best budget noise-canceling earbuds
Pros
- Relatively inexpensive
- Very good sound and overall performance for their price
- Decent noise canceling
- Support for AAC, AptX and LDAC audio codecs
Cons
- Touch controls and voice-calling performance could be slightly better
Earfun is one of our go-to brands for value earbuds. Its Air Pro 4 buds aren’t a major upgrade over the earlier Air Pro 3s, but they do have a few enhancements that make them slightly better earbuds. (Note: Please clip the on-page coupon to receive the full 20% off at checkout.)
Earfun has moved from Qualcomm’s QCC3071 to the newer QCC3091 that supports aptX Lossless Audio for a select few Android devices. The buds also support Sony’s LDAC audio codec, which is available with more Android smartphones, and the AAC and SBC codecs.
Like their predecessor, the Air 4 Pro are lightweight and comfortable to wear — I got a good seal with the largest ear tip size — and they feature slightly improved noise canceling and sound quality along with better battery life (up to 11 hours with noise canceling off and 7.5 hours with it on, according to Earfun). While the default sound leans slightly warm with a touch of bass push, you can tweak the sound in Earfun’s companion app for iOS and Android, and I did think the sound measures up well to earbuds that cost twice as much.
As I said, these aren’t a big upgrade over the Earfun Air 3 Pro, but once again Earfun has delivered a set of earbuds that deliver strong performance for their modest price. They also pack in a lot of features, including a wireless charging case and multipoint Bluetooth pairing (they’re equipped with Bluetooth 4 and LE Audio). I do think the voice-calling performance is slightly improved, but the background noise reduction during calls isn’t as good as what you get with higher-end earbuds like Apple’s AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2, as well as Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. I also thought their touch controls could work a little better than they do.
Solid noise-canceling earbuds for less than $50
Pros
- Affordable
- Lightweight and comfortable
- Good sound for the price
- Ear-detection sensors and support for LDAC audio codec
Cons
- Generic look and feel
- Touch controls are a little finicky
Like Earfun, QCY makes a variety of budget earbuds and headphones that deliver good bang for your buck. The MeloBuds Pro looks a little generic, but they’re lightweight, comfortable, and sound suitable for what they cost, offering decent clarity and well-balanced audio (you can tweak their sound profile with the EQ settings in the QCY companion app). Also, their noise-canceling and voice-calling performance is better than average for sub-$50 earbuds. And finally, they have ear-detection sensors, multipoint Bluetooth pairing, a low-latency gaming mode and support for Sony’s high-quality LDAC audio codec (many Android devices support LDAC).
Battery life is rated at up to 7.5 hours at moderate volumes with noise canceling on, though it dips to around 4.5 hours if you’re using the LDAC codec for streaming over Bluetooth. Sweat-resistant and splash-proof with an IPX5 rating, the QCY MeloBuds Pro may not do anything exceptionally well — and I found their touch controls a bit finicky — but they’re overall a good value, especially when they go on sale for closer to $40.
Best budget noise-canceling earbuds from Anker
Pros
- More affordable and better than Liberty 4 buds
- Comfortable fit with upgraded sound and noise canceling
- Robust feature set and solid call quality
Cons
- Noise-canceling could be a little better
Released in 2024, the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 NC earbuds carry a lower list price than 2022’s Liberty 4 buds and are arguably better. They have improved noise canceling and better sound quality, along with support for the LDAC audio codec for devices that support it. (Many Android smartphones do, and in theory, it offers slightly improved sound quality when paired with a music streaming service that offers high-res tracks.) They’re lightweight buds that should fit most ears comfortably with four sizes of ear tips to choose from.
The Liberty 4 NC buds have single custom drivers compared to the Liberty 4’s dynamic dual drivers — and a completely different case design — but I thought they delivered a more pleasant sound than the Liberty 4s. Their treble is a little smoother and they feature strong bass performance. They came across as fairly open, with a reasonably wide soundstage. You can tweak the sound profile in the companion app for iOS and Android.
