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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-20 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• 4XEM Noise Isolating Earphones — biggest strength: purpose-built for the Samsung Galaxy S2, S3 and S4 era plus Samsung tablets, with a 3.5 mm wired connection, a sound-isolating design, high-performance speakers and a 1-year limited warranty.
• 4XEM Noise Isolating Earphones — biggest trade-off: no microphone, no in-line controls and no USB option, so it is a listening-only set tied to devices with a headphone jack.
• ACANDYA USB Earbuds — biggest strength: a USB-A plug-and-play headset with an integrated microphone, in-line volume/play-pause/mute controls, a built-in DAC decoder, a 7.5 ft cable and a semi-in-ear fit built for long sessions.
• ACANDYA USB Earbuds — biggest trade-off: it needs a USB-A port, so phones and tablets with only a 3.5 mm jack or USB-C are not the target device here.
• Who each pick is for: 4XEM suits someone keeping an older Samsung phone or tablet alive as a music player; ACANDYA suits anyone who talks on a computer all day.
The 4XEM set is a wired, in-ear pair built around one clear job: plugging into the Samsung product line. The spec sheet names the Galaxy S2, S3, S4 and Samsung tablets specifically, and the connection is a standard 3.5 mm jack. That matters more than it sounds. Plenty of people still have one of those phones in a drawer as a music player, a bedside podcast machine or a hand-me-down for a kid, and the original earbuds are usually long gone. This is a drop-in replacement rather than an upgrade project.
On the audio side, 4XEM describes high-performance speakers that extend the frequency range with minimal distortion, plus a comfortable, noise-isolating design. "Noise isolating" here means passive isolation — the earbud physically seals against your ear canal and blocks some surrounding noise. That is a different thing from active noise cancellation, and it is worth being clear about: there is no battery, no chip and no circuitry doing the work. Just a seal. In a noisy kitchen, on a bus or in a shared office, that passive block can still take the edge off, and it comes with zero charging to think about.
The details are plain and predictable. Black finish, 3.5 mm wired jack, sound isolation as the noise-control approach, one item in the box, adult age range, and a 1-year limited warranty from 4XEM Corp. The unit weighs about 22.68 g. There is no microphone, no remote and no volume buttons on the cable — you control everything from the phone or tablet itself.
Buy it if you have an older Samsung device with a headphone jack and you want a cheap, no-fuss spare set. Skip it if you need to make calls, join meetings or plug into a modern laptop that dropped the 3.5 mm port. In that case the 4XEM simply cannot do the job, no matter how good it sounds.
The ACANDYA USB Earbuds are a different animal entirely. These are computer earbuds, and the spec sheet makes that obvious: USB-A connection, wired, built-in microphone, in-line multifunction controls. Plug them into a USB-A port and they work — no drivers, no adapters, no setup. The listed compatibility covers Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7 and XP, plus Mac OS, Chrome OS and Linux, along with laptops, desktops, Surface devices and machines from Dell, HP, Acer and ASUS.
The feature that sells this set is the cable. It is 7.5 ft, or about 2.3 m, and reinforced. That length is the whole point. If your desktop tower sits under the desk and the USB ports are at the back, a short cord turns every meeting into a lean-and-reach exercise. Two and a half metres lets you sit back, stand up, or roll your chair across the room without yanking the plug out mid-sentence. If you have ever lost the first thirty seconds of a call to a tugging cable, you know exactly why this matters.
Audio comes through a built-in DAC digital decoder chip, which is a real, nameable component rather than marketing fluff — a dedicated DAC handles the digital-to-analog conversion inside the headset. ACANDYA describes balanced bass and clear treble without distortion, aimed at office work, business calls, online meetings, gaming, music and remote learning. The drivers are dynamic, impedance is 32 ohm, and the noise control is again sound isolation: passive, seal-based, no battery.
The microphone is high-sensitivity and built for Zoom, Teams, Skype and Webex. The in-line controls handle volume, play/pause, mic mute and track switching, so you can mute yourself without hunting for a button on screen. That mute control alone is a small quality-of-life feature that most cheap wired sets skip.
Comfort gets real attention in the specs. The semi-in-ear ergonomic shape and lightweight build are designed to reduce fatigue over long wearing sessions, and the smooth housing is meant to keep the ear canal clean and lower pressure. Fit is personal, but semi-in-ear designs generally sit looser than deep in-ear ones, which is often easier on the ear during a full workday. The enclosure is aluminum, the color is pink, and a black protective carrying case is included.
Buy it if you live in video calls, online classes or long gaming sessions on a computer. Skip it if your only audio source is a phone with a 3.5 mm jack — there is no USB-A port to plug into.
• Best for older Samsung phones and tablets → 4XEM Noise Isolating Earphones, which are built for the Galaxy S2, S3, S4 and Samsung tablets.
• Best for PC and laptop calls → ACANDYA USB Earbuds, with a USB-A plug, integrated mic and Zoom/Teams/Skype/Webex support.
• Best for cable reach at a desk → ACANDYA USB Earbuds, thanks to the 7.5 ft reinforced cord that reaches rear USB ports.
• Best for a listening-only spare set → 4XEM Noise Isolating Earphones, which need no drivers and no port beyond a 3.5 mm jack.
• Best for mic mute and volume at your fingertips → ACANDYA USB Earbuds, with in-line volume, play/pause, mute and track controls.
• Best for all-day wear → ACANDYA USB Earbuds, whose semi-in-ear shape and lightweight build target reduced ear fatigue.
• Best for plug-and-play across Windows, Mac, Chrome OS and Linux → ACANDYA USB Earbuds, with no drivers or adapters required.
• Best for passive noise blocking on a phone → 4XEM Noise Isolating Earphones, whose isolating seal cuts some surrounding sound without any battery.
In my opinion, I would buy the ACANDYA USB Earbuds. The reason is simple: the microphone, the in-line controls and the 7.5 ft cable make it useful for far more of a normal day than a listening-only pair can be. If your work or school happens on a computer, this is the one that earns its place on your desk. The 4XEM is a solid, honest replacement for an older Samsung device — but that is a narrower job, and I would only pick it if a 3.5 mm Samsung phone or tablet is genuinely what you are plugging into. Check the current price on Amazon before deciding, since that is the one number that can tip this either way.
FAQ
Only if your phone has a USB-A port, which most do not. The ACANDYA set connects over USB-A with a wired connection, so it is aimed at laptops, desktops, Surface devices and similar computers rather than phones.
No. Both products use passive sound isolation — a seal that physically blocks some outside noise. There is no battery, no chip and no active cancellation in either set, so neither will silence a plane engine the way an ANC headset would.
The ACANDYA USB Earbuds, in my opinion. Their semi-in-ear ergonomic design and lightweight build are specifically aimed at reducing ear fatigue over long sessions, and the in-line mute and volume controls keep you from reaching for your screen mid-meeting.
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