As much as we love our true wireless earbuds or over-the-ear headphones, a decent pair often come with a lofty price tag. Sometimes we just want something that’s a little more “no frills”. That is to say we don’t want to spend much money for them and we don’t care if they have a ton of options or goodies.
For those of you who looking for an affordable pair of earbuds that work well for studying, phone calls, commutes, and working out, consider the Smile Jamaica Wireless 2. As one of the newest members of the House of Marley family, they’re just $30 and they come with a surprising number of features.
Available in five color options, these Bluetooth earphones offer up to nine hours of battery life per charge and have an IPX4 rating against water and sweat.
Like other models in the House of Marley portfolio, these are constructed from sustainable materials and come with 100% recyclable packaging.
We were provided a sample pair, the “Copper” color which reminds us more of a rose gold, if not muted pink. Other colors include Denim, Black, Smile Jamaica Green, and Rasta (red, green, and black).
Our team found the Smile Jamaica Wireless 2 to be a case of “big things in a small package”. Specifically, they sounded better than expected and ticked a few of the boxes we find important in 2020.
Charging, for instance, is pretty fast, thanks to the USB Type-C port. While it takes around 2.5 hours to get a full charge, a quick charge (15 minutes) is good enough to add two hours playtime. Heading to the park for a walk or jog? Plug them in on the way over and they’ll have more than enough battery.
The cable that connects the two earphones is braided and won’t be tangling anytime soon. That means you won’t be fussing with them when you take them out of the bag. We know how you like to toss things in there when done using them. In a related note, there’s a plastic cinch that can tighten the cord so it doesn’t dangle and flop around.
Audio was crisp and rich, even on phone calls. The sound was a little heavier than we expected, too, with a solid bass. On the other hand, you don’t have any sort of noise cancellation or audio codecs; that would be too much to ask for with a $30 pair of earphones.
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Conclusion
We’re a fan of the House of Marley brand as it seems to represent the various price points with quality products. These may skew toward the low end of the spectrum but we don’t feel like there’s anything missing for the price. They’re as good as we’d expect for the money, if not better.
Learn more about the Smile Jamaica Wireless 2 earphones at the House of Marley website where they are available to purchase for $30. You can also find them at Amazon for about the same price.