The buds come in several color options and are IPX4 splash-proof, so they’re suitable for running and gym use. They feature excellent battery life — up to 10 hours on a single charge at moderate volume levels — and there’s also a transparency mode that lets ambient sound in and sounds pretty natural with only a very faint audible hiss. While the noise canceling is an improvement over the Liberty 4’s and is effective, it falls a bit short of what you get from Bose’s and Sony’s premium ANC earbuds.
Like the Liberty 4, the earbuds have six integrated mics for noise canceling and making calls, and callers said they thought the buds did a pretty good job of reducing background noise, with my voice coming through relatively clearly. They’re an all-around good-performing set of buds for the money, and they offer a strong feature set, including ear-detection sensors and wireless charging.
Best budget open earbuds
Pros
- Surprisingly good sound for inexpensive open earbuds
- Decent call quality
- Support Sony’s LDAC audio codec for Android devices
Cons
- The charging cases of lighter-colored versions show some grime
- Open design allows sound to leak in and out
What makes these Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS buds special is that they sound surprisingly good for open earbuds — they’re pretty close to what you get from Apple’s AirPods 3 for sound. On top of that, they support Sony’s LDAC audio codec for devices that offer it. Not too many cheap open earbuds have good sound but these Soundpeats have good bass response and clarity. They’re also good for making calls and have a low-latency gaming mode. Battery life is rated at five hours at moderate volume levels, and these are IPX4 splash-proof.
These are listed for $60 but are currently on sale with a 25% on-page coupon, that’ll bring your total down to around $35. This is a very good deal if you’re looking for open-style earbuds.
Top budget open earbuds from Amazon
Pros
- Well-designed inexpensive earbuds
- Good sound for open earbuds
- Strong feature set, including hands-free Alexa
Cons
- May not fit everyone’s ears comfortably
- Not a ton of bass
- No ANC (they’re open earbuds)
Amazon’s 2023 Echo Buds impressed me in a few ways that I wasn’t expecting. For starters, they sound good for inexpensive open earbuds, delivering decent clarity and ample bass. But they also have a robust feature set, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, hands-free Alexa and ear-detection sensors that pause your audio when you take one or both buds out of your ears.
Their sound falls short of that of Apple’s AirPods 4, which deliver better bass performance and overall fuller, cleaner sound (they’re better at handling more complicated music tracks with a lot of instruments playing at the same time). But the AirPods 4, even the entry-level model ($129), cost significantly more.
In short, if you’re looking for open earbuds — or «semi-open» as these types of earbuds are sometimes called — the Echo Buds are good value at their $50 list price and even easier to recommend when they go on sale for $30.
Affordable clip-on earbuds
Pros
- Affordable
- Comfortable, secure fit
- Decent sound
- Good battery life
Cons
- Somewhat generic design
- Distort a little at higher volumes
Baseus is known for its value earbuds, power banks and charging products. While its Bowie MC1 aren’t in the same league as Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds, they cost around a sixth of the price and sound pretty decent for this style of of clip-on earbuds, particularly with less demanding tracks that don’t feature heavy bass and a lot of instruments playing at the same time. On Amazon, you’ll find clip-on buds with a similar design, including the Tozo OpenEarRing ($30) and Amazfit Up ($50), so they’re a little generic. But I found the sound quality to be slightly better many competing clip-on value buds. I also liked that they have a single physical control button on each bud for controlling playback and adjusting volume levels.
Battery life is rated for up to 9 hours at moderate volume levels, which is good, but expect to get les than that because you do tend to have to listen to open earbuds at higher volumes, especially in noisier environments. With an IP57 certification, the buds are splash-proof and dust-proof, making them suitable for runners and bikers. Voice-calling capabilities are also decent though don’t expect business-class performance.
