Skullcandy Dime Evo S2DTW-S740

The Skullcandy Dime Evo offers killer connectivity, all-day battery life, and a clever clip-anywhere charging case at a dirt-cheap price. Sound quality is solid for the money, but don't expect active noise cancellation or good call performance. If you need an affordable, grab-and-go pair of earbuds for music and podcasts, these are a fantastic value. Just keep your phone handy for calls.

Budget true wireless earbuds are everywhere these days, but Skullcandy's Dime Evo stands out with a quirky trick: the charging case has a built-in clip that hooks right onto your backpack, belt loop, or keychain. It's a small thing, but if you're the type who's always fishing around in your bag for earbuds, you'll appreciate it. At well under a hundred bucks (we've seen them as low as $35), these are aimed squarely at students, commuters, and anyone who just wants a reliable pair of headphones without overthinking it.

These aren't loaded with premium features like active noise cancellation, but they nail the basics. The 6mm drivers deliver clear, energetic sound that sits comfortably in the solid middle of the pack for budget buds. With up to 8 hours from the earbuds and another 27 in the case, battery life is genuinely strong. And Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint support means switching between your phone and laptop is seamless, which is frankly better than many earbuds that cost twice as much.

What you're really buying here is convenience and peace of mind. The IPX4 water resistance handles sweat and light rain, the earbuds are tiny and unobtrusive, and the companion app gives you a custom 5-band EQ plus preset modes to tweak the sound. It's not going to wow audiophiles, but for the daily grind of podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, the Dime Evo gets a lot right.

Under the hood, the Dime Evo packs a single 6mm dynamic driver that covers the standard 20Hz–20kHz range, with support for SBC and AAC codecs. In our database, its sound quality lands right in the solid middle (73rd percentile), which sounds about right. There's a pleasant warmth to the low end without muddying the mids, and the treble is crisp enough for vocal-heavy content. You won't get the expansive soundstage or detail retrieval of pricier sets, but for the price, it's more than listenable. The custom EQ in the app is genuinely useful if you want to dial back the bass boost or give the highs a little more sparkle.

The real star here is connectivity. It's Bluetooth 5.3 and scored in the top tier of our database for connection stability and multipoint handoff. We walked between rooms, switched devices mid-call, and never had a dropout. Pairing is fast, and the buds support Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair, which makes setup dead simple. Battery performance is also a highlight: those 8 hours on a charge are accurate in real-world use at moderate volume, and the quick-charge feature (10 minutes for 2 hours) is a lifesaver when you forget to top up. The low-latency mode helps with video sync, though our gaming score of 58.7 suggests it's not ideal for competitive shooters where every millisecond counts.

Pricing on the Dime Evo fluctuates between $35 and $85 across retailers, but we've seen them settle around forty bucks more often than not. That's an incredibly competitive price point, and you're getting a lot of battery and connectivity for your money. Compared to the EarFun Air Pro 4+, which often hovers around the same range but adds active noise cancellation, the Dime Evo's main selling point is that clip case and slightly better battery life. If you don't care about ANC, the Dime Evo is a no-brainer for the convenience alone.

Against something like the Soundcore P31i or the SoundPEATS H3, the Skullcandy holds its own on build and basic sound, but the mic quality trails noticeably. The JBL Endurance Peak 4 is more rugged and better for intense workouts, though it's typically pricier. All told, for everyday casual listening and travel, the Dime Evo punches above its weight in value, especially given how often they go on sale.

Stack the Dime Evo next to the EarFun Air Pro 4+, and the biggest trade-off is noise cancellation. EarFun gives you solid ANC and a transparency mode that rivals some mid-range options, while the Skullcandy only offers passive isolation and a basic transparency setting. If you sit in noisy cafes or ride the subway, the Air Pro 4+ probably makes more sense. However, the Dime Evo's case is drastically more portable and clip-friendly, and its multipoint connectivity is slightly more reliable in our tests.

JBL's Endurance Peak 4 is the athlete's choice with an over-ear hook design and IP68 rating, but it sacrifices the compact charging case and app-based EQ. Samsung's Galaxy Buds3 Pro sit in a whole different price bracket and deliver superior sound and ANC, but they're overkill if you just want something cheap for podcasts and calls. For dirt-cheap buds that don't skimp on the essentials, the Skullcandy carves out a nice niche, though I'd steer anyone who takes a lot of phone calls toward the Soundcore P31i, which has a much better microphone setup.

If you frequently make calls or attend virtual meetings, the Dime Evo will likely disappoint. The single-mic setup struggles in anything louder than a quiet room, and our call quality score of 43.6 is a clear red flag. You'd be better served by the Soundcore P31i, which has superior call performance at a similar price. Audiophiles chasing detailed soundstage and deep bass extension should also look elsewhere; these are solid but won't replace a good wired IEM. And anyone requiring noise cancellation for commuting in loud environments should consider the EarFun Air Pro 4+ or JBL's Tune series, which add ANC without a massive price jump. Finally, competitive gamers will want a dedicated low-latency gaming set, as the Dime Evo's gaming score of 58.7 means noticeable audio lag in fast-paced titles.

If you're a commuter who wants a pair of earbuds you can toss in your pocket without a second thought, the Dime Evo is an easy pick. The clip case means they're always attached to your bag, and the battery life will get you through a full day of travel with juice to spare. The sound is energetic and clear enough for podcasts, audiobooks, and casual music listening, and the app EQ lets you personalize the profile nicely.

That said, if you take a ton of work calls or need your earbuds for Zoom meetings, look elsewhere. The microphone quality is mediocre, and your voice will come through muffled in anything but a quiet room. And if you're someone who craves the deep silence of noise cancellation, you'll want to spend a little more on an alternative like the EarFun Air Pro 4+. But for the price, the Dime Evo nails the stuff that matters most for everyday, on-the-go listening.