I tried these EarFun wireless earbuds — now $16 at Amazon

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Unfortunately, the EarFun Free Mini earbuds don't actually shoot yellow laser beams as seen here. — The EarFun Free Mini earbuds are a decent deal at $40 and an outright steal at $16. (Photo: EarFun)

How good can $16 earbuds possibly be? You might be surprised.

The new EarFun Free Mini isn’t super-fancy, but it gets the job done. For a limited time, and while supplies last, you can get the EarFun Free Mini true wireless earbuds for just $16 when you clip the on-page 30-percent-off coupon and then apply promo code EFMINIYH at checkout. Regular price: $40.

(Pro tip: If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day Amazon Prime trial here.)

$16 with coupon and code at Amazon (was $40)

I’ve long been a fan of EarFun’s earbuds, some of which are budget superstars. (See the EarFun Air Pro 2 on my list of the best AirPods alternatives under $100.) This is by far the company’s most affordable product, especially with this deal.

So what does $16 buy you? Noise-isolating earbuds with touch controls and an IPX7 waterproof rating. (That means you can sweat all you like on them and they won’t come to harm.)

Note that I said noise-isolating, not noise-canceling; the Free Mini does reduce outside sound, but only by virtue of the seal made by the silicone ear tips. There’s no active noise-canceling (ANC) technology at work here to really drown out your environment.

You also don’t get advanced features like in-ear detection or wireless case-charging. Those are desirable, yes, but hard to come by unless you spend around $50 or more.

The good news is that the Free Mini earbuds sound pretty good. I found the audio to be fairly well balanced overall, if a little brash at times, and just far better than I expected given the price point. For listening to music in the background while you work, podcasts while you walk the dog, meditations on the mat and so on, these are perfectly good.

I do have one complaint: It’s fairly difficult to get the earbuds out of the case. There’s no good spot to grip them, and the case lid doesn’t open far enough to really get your fingers around them.

That gripe aside, I’d call these a steal at $16.

$16 with coupon and code at Amazon (was $40)