Best budget earbuds with ear hooks
Pros
- Upgraded design from X10
- Secure, comfortable fit
- Slightly better sound and noise canceling
- Improved battery life
- Fully waterproof and dust-proof
Cons
- Lack a bit of clarity
- Sound is degraded if you don’t get a tight seal
The Soundcore Sport X20 has some nice upgrades over Anker’s original Soundcore X10 earbuds. They include an improved design, adaptive noise canceling, superior battery life, slightly better sound and multipoint Bluetooth pairing. Like the previous model, these have an interesting design with rotating swiveling ear hooks. However, they don’t swivel as much as the X10’s ear hooks, which is a good thing (they stayed on my ears very securely). I also liked that the charging case has a smaller footprint than a lot of buds with ear hooks.
Fully waterproof and dust-proof with an IP68 rating, the X20 have slightly larger drivers than the X10 (11mm instead of 10mm). As long as you get a tight seal from the included ear tips (you get 5 sizes), they’re able to deliver good sound with punchy bass and good detail. They lack a bit of clarity, particularly at higher volumes (there was a touch of distortion), and the noise canceling isn’t as good as Sony or Bose’s noise canceling. But the buds are affordable and a good value overall. As for battery life, it’s rated at up to 12 hours with noise canceling off and 7 hours with it on. Voice-calling performance is also decent thought not exceptionally good.
New Anker Open Wireless Earbuds
Pros
- Comfortable, secure fit
- Improved sound with more bass
- Good battery life
- Well-priced
Cons
- A little heavier than Shokz models
Anker’s Soundcore AeroFit 2 open earbuds have been completely redesigned and look quite different from the original AeroFit buds, which also listed for $100. The second-gen Aerfit are not only more comfortable but look sleeker, sound significantly better and offer all-around improvements. The buds aren’t as light as the Shokz OpenFit 2 buds and don’t sound quite as good, but they cost quite a bit less and offer good all-around performance with augmented bass response. Available in multiple colors, they’re a good option for those looking for ear-hook style open earbuds with a fairly premium design and good sound quality without the high price tag of top-end models.
Factors to consider when choosing budget wireless earbuds
Budget
Before anything else, you’ll want to figure out just how «budget» your budget wireless earbuds should be. Value priced earbuds continue to improve, so you can find good «cheap» buds for not too much money, like many on this list. But if you’re looking for more premium budget earbuds from Sony, Apple and Bose, be prepared to upwards of $60.
Fit
It’s key that the earbuds you buy fit your ears well. They should offer a comfortable, secure fit. If you don’t get a tight seal with noise-isolating earbuds, sound quality and noise canceling can be dramatically impacted for the worse. Open earbuds don’t have that issue, but they should be comfortable to wear and sit securely in your ears.
Durability
You want earbuds that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality. This is especially important with budget earbuds, which are more susceptible to damage because of their design.
Performance
You want the best-sounding earbuds with the best sound modes, call quality and features for whatever you’re able to spend.
Return Policy
It’s critical to buy your budget earbuds at a retailer that has a good return policy, in case you have buyer’s remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days and then return one.
How we test budget true-wireless earbuds
We test budget true-wireless earbuds based on five key criteria, comparing similarly styled and priced models. These criteria are design, sound quality, features, voice-calling performance and value.
Design
We assess not only how comfortable the earbuds fit (ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. We also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings, which are especially important for budget earbuds and headphones you may take to the gym.
Sound quality
Even budget earbuds can still deliver great sounding audio. We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing the earbuds to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment. Some of my test tracks include Spoon’s Knock Knock Knock, Athletes of God’s Don’t Wanna Be Normal, The Doors Touch Me — Take 3, Orbital’s Dirty Rat, Taylor Swift’s Vigilante Shit, Jvke’s Golden Hour and Drake’s Passionfruit.
Features
Many budget earbuds aren’t loaded with features, but we do take into account what extra features are on board. These include everything from noise-canceling and transparency modes (ambient sound mode) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears.
Voice-calling performance
When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls in the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well the earbuds reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear your voice. This is especially important for those who want a cheaper earbud to throw in their work bag. The best wireless earbuds for voice calling pick up your voice clearly while significantly reducing background noise. Onboard microphones, sophisticated noise-reduction algorithms and voice accelerometers that detect when you’re speaking all factor into call quality. Plus, a sidetone feature allows you to hear your own voice when chatting with noise-isolating buds, helping you avoid talking too loudly. If you’re looking for a broader selection of headphones that fit this bill, check out our roundup of the best earbuds for making phone calls.
