Apple EarPods (3.5mm) | $10 | Amazon
Apple EarPods (Lightning) | $17 | Amazon
Once upon a time, I’d chuck a pair of in-box earbuds so fast and hard you’d mistake it for a bola. But the Apple EarPods that ship with iPhone purchases are actually pretty good for a basic stringed pair of earbuds. Not for $30, perhaps, but with a massive discount bringing the 3.5mm set down to $10, we had to double check to make sure they weren’t knockoffs. If you’re on a newer iPhone, you’ll want the version with a Lightning connector, which isn’t quite as cheap, but still boasts its own decent cut down to $17.
Funny story: my sister actually can’t use anything other than AirPods. Her ear shape simply doesn’t conform to anything else we consider “normal” in this universe (the definition of which seems to mutate by the day). If you’re in her boat and you don’t feel like shelling out on AirPods, this is the ticket.