Under a Thousand: The best budget Bluetooth buds. Period!

As the 3.5mm audio jack makes its way out of our tech lives, most of us are increasingly turning to Bluetooth options for our audio needs. However, one generally has to pay a significant amount to get a pair of Bluetooth earphones that deliver good quality audio. Which is why the Sennheiser CX 120BT are an almost unbelievable deal at their current price of Rs 999. In fact, we would say that if audio quality is what you seek, then these are easily the best Bluetooth earbuds you can get on a tight budget.
Sennheiser had launched the CX 120BT in 2020 in an attempt to provide an affordable wireless option to those seeking good audio, but the earbuds were considered overpriced at their launch price of Rs 3,499. And with good reason. At that price, you could get earphones with comparable sound and features.

However, at Rs 999, which is what the CX 120BT are currently available at on many outlets (including Amazon and Croma), these earphones are in a zone of their own.
Fantastic sound even for twice the price
That is because the Sennheiser CX 120BT punch well above their price in terms of sheer audio quality. They are very comfortable to wear and unlike most budget earphones, these do not come with a heavy bass accent. What you get is amazing clarity, great vocals in best Sennheiser tradition, decent but not overwhelming bass, and even a hint of good treble (for sharp sounds like cymbals, the flute and some stringed instruments), something which is literally and audibly non-exent at this price point.
These are earphones that are great for lening to just about any genre of music and for watching films or even simply following your favorite podcast. There is no dortion even at high volume, and the volume can go quite high on them. They come with support for aptX and aptX Low Latency. We are again going to stress this – in terms of audio quality, there is nothing even close to them at this price point. In fact, we would say that they sound significantly better than buds that cost more than twice as much, including the likes of the Oppo Enco M32 and the OnePlus Bullets Z2. Only those who want booming bass can consider giving them a miss.
Smart design
They are smartly designed too. They comprise two buds attached a wire, and are very lightweight at around 75 grams. The build is totally plastic, but it feels sturdy enough. The buds are tiny and have very subtle Sennheiser branding on shiny backs. Our variant had red bands on each earbud to give them a dinct look. You will have to peer very closely at them to figure out which one is for the right ear and which for the left, as the ‘R’ and ‘L’ are in very small print. There is a capsule-shaped unit on the wire below the right bud with volume controls and a micro USB charging port, while a similar unit (the battery) is below the left earbud as well.

The wire connecting the two buds comes with an attachment to adjust its length. These are smart enough to be worn around the neck in formal as well as informal surroundings. Unfortunately, you cannot use them in a gym or anywhere in the vicinity of water or sweat as they do not come with any IP rating and are not sweat resant. You get two extra pairs of eartips in the box, and a micro-USB cable.
An unbeatable deal at that price
Call quality is good as well, and definitely streets ahead of anything else at the price (where calling is generally a pain point). There is no environmental noise cancellation so we would advise against using them in noisy conditions. But their light weight and snug fit (just choose the right tips for yourself) makes them very good for extended lening sessions and they pair very smoothly with anything from a Windows PC to a mobile phone.
The only real drawback in the Sennheiser CX 120BT is the battery life. At around six to seven hours on a single charge, these are well short of what many newer earphones offer. The micro USB port also seems a little old-fashioned. Some might even quibble at the fact that these support Bluetooth 4.1, in the era of Bluetooth 5.0 and above.
Any complaints that one may have, however, are overruled that price of Rs 999. At that price, the Sennheiser CX 120BT are unbelievably good value for money, especially for those who value audio quality. As we said earlier, simply the best Bluetooth earbuds for those on a tight budget.
You can get the Sennhesier CX 120BT at Rs 999 from Amazon and from Croma.