Value
We determine value after evaluating the strength of the earbuds against all these criteria and what the buds are able to deliver compared to other models in their price class. Because many of these models fall into a similar price range, we break the price classes further to ensure they’re matched appropriately. Great sounding, feature-packed headphones that offer a great bang for your buck earn top marks in this category.
Other budget wireless earbuds we’ve tested
Jabra Elite 4: The lightweight Elite 4 fit my ears comfortably and offered good, well-balanced sound with punchy bass and decent clarity. They support Qualcomm’s AptX audio codec (for Android and other devices that support AptX) but only the SBC codec for iPhones (no AAC support). The Elite 4 is missing more premium features like ear detection sensors and has a four-microphone array for noise canceling and voice calls (voice-calling performance is good but not exceptionally good). What’s a little confusing is that Jabra also sells the Elite 4 Active, a slightly more ruggedized version of the same buds that carries a list price of $120 but sometimes sells for less than the standard Elite 4. So get the Elite 4 Active if it costs less.
JBL Live Pro 2: Over the years, JBL has put out some decent true-wireless earbuds, but nothing that really got me too excited. That’s finally changed with the arrival of the Samsung-owned brand’s new Live Pro 2 and Live Free 2 buds. Both sets of buds — the Live Pro 2 have stems while the Live Free 2 have a pill-shaped design — offer a comfortable fit along with strong noise canceling, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance, plus a robust set of features, including multipoint Bluetooth pairing, an IPX5 splash-proof rating and wireless charging.
JBL Live Free 2: Like the Live Pro 2, JBL’s new Live Free 2 buds are surprisingly good. With 11mm drivers, six microphones, oval tubes and oval silicon tips, they combine a comfortable fit along with strong noise canceling, very good sound quality and voice-calling performance. Features include multipoint Bluetooth pairing and wireless charging, and they’re rated for up to seven hours with IPX5 water-resistance (splash-proof).
Beats Studio Buds: The Beats Studio Buds look a lot like the rumored stemless AirPods some people have been waiting for. Geared toward both iOS and Android users, they are missing a few key features on the Apple side of things (there’s no H1 or W1 chip), but they’re small, lightweight buds that are comfortable to wear and offer really good sound. While their noise canceling isn’t as good as the AirPods Pro’s, they do have a transparency mode and they’re decent for making calls. Read our Beats Studio Buds review.
Sennheiser CX: If you can’t afford Sennheiser’s flagship Momentum True Wireless 4 earbuds, the CX are a good alternative. They feature very good sound, plus decent noise canceling and voice-calling performance. The only issue is they stick out of your ears a bit and may not fit some smaller ears. This model, which often sells for less than $100 on Amazon, doesn’t feature active noise canceling but the step-up CX Plus does (the CX Plus is also a good value, particularly when it goes on sale). Learn more about the budget earbuds in my full Sennheiser CX true wireless earbuds review.
Budget wireless earbuds FAQs
Technologies
The Future’s Here: Testing Out Gemini’s Live Camera Mode
Gemini Live’s new camera mode feels like the future when it works. I put it through a stress test with my offbeat collectibles.

«I just spotted your scissors on the table, right next to the green package of pistachios. Do you see them?»
Gemini Live’s chatty new camera feature was right. My scissors were exactly where it said they were, and all I did was pass my camera in front of them at some point during a 15-minute live session of me giving the AI chatbot a tour of my apartment. Google’s been rolling out the new camera mode to all Android phones using the Gemini app for free after a two-week exclusive to Pixel 9 (including the new Pixel 9A) and Galaxy S5 smartphones. So, what exactly is this camera mode and how does it work?
When you start a live session with Gemini, you now how have the option to enable a live camera view, where you can talk to the chatbot and ask it about anything the camera sees. Not only can it identify objects, but you can also ask questions about them — and it works pretty well for the most part. In addition, you can share your screen with Gemini so it can identify things you surface on your phone’s display.
