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If you want a cartoon-styled, kid-friendly pair of in-ear earbuds with swappable ear tips and a gaming-oriented theme, choose AMAFACE Gaming Earbuds Kids; if you need an open-ear, clip-on design with environmental noise cancellation for calls and awareness of your surroundings, choose Monster AC225.
• AMAFACE Gaming Earbuds Kids — biggest strength: A true in-ear fit with three sizes of ear caps (S, M, L), a cartoon design aimed at kids, and a gaming-oriented theme, plus touch control and a charging case that holds extra charge.
• AMAFACE Gaming Earbuds Kids — biggest trade-off: In-ear sound isolation means the wearer hears less of what's going on around them, and the spec sheet lists Bluetooth 5.0 against the Monster's newer Bluetooth 6.0.
• Monster AC225 — biggest strength: An open-ear clip-on design at 5.1g per bud, Bluetooth 6.0, ENC microphones for calls, and 13mm drivers — a package built for awareness and clarity on the move.
• Monster AC225 — biggest trade-off: It's aimed at adults, not kids, and the open-ear shape delivers sound differently than a sealed in-ear fit — some listeners prefer the deeper isolation of an in-ear bud.
• Who each pick is for: AMAFACE for a child who wants their own gaming-flavored earbuds; Monster AC225 for an adult who wants to stay aware of traffic, coworkers or a training partner while listening.
This is a pair built around a very specific buyer: a kid. The cartoon styling and the "Video Game" theme are the giveaway — this isn't a pair pretending to be neutral. It's a fun object first, and that matters, because earbuds a child actually wants to put in their ears are earbuds that get used.
On the practical side, AMAFACE lists a 6-hour playtime per earbud with the charging case adding another 30 hours for a 36-hour total. The box includes a USB-C cable, a user booklet, and three sizes of ear caps, so you can size the fit rather than hoping one tip works. The fit itself is in-ear with a rounded tip and a 16-ohm impedance dynamic driver rated across 20Hz–20,000Hz — a standard full-range spec, with the brand emphasizing deep bass. IPX6 water resistance covers sweat, splashes and rain, which is the realistic bar for a kid using these outdoors or at a desk.
Touch control is the interaction model: taps on the bud handle playback rather than buttons you have to press. There's also sound isolation rather than active noise cancellation, so the seal itself does the blocking.
Who should buy it: a parent shopping for a child who wants earbuds that feel like theirs — cartoon-styled, sized down with proper ear tips, and durable enough to survive an IPX6 rating. Who should skip it: an adult who wants a discreet, plain-looking pair, or anyone who specifically wants to hear their surroundings while listening, since the in-ear seal works against that. If price is the deciding factor, check the current price on Amazon before committing.
Monster took the opposite approach. The AC225 is an open-ear clip-on: each earbud weighs 5.1g and uses an adaptive bridge that's designed to conform to the ear without pressing on it. Nothing goes inside your ear canal. It's also built to sit alongside glasses and other accessories, which is a small detail that matters a lot if you wear frames all day.
The sound approach is unusual for the category. Monster uses 13mm drivers with dual-composite diaphragms, then adds directional audio that channels sound toward the ear canal while limiting leakage — so you get the awareness of an open-ear design without broadcasting your music to the whole room. Sensitivity is listed at 103dB.
Battery is 8 hours per charge, extending to 40 hours with the case, and the case recharges in about an hour. IPX6 covers sweat and rain. Bluetooth 6.0 handles the connection with a stated 12-meter range, and Monster positions it for low latency across gaming, calls and listening. For calls, ENC microphones cut background noise — useful on a street, in a gym, or outdoors in wind.
Touch control handles volume, playback, calls and voice assistants with taps, which Monster frames around hands-free use while driving or training. It's rated for adults, and there's a 1-year warranty.
Who should buy it: commuters, runners, cyclists, gym-goers, glasses wearers, and anyone who takes calls in noisy places and wants to stay aware of their surroundings. Who should skip it: a parent buying for a young child — this one isn't aimed at kids — or someone who wants maximum isolation from ambient noise.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Shopping for a child → AMAFACE Gaming Earbuds Kids. Cartoon design, kid age range, three ear cap sizes, gaming theme.
• Best for staying aware of your surroundings → Monster AC225. Open-ear design by definition; AMAFACE is in-ear with sound isolation.
• Best for a sealed, isolating fit → AMAFACE Gaming Earbuds Kids. In-ear with rounded tips and three tip sizes.
• Best for hands-free calls in noise → Monster AC225. ENC microphones specifically target background noise reduction.
• Best for the newest wireless standard → Monster AC225. Bluetooth 6.0 versus Bluetooth 5.0 on the AMAFACE.
• Best for longer total case-backed runtime → Monster AC225 on paper, at 8 hours per charge and 40 hours with the case, versus 6 hours and 36 hours for the AMAFACE.
• Best for accessory compatibility → Monster AC225. Designed to pair with glasses and accessories; the AMAFACE is a standard in-ear bud.
• Best for an easier fit on a child → AMAFACE Gaming Earbuds Kids. Three tip sizes and a simpler in-ear shape, versus an adaptive clip-on bridge.
If I were buying for myself, I'd take the Monster AC225. In my opinion, the open-ear clip-on shape plus ENC mics and Bluetooth 6.0 covers more of what an adult actually does with earbuds — commuting, calls, workouts — and the 5.1g weight with an adaptive bridge is the kind of design detail that decides whether you keep wearing them by hour three. I'd pick the AMAFACE Gaming Earbuds Kids only for the situation it was clearly built for: a child who wants their own pair, with cartoon styling and three tip sizes to get the fit right. Neither is "better" in the abstract — they're solving different problems.
Touch control means you tap or hold the surface of the earbud instead of pressing a physical button. On both the AMAFACE Gaming Earbuds Kids and the Monster AC225, the control method is listed as touch with a touch-type controller. On the Monster, taps handle volume, playback, calls and voice assistants; on the AMAFACE, taps handle playback and pairing functions.
Why are my headphones controlling my phone?
There's no disable setting described in either data sheet, so the realistic options are to unpair the earbuds from your phone's Bluetooth menu, or to avoid tapping the touch surface. Neither the AMAFACE Gaming Earbuds Kids nor the Monster AC225 lists an app or a lock-out mode for its touch controls.
The AMAFACE Gaming Earbuds Kids, on paper. Its data sheet lists a kid age range, a cartoon design, a gaming theme, and three ear cap sizes (S, M, L) to fit smaller ears. The Monster AC225 is listed for adults, uses an open-ear clip-on design, and includes ENC mics and Bluetooth 6.0 aimed at commuters and workouts rather than children.
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