As belts tighten and tech keeps climbing in price, a quiet shift is happening in our ears and on our commutes.
Across the country, families are weighing whether a £19.99 pair of earbuds from The Range can stand in for premium brands for school runs, work calls and weekend playlists. The proposition is simple: keep the comfort, style and sound you need, and lose the triple‑digit price tag.
Why a £19.99 pair is causing a stir
The Range has put an unusual twist on budget buds: a touch-enabled case that lets you manage playback and calls without fishing out your phone. That small change matters when your hands are full of bags, buggies or breakfast bowls. Add a compact black case and a lightweight fit, and you get a package aimed squarely at everyday life.
The headline here is convenience at a price most households can stomach, with controls on the case and clear, reliable sound for under £20.
Crucially, the audio doesn’t collapse under pressure. For speech-heavy content like podcasts and audiobooks, clarity is the make-or-break factor. These buds keep spoken word crisp and music clean at typical listening volumes. Users also report steady connections rather than the stutters you often hear from bargain-bin sets.
Comfort and fit you can wear all day
Fit drives everything. The Range’s buds are light and shaped to sit comfortably without constant readjustment. That helps during a packed bus ride or a long list of chores at home. Because they’re wireless, there’s no cable to snag on a coat zip or a rucksack strap. The case slips into a trouser pocket or a handbag slip, so it doesn’t become yet another thing to juggle.
If you’ve wrestled with wired knots in a hurry, pocketable and tangle-free becomes more than a nicety — it’s a sanity saver.
Controls that actually simplify your day
The touch screen case is the standout feature. A quick tap can pause a track, skip forward or accept a call. That means fewer moments holding a phone at arm’s length in the rain, and fewer fumbles at the school gate. It also lowers the risk of dropping an expensive handset on the pavement while trying to hit a tiny on-screen button.
Sound and calls: what you can expect
At this price, the target isn’t studio-grade detail; it’s solid, dependable everyday audio. These buds deliver a clear midrange for voices, enough bass to keep playlists lively, and a top end that avoids harshness. For calls, the microphones pick up speech cleanly indoors. In wind or heavy traffic, you’ll need to face away from the gusts or duck into shelter, as with most budget pairs.
Who these earbuds suit best
- Parents and carers who need quick controls while carrying shopping or shepherding kids.
- Students and commuters seeking a low‑risk daily pair for buses, trains and library sessions.
- Anyone who wants a backup set for the gym bag, the office drawer or travel.
- Listeners focused on podcasts, audiobooks and playlists rather than critical hi‑fi sessions.
Where they sit in the market
| Price band | Typical use | Common compromises | Who should buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under £25 | Everyday listening, calls, spare pair | Basic codecs, limited noise isolation, fewer extras | Budget-conscious users, families, first-time buyers |
| £50–£100 | Frequent commuting, gym, casual music | Mixed ANC quality, variable mic performance | Regular listeners wanting added polish |
| £129+ | Feature-rich listening, strong ecosystem | Higher replacement cost, ecosystem lock‑in | Brand-loyal users, frequent flyer types |
Money talk: the real-world maths
Consider this. Lose a premium pair once and you’re out roughly £129–£249. Lose a £19.99 set and you’ve spent less than a family takeaway. For households where earbuds go walking in coat pockets or school bags, the lower risk matters. You can even keep a second pair charged for visitors or for the child who “borrows” yours before a long coach trip.
There’s also an opportunity cost. If your earbuds are mainly for school runs, quick calls and kitchen playlists, the extra £100+ often buys features you won’t use daily. A budget pair that does the basics well frees up cash for bills or school kit.
Trade-offs to consider
What you might miss
- Active noise cancellation: handy on planes and tubes, usually absent at this price.
- Premium codecs: audiophiles may want higher-bitrate support and wider soundstage.
- Advanced microphones: windy pavements will still challenge most budget mics.
- Ecosystem tricks: seamless device switching and spatial modes tend to live higher up the range.
None of these are deal-breakers if your day is mostly calls, podcasts and playlists at moderate volume. They only bite if you fly often, mix music or insist on top-tier bells and whistles.
Practical tips before you buy
Check the small print in store
- Battery claims: look for stated hours per charge and total case recharges.
- Water resistance: an IP rating helps with sweat and light rain.
- Controls: confirm you can pause, skip and answer calls from the case or buds.
- Fit options: extra ear tips increase comfort and seal, especially for small ears.
- Warranty and returns: useful for devices that travel in pockets and school bags.
Real-life scenarios where they shine
On the school run, you can pause a podcast at the zebra crossing with a quick tap on the case. In the kitchen, you can jump back 15 seconds on a recipe video without touching a flour-dusted phone. On a crowded bus, you can accept a work call and keep your handset zipped away. Those are daily frictions reduced to seconds, and that’s where these buds earn their keep.
Care that extends lifespan
Keep a small zip pouch in your bag so the case doesn’t rattle against keys. Wipe the tips with a dry cloth weekly to avoid muffled sound. Charge the case little and often rather than leaving it flat for days. These tiny habits stave off the grumbles people often blame on “cheap tech”.
Who should hold out for more
If you rely on heavy noise cancelling on the Victoria line, or you edit audio and need precise imaging, you’ll want mid-range or premium options. If you live inside a tight brand ecosystem and love one-tap device switching, stick with it. And if you spend hours a day in calls on windy streets, a model with a multi-mic array is worth the extra.
A smart step for everyday listeners
The Range’s £19.99 touch screen earbuds demonstrate how far basic audio has come. Comfort and stability meet a genuinely handy control case, and the sound meets the needs of daily life. For many households, that balance beats paying triple digits for features that rarely leave the box.
If you’re unsure, run a simple test: write down your top three uses for earbuds this week. If they read “school run podcasts, hands-free calls, kitchen playlists”, a budget pair like this is built for you. If they read “long-haul flights, high-fidelity albums, studio work”, save for something higher up. Matching the tool to the task is the trick, and at £19.99, the calculation has rarely been kinder to your wallet.
The touch case idea is genius for busy hands. If the mids stay clear for podcasts and there’s no BT stutter, I could ditch my old wired set. Anyone tried mic quality in gusty wind?
£19.99 buds replacing £129 AirPods? Sounds optimistic. My worry is longevity—battery fade after a few months, hinge wear on the case, and flaky pairing. Cheap now can be costly if you rebuy twice.