When the new camera feature popped up on my phone, I didn’t hesitate to try it out. In one of my longer tests, I turned it on and started walking through my apartment, asking Gemini what it saw. It identified some fruit, ChapStick and a few other everyday items with no problem. I was wowed when it found my scissors.
That’s because I hadn’t mentioned the scissors at all. Gemini had silently identified them somewhere along the way and then recalled the location with precision. It felt so much like the future, I had to do further testing.
My experiment with Gemini Live’s camera feature was following the lead of the demo that Google did last summer when it first showed off these live video AI capabilities. Gemini reminded the person giving the demo where they’d left their glasses, and it seemed too good to be true. But as I discovered, it was very true indeed.
Gemini Live will recognize a whole lot more than household odds and ends. Google says it’ll help you navigate a crowded train station or figure out the filling of a pastry. It can give you deeper information about artwork, like where an object originated and whether it was a limited edition piece.
It’s more than just a souped-up Google Lens. You talk with it, and it talks to you. I didn’t need to speak to Gemini in any particular way — it was as casual as any conversation. Way better than talking with the old Google Assistant that the company is quickly phasing out.
Google also released a new YouTube video for the April 2025 Pixel Drop showcasing the feature, and there’s now a dedicated page on the Google Store for it.
To get started, you can go live with Gemini, enable the camera and start talking. That’s it.
Gemini Live follows on from Google’s Project Astra, first revealed last year as possibly the company’s biggest «we’re in the future» feature, an experimental next step for generative AI capabilities, beyond your simply typing or even speaking prompts into a chatbot like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. It comes as AI companies continue to dramatically increase the skills of AI tools, from video generation to raw processing power. Similar to Gemini Live, there’s Apple’s Visual Intelligence, which the iPhone maker released in a beta form late last year.
My big takeaway is that a feature like Gemini Live has the potential to change how we interact with the world around us, melding our digital and physical worlds together just by holding your camera in front of almost anything.
I put Gemini Live to a real test
The first time I tried it, Gemini was shockingly accurate when I placed a very specific gaming collectible of a stuffed rabbit in my camera’s view. The second time, I showed it to a friend in an art gallery. It identified the tortoise on a cross (don’t ask me) and immediately identified and translated the kanji right next to the tortoise, giving both of us chills and leaving us more than a little creeped out. In a good way, I think.
I got to thinking about how I could stress-test the feature. I tried to screen-record it in action, but it consistently fell apart at that task. And what if I went off the beaten path with it? I’m a huge fan of the horror genre — movies, TV shows, video games — and have countless collectibles, trinkets and what have you. How well would it do with more obscure stuff — like my horror-themed collectibles?
First, let me say that Gemini can be both absolutely incredible and ridiculously frustrating in the same round of questions. I had roughly 11 objects that I was asking Gemini to identify, and it would sometimes get worse the longer the live session ran, so I had to limit sessions to only one or two objects. My guess is that Gemini attempted to use contextual information from previously identified objects to guess new objects put in front of it, which sort of makes sense, but ultimately, neither I nor it benefited from this.
Sometimes, Gemini was just on point, easily landing the correct answers with no fuss or confusion, but this tended to happen with more recent or popular objects. For example, I was surprised when it immediately guessed one of my test objects was not only from Destiny 2, but was a limited edition from a seasonal event from last year.
At other times, Gemini would be way off the mark, and I would need to give it more hints to get into the ballpark of the right answer. And sometimes, it seemed as though Gemini was taking context from my previous live sessions to come up with answers, identifying multiple objects as coming from Silent Hill when they were not. I have a display case dedicated to the game series, so I could see why it would want to dip into that territory quickly.
Gemini can get full-on bugged out at times. On more than one occasion, Gemini misidentified one of the items as a made-up character from the unreleased Silent Hill: f game, clearly merging pieces of different titles into something that never was. The other consistent bug I experienced was when Gemini would produce an incorrect answer, and I would correct it and hint closer at the answer — or straight up give it the answer, only to have it repeat the incorrect answer as if it was a new guess. When that happened, I would close the session and start a new one, which wasn’t always helpful.
