How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a cheap, universal wired earbud that plugs into almost anything with a round headphone hole, choose AIAUXAI Earbuds 3.5mm; if you need a USB-C headset that keeps your ears open and your surroundings audible for calls and long listening sessions, choose QOEKUEY USB-C. These two look similar in a search results page, but they solve completely different problems. One is an old-school in-ear bud with a 3.5mm plug. The other is an open-ear hook design built for USB-C devices. Pick the wrong one and it simply won't fit your phone.
• AIAUXAI Earbuds 3.5mm — biggest strength: A 3.5mm jack plus wide device support, so it works with older phones, iPads, Chromebooks, MP3 players, the Switch and school laptops without adapters.
• AIAUXAI Earbuds 3.5mm — biggest trade-off: Wired 3.5mm only. Modern phones that dropped the headphone jack need an adapter, and the in-ear silicone tips seal your ears, which some people dislike.
• QOEKUEY USB-C — biggest strength: Open-ear hook design with a noise-canceling mic and inline controls — nothing enters your ear canal, so you stay aware of your surroundings and avoid ear fatigue on long calls.
• QOEKUEY USB-C — biggest trade-off: USB-C only, and it's an open-ear design, so it won't isolate you from noise at all. On a loud train, you'll hear everything around you.
• Who AIAUXAI is for: Students, kids over 7, commuters and anyone with a 3.5mm port who wants a spare pair of sealed in-ear buds.
• Who QOEKUEY is for: Office workers, remote-call regulars and USB-C phone or laptop owners who want open-ear comfort and an always-on mic.
The AIAUXAI Earbuds 3.5mm is a straightforward in-ear wired bud with a 14.2mm dynamic driver, 32 ohm impedance, 105 dB sensitivity and a 20 Hz–20,000 Hz frequency range. In plain terms, that's a sensitive, easy-to-drive bud — the kind of thing a phone or laptop can push to a decent volume without a headphone amp. AIAUXAI pairs it with a DAC chip and describes deep bass and crisp treble, plus silicone tips that seal off outside noise. That sealing is the whole point of this design: it's sound isolation, not active noise cancellation, so it blocks chatter and engine hum passively.
The real story here is compatibility. The list of supported devices is enormous — Samsung Galaxy A and S series, Note models, OnePlus, older iPhones from the 5 up through the 6s Plus, iPads, iPods, Chromebooks, Windows machines, MP3/MP4 players and the Switch. If you own a drawer full of devices with round headphone sockets, this one cable covers all of them. It's plug-and-play with no adapter and no software, and the box includes a carrying case plus two pairs of eartips, which matters because fit drives both comfort and how much noise the seal actually blocks.
Buy it if you want one inexpensive pair of sealed in-ear buds for school, flights, gaming or a backup set that lives in your bag. The green colorway also makes it easy to spot at the bottom of a backpack. Skip it if your phone is a modern USB-C-only model and you don't want to deal with a dongle, or if you hate the plugged-up feeling of silicone tips in your ear canal. In my opinion, this is the better pick for kids over 7 and for anyone shopping for a laptop or tablet rather than a current-generation phone.
The QOEKUEY USB-C is a different animal entirely. It's an open-ear headset with a hook-shaped earpiece and a USB-C plug. Instead of pushing a tip into your ear canal, it uses air conduction to beam sound toward your ear while leaving the canal completely open. The brand's own framing is about avoiding ear fatigue and irritation during long listening sessions, and for anyone who's ever pulled sore buds out after a three-hour call, that's a genuine selling point rather than marketing fluff.
The spec sheet tells a consistent story. It's a wired USB-C headset with a dynamic driver, 32 ohm impedance, 95 dB sensitivity and the same 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range as the AIAUXAI. The lower 95 dB sensitivity means it's a little less efficient — expect to nudge your volume up compared to the AIAUXAI. Noise control is listed as "none," which is honest: this is not a noise-isolating product, and that's deliberate. The design brief is awareness. You hear your music and your coworkers at the same time, which is exactly what you want in an office, a shared workspace or on a bike path.
QOEKUEY also leans hard into the call side. There's a built-in noise-canceling microphone with inline push-button controls, and the brand describes the cable as oxygen-free copper with extra durability testing against cuts, knots and pulls — a direct dig at flimsy call-center headsets. The metal-and-plastic build and sports styling suggest it's meant to survive daily handling. It's listed for adults, works with USB-C laptops, the newer iPhone 15 and 16, and Samsung and Android Type-C phones.
Buy it if you spend your day on calls, want to keep one ear on your surroundings, or find in-ear buds uncomfortable after an hour. Skip it if you need isolation on a noisy commute, or if your devices still use 3.5mm jacks. This is a workspace tool, not a gym-and-airplane bud.
• Best for device compatibility → AIAUXAI Earbuds 3.5mm. It covers old iPhones, iPads, Chromebooks, MP3 players, the Switch and dozens of Android models with a 3.5mm socket.
• Best for modern phones and laptops → QOEKUEY USB-C. If your phone is USB-C only, this is the one that plugs straight in with no dongle.
• Best for long calls and meetings → QOEKUEY USB-C. The noise-canceling mic and inline controls are built for exactly that.
• Best for noise isolation → AIAUXAI Earbuds 3.5mm. Its silicone seal blocks surrounding sound; the QOEKUEY is open by design and blocks nothing.
• Best for ear comfort over hours → QOEKUEY USB-C. Open-ear hooks mean nothing enters your ear canal, so no pressure or soreness.
• Best for staying aware of your surroundings → QOEKUEY USB-C. You can hear traffic, doorbells and colleagues without removing the headset.
• Best for kids and school use → AIAUXAI Earbuds 3.5mm. It's rated for ages 7 and up and works with the school-issued gear that still uses round jacks.
• Best for a fit you can tune → AIAUXAI Earbuds 3.5mm. Two pairs of eartips let you size the seal; the QOEKUEY hook fit is fixed.
One more angle worth thinking about: both are wired, both are 32 ohm, and both cover the same frequency range, so the raw audio specs are closer than the designs suggest. The difference is ergonomics and connection type, not exotic driver tech. That's why I'd decide based on your port and your ears first, and everything else second.
My Verdict
Both, but differently. The AIAUXAI Earbuds 3.5mm fits older iPhones with a headphone jack, from the 5 through the 6s Plus. The QOEKUEY USB-C is aimed at the iPhone 15 and 16, which use USB-C. If you have a Lightning-era iPhone, neither plugs in without an adapter.
No. Its noise control is listed as "none" and the open-ear design deliberately lets sound in. It's built for awareness, not isolation. For a noisy bus or plane, the AIAUXAI's sealed silicone tips are the better choice.
Only if your device's port doesn't match. The AIAUXAI needs a 3.5mm jack; if your phone is USB-C only, you'll need an adapter. The QOEKUEY needs USB-C. Beyond the plug, both are plug-and-play with no software.
The specs are nearly identical — same 32 ohm impedance and 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range. The AIAUXAI is more sensitive at 105 dB versus 95 dB, so it plays louder at the same volume setting, and its sealed fit will sound fuller in noisy places. The QOEKUEY trades that isolation for open-ear comfort and a call-focused mic.
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