Skullcandy’s New Wireless Earbuds Let You Go Totally Hands-Free

Of all the wireless earbuds in the sub-$100 range, Skullcandy’s are the easiest to recommend. Products like the Indy Fuel earbuds pack so many killer features into a great-sounding package, and with today’s release of the Grind Fuel and Push Active buds, Skullcandy is bringing 100% hands-free control into the mix.

The new Grind Fuel and Push Active buds are the first to feature Skull-iQ, a software that enables automatic over-the-air firmware updates and seamless voice commands. Just say “hey Skullcandy” to pause or play content, accept calls, or activate Spotify on the fly. You can even use the “hey Skullcandy” command to pull up your voice assistant of choice, whether it’s Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri.

At just $100, the Skullcandy Grind Fuel buds sport Skull-iQ controls, IP55 sweat-resistance, reliable Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, wireless charging, built-in Tile tracking, and a total 40-hour battery life with the charging case (the buds last for 9 hours a charge). Personal Sound also makes an appearance, so you can perform a quick sound test to optimize Skullcandy Grind Fuel to your ears.

The new Grind Fuel earbuds look like a seriously good deal, but I’m more interested in Skullcandy’s cheaper Push Active sport earbuds. They cost just $80 but pack an IP55 sweat-resistance rating, a total 44-hour battery life (the buds get 10 hours of playtime per charge), Bluetooth 5.2, Tile tracking, and of course, Skull-iQ voice control. The only things missing here are wireless charging and Personal Sound support, and at this price, those are two things I can live without.

I’ll say, it’s interesting to see Skullcandy prioritize hands-free voice control over ANC with its latest earbuds. The company’s Indy ANC buds are still the best option for those who need noise-cancelation, but if you just want a kickass pair of affordable headphones that pack Skull-iQ and a ton of other features, the new Grind Fuel and Push Active are your best bet.