One trick I found was that some conversations did better than others. If I scrolled through my Gemini conversation list, tapped an old chat that had gotten a specific item correct, and then went live again from that chat, it would be able to identify the items without issue. While that’s not necessarily surprising, it was interesting to see that some conversations worked better than others, even if you used the same language.
Google didn’t respond to my requests for more information on how Gemini Live works.
I wanted Gemini to successfully answer my sometimes highly specific questions, so I provided plenty of hints to get there. The nudges were often helpful, but not always. Below are a series of objects I tried to get Gemini to identify and provide information about.
Technologies
Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for April 26, #1407
Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,407 for April 26. Hint: Fans of a certain musical group will rock out with this puzzle.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Wordle puzzle isn’t too tough. The letters are fairly common, and fans of a certain rock band might get a kick out of the answer. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.
Today’s Wordle hints
Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.
Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats
Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.
Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels
There is one vowel in today’s Wordle answer.
Wordle hint No. 3: Start letter
Today’s Wordle answer begins with the letter C.
Wordle hint No. 4: Rock out
Today’s Wordle answer is the name of a legendary English rock band.
Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning
Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a violent confrontation.
TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER
Today’s Wordle answer is CLASH.
Yesterday’s Wordle answer
Yesterday’s Wordle answer, April 25, No. 1406 was KNOWN.
Recent Wordle answers
April 21, No. 1402: SPATE
April 22, No. 1403: ARTSY
April 23, No. 1404: OZONE.
April 24, No. 1405: GENIE
What’s the best Wordle starting word?
Don’t be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don’t contain Z, J and Q.
Some solid starter words to try:
ADIEU
TRAIN
CLOSE
STARE
NOISE
Technologies
T-Mobile Adds New Top 5G Plans, T-Satellite and New 5-Year Price Locks
The new top unlimited plans, Experience More and Experience Beyond, shave some costs and add data and satellite options.

Just two years after expanding its lineup of cellular plans, T-Mobile this week announced two new plans that replace its Go5G Plus and Go5G Next offerings, refreshed its prepaid Metro line and wrapped them all in a promised five-year pricing guarantee.
To convert more subscribers, the carrier is also offering up to $800 to help customers pay off phone balances when switching from another carrier.
In a briefing with CNET, Jon Friar, president of T-Mobile’s consumer group, explained why the company is revamping and simplifying its array of mobile plans. «The pain point that’s out there over the last couple of years is rising costs all around consumers,» Friar said. «For us to be able to bring more value and even lower prices on [plans like] Experience More versus our former Go5G Plus is a huge win for consumers.»
The new plans went into effect April 23.
With these changes, CNET is already hard at work updating our picks for Best T-Mobile Plans, so check back soon for our recommendations.
More Experiences to define the T-Mobile experience
The top of the new T-Mobile postpaid lineup is two new plans: Experience More and Experience Beyond.
Experience More is the next generation of the Go5G Plus plan, which has unlimited 5G and 4G LTE access and unlimited Premium Data (download speeds up to 418Mbps and upload speeds up to 31Mbps). High-speed hotspot data is bumped up to 60GB from 50GB per month. The monthly price is now $5 lower per line than Go5G Plus.
The Experience More plan also gets free T-Satellite with Starlink service (the new name for T-Mobile’s satellite feature that uses Starlink’s constellation of satellites) through the end of 2025. Although T-Satellite is still officially in beta until July, customers can continue to get free access to the beta starting now. At the start of the new year, the service will cost $10 per month, a $5 drop from T-Mobile’s originally announced pricing. T-Satellite will be open to customers of other carriers for the same pricing beginning in July.
The new top-tier plan, Experience Beyond, also comes in $5 per line cheaper than its predecessor, Go5G Next. It has 250GB of high-speed hotspot data per month, up from 50GB, and more data when you’re traveling outside the US: 30GB in Canada and Mexico (versus 15GB) and 15GB in 215 countries (up from 5GB). T-Satellite service is included in the Experience Beyond plan.
