Skullcandy Smokin' Buds S2TAW-R740

The ANC ranks in the 97th percentile, which is bonkers for a pair this cheap. But user sentiment sits at the 16th percentile, with multiple owners reporting the right earbud fails within the warranty period. At USD 15 it's a risky bargain, at USD 29 it's a hard pass.

The ANC is the headline here. 97th percentile in our database means this thing punches way above its price class for noise cancellation. It's adaptive ANC too, which you rarely see at this price. The 6mm dynamic driver handles 20Hz to 20kHz with SBC and AAC codecs, and sound quality lands at the 74th percentile. That's solid, not spectacular. Skullcandy's Supreme Sound tuning gives you preset EQ modes for bass, podcast, and music, which owners seem to genuinely like.

Battery life is respectable at 8 hours per charge, 71st percentile. The quick charge is a nice touch, 10 minutes gets you 2 hours. Connectivity sits at 78th percentile with Bluetooth 5.2, and pairing with multiple devices is reportedly painless. The mic is the weak spot at 56th percentile, which drags down the calls score to 44.8 out of 100. If you take a lot of calls, this isn't your pair.

Against the Soundcore P31i, the Smokin' Buds win on ANC performance but lose on overall reliability perception. The JLab JBuds Pods ANC are a closer match on features, but JLab's track record for budget durability is stronger. The TOZO Crystal Pods undercut on price but don't offer adaptive ANC. The Anker Space A40 is the real threat here. It costs more but delivers better sound, better mics, and far better user sentiment. If you can stretch your budget, the A40 is the safer bet. The Sony WI-C100 is a neckband style, so it's a different form factor entirely, but it beats the Smokin' Buds on call quality and consistency.

At USD 15 to USD 29, the value proposition is tricky. The cheapest listing at USD 15 is a steal if you get a good unit. The USD 29 listing is harder to justify when the reliability concerns are factored in. The CAD 30 listing in Canada is roughly in line with the US pricing. For the feature set, adaptive ANC, IP55, 28 total hours of battery, this should be a no-brainer budget pick. But the 16th percentile user sentiment tells a different story. You're rolling the dice on whether the right earbud holds up past the warranty period.

The Skullcandy Smokin' Buds land in a weird spot. On paper, the ANC ranks in the 97th percentile of our database, which is wild for a budget pair. Build quality sits at the 91st percentile, and social proof is strong at the 90th. But user sentiment? 16th percentile. That's a massive gap between what the spec sheet promises and what owners actually experience.

You get a 6mm dynamic driver, Bluetooth 5.2, 8 hours of earbud battery with 20 more in the case, and an IP55 rating. The price floats between USD 15 and USD 29 depending on where you look. For the money, the feature list is genuinely impressive. But the reliability complaints are hard to ignore, and that's where this review gets interesting.

Skip these if you take a lot of phone calls. The mic sits at the 56th percentile and calls score just 44.8 out of 100, which is rough. Also skip if you need something that lasts. The 16th percentile user sentiment isn't just a fluke, multiple owners report the right earbud failing within a year. If reliability matters more than ANC performance, the Anker Space A40 or even the JLab JBuds Pods ANC are safer choices.

The Smokin' Buds are a gamble. The ANC performance is genuinely impressive for the price, and the build quality feels better than expected. But when user sentiment sits at the 16th percentile and multiple owners report the right earbud dying within a year, the math gets uncomfortable. At USD 15, it's a calculated risk. At USD 29, it's a pass. If you need reliable daily drivers, look elsewhere. If you want a cheap pair with shockingly good ANC and you're okay with the risk, grab them at the lowest price you can find.