The interesting question with a twenty-eight dollar true wireless earbud isn’t whether it’s good, it’s whether it’s good enough, and the answer here is mostly yes. These are the modern true wireless Smokin’ Buds, not the old neckband version that shared the name, running 6mm drivers over Bluetooth with touch controls. Battery is 20 hours total, 8 in the buds and 12 more from the case, with rapid charging. IPX4 covers sweat and rain. The whole package weighs about 40 grams, either bud works on its own, and voice assistant activation is built in.
Sound is decent for the money, with the closely related Buds XT variant earning praise for solid quality at this price. Set expectations properly though: distortion shows up at higher volumes and the soundstage is fairly compressed, so everything happens in a narrow space rather than opening up. That’s what 6mm drivers at this price do. For podcasts, playlists on a walk, and background listening it’s genuinely fine, and better than most people expect at under thirty dollars. For anything more demanding, it isn’t the product.
Battery is the practical strength, and I charge mine about once a week: 20 hours total means most people charge weekly rather than nightly, and rapid charging covers the days you forget. Touch controls work reliably for playback, volume, and calls, which is not a given at this price. IPX4 handles a workout or a rainy walk. Two honest weak spots. The charging case feels cheap and bulky in a way that’s noticeable every time you use it. And call quality is the biggest single complaint about this family, so these are not the earbuds to take a work call on.
Bluetooth with mono use on either bud, so you can keep one ear free for traffic or a conversation. Touch controls handle playback, volume, and assistant activation. There’s no active noise cancelling, no multipoint, and no meaningful app, which at twenty-eight dollars is entirely reasonable. Worth knowing before ordering: Skullcandy sells several near-identical variants under the Smokin’ Buds and Buds XT names, so confirm which one a listing is actually selling.
These make sense as a first pair of wireless earbuds, a beach or festival pair, or spares you won’t cry over. Twenty-eight dollars for 20 hours and IPX4 is a fair trade and nothing about it is embarrassing. Skip them if calls matter, since that’s the recurring complaint, or if you listen loud, since distortion shows up when you push them. If you can spend fifty, the Soundcore P30i adds real noise cancelling and a much better case. But as cheap wireless goes, these do the job.
Pros
• 20 hours total, so weekly charging rather than nightly
• IPX4 for sweat and rain
• Touch controls that actually work reliably
• Either bud works alone
Cons
• Call quality is the standout complaint
• Distortion appears at higher volumes
• Charging case feels cheap and bulky
• No noise cancelling and no multipoint
Our score: 6.7/10