However, one small change to the Experience plans affects that pricing: Taxes and fees, previously included in the Go5G Plus and Go5G Next prices, are now broken out separately. T-Mobile recently announced that one such fee, the Regulatory Programs and Telco Recovery Fee, would increase up to 50 cents per month.
According to T-Mobile, the Experience Beyond rates and features will be «rolling out soon» for customers currently on the Go5G Next plan.
The Essentials plan is staying in the lineup at the same cost of $60 per month for a single line, the same 50GB of Premium Data and unlimited 5G and 4G LTE data. High-speed hotspot data is an optional $10 add-on, as is T-Satellite access, for $15 (both per month).
Also still in the mix is the Essentials Saver plan, an affordable option that has ranked high in CNET’s Best Cellphone Plans recommendations.
Corresponding T-Mobile plans, such as those for military, first responders and people age 55 and older are also getting refreshed with the new lineup.
T-Mobile’s plan shakeup is being driven in part by the current economic climate. Explaining the rationale behind the price reductions and the streamlined number of plans, Mike Katz, president of marketing, innovation and experience at T-Mobile told CNET, «We’re in a weird time right now where prices everywhere are going up and they’ve happened over the last several years. We felt like there was an opportunity to compete with some simplicity, but more importantly, some peace of mind for customers.»
Existing customers who want to switch to one of the new plans can do so at the same rates offered to new customers. Or, if a current plan still works for them, they can continue without changes (although keep in mind that T-Mobile earlier this year increased prices for some legacy plans).
Five years of price stability
It’s nearly impossible to think about prices these days without warily eyeing how tariffs and US economic policy will affect what we pay for things. So it’s not surprising to see carriers implement some cost stability into their plans. For instance, Verizon recently locked prices for three years on their plans.
Now, T-Mobile is building a five-year price guarantee for its T-Mobile and Metro plans. That pricing applies to talk, text and data amounts — not necessarily taxes and other fees that can fluctuate.
Given the uncertain outlook, it seems counterintuitive to lock in a longer rate. When asked about this, Katz said, «We feel like our job is to solve pain points for customers and we feel like this helps with this exact sentiment. It shifts the risk from customers to us. We’ll take the risk so they don’t have to.»
The price hold applies to new customers signing up for the plans as well as current customers switching to one. T-Mobile is offering the same deals and pricing to new and existing subscribers. Also, the five-year deal applies to pricing; it’s not a five-year plan commitment.
More money and options to encourage switchers
The promise of a five-year price guarantee is also intended to lure people from other carriers, particularly AT&T and Verizon. As further incentive, T-Mobile is offering up to $800 per line (distributed via a virtual prepaid Mastercard) to help pay off other carriers’ device contracts. This is a limited-time offer. There are also options to trade in old devices, including locked phones, to get up to four new flagship phones.
Or, if getting out of a contract isn’t an issue, T-Mobile can offer $200 in credit (up to $800 for four lines) to bring an existing number to the network.
Four new Metro prepaid plans
On the prepaid side, T-Mobile is rolling out four new Metro plans, which are also covered by the new five-year price guarantee:
• Metro Starter costs $25 per line per month for a family of four and there is no need to bring an existing number. (The cost is $105 the first month.)
• Metro Starter Plus runs $40 per month for a new phone, unlimited talk, text and 5G data when bringing an existing number. For $65 per month, new customers can get two lines and two new Samsung A15 phones. No autopay is required.
• Metro Flex Unlimited is $30 per line per month with autopay for four lines ($125 the first month) with unlimited talk, text and 5G data.
• Metro Flex Unlimited Plus costs $60 per line per month, then $35 for lines two and three and then lowers the price of the fourth line to $10 per month as more family members are added. Adding a tablet or smartwatch to an existing line costs $5. And streaming video, such as from the included Amazon Prime membership, comes through at HD quality.
See more: If you’re looking for phone plans, you may also be looking for a new cell phone. Here are CNET’s picks.
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