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If you want a plug-and-play way to get sound into your ears from a MacBook, choose APETOO 3.5mm; if you need to repair the headphone jack inside a specific MacBook Air, choose HAWSON A2179. These two products share the words "headphone" and "MacBook," and almost nothing else. One is a finished pair of wired earbuds. The other is a replacement internal part. If you are shopping for headphones for a MacBook, the APETOO set is what you actually want; the HAWSON part only matters if the jack itself is dead.
• APETOO 3.5mm — biggest strength: A complete, ready-to-use wired in-ear headphone with a 3.5mm plug, inline call control, a mute button and a carry case, so it works the moment you unbox it.
• APETOO 3.5mm — biggest trade-off: It is wired and relies on a 3.5mm jack, so newer MacBooks with no headphone port need an adapter, and the cable sets your working distance.
• HAWSON A2179 — biggest strength: It is a purpose-built replacement audio board with the headphone jack and flex cable for one exact machine: the MacBook Air Retina 13" A2179 from 2020.
• HAWSON A2179 — biggest trade-off: It makes no sound on its own and it is not a beginner job. If you cannot disassemble a laptop, it is the wrong purchase.
• APETOO 3.5mm is for: anyone who wants headphones for a MacBook, Chromebook, PC, tablet or phone with a 3.5mm port — students, commuters, flyers, call takers.
• HAWSON A2179 is for: a repair-minded owner of that specific MacBook Air whose built-in headphone jack has failed and who is comfortable opening the machine.
Think of the APETOO 3.5mm as the simple answer to a simple question: how do I get audio out of my laptop? It is a wired in-ear headphone with a gold-plated 3.5mm plug, a 32-ohm impedance and a dynamic driver rated for a 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz range. That is a normal, sensible spec for everyday listening — music, lectures, video calls, podcasts, in-flight movies. Nothing exotic, nothing that asks anything of you.
The fit story is where most cheap earbuds fall apart, and here the design at least tries. The buds use a 45-degree ergonomic in-ear shape, and you get three pairs of soft silicone tips in the box, so you can size up or down instead of fighting a one-size shell. Noise control is passive sound isolation — the tips block some outside noise, but there is no active noise cancellation, so do not expect silence on a plane. The cable is a 3.9-foot tangle-resistant TPE cord with a right-angle plug, which is the friendlier shape when your laptop sits close on a tray table or a cramped desk. A mini zipper carry case and two extra tip pairs round out the package.
The control pod is more useful than most at this level. You get remote button control for calls, and — the standout feature — a mute function: hold the main button to mute the microphone, release to bring it back. For anyone taking classes or meetings on a Chromebook or MacBook, that is a genuinely handy thing to have on the cable, not buried in software. The white ABS-and-silicone build is aimed at a broad audience: school, study, travel, meditation, exercise, hiking, and it is listed for ages six and up, which tells you the intent is durable everyday use rather than audiophile listening.
Who should buy it? Students, remote workers, frequent flyers, parents buying for kids — anyone who wants one pair of wired earbuds that just works across a MacBook, an HP Pavilion, a Dell Inspiron, an Acer Aspire, a Samsung Galaxy, an iPad, a gaming console or an MP3 player. Who should skip it? If your MacBook has no 3.5mm port and you refuse to carry an adapter, or if you want wireless freedom and active noise cancellation, this is not the product for you. Also skip it if you were searching for an internal replacement part — that is the other item on this page.
The HAWSON A2179 is not a headphone. Read that again, because it is the single most important thing on this page. It is an audio board with an integrated headphone jack connector and flex cable, sold as a replacement for the MacBook Air Retina 13" A2179 from 2020. It is a repair component. The "headphone jack" in the name is the socket inside your laptop that a headphone plugs into — this is the socket itself, plus the board it sits on, not something you listen through.
Compatibility is narrow and specific, and that is by design. It fits that one model year. The listing is explicit that you should check your computer's year and review the description and pictures before ordering, precisely because this part is not universal. It is also described as tested before shipping and working, which is the kind of assurance you want from a small internal component you cannot easily return once it is installed.
The honest warning matters more than any spec. This is not an easy job for someone without technical skill in disassembling and assembling a laptop, and the listing says so plainly. Replacing an audio board means opening the machine, disconnecting a flex cable, swapping the board and reassembling without pinching or tearing anything. The part itself weighs 2.31 ounces and measures roughly 3.65 by 1.16 by 4.77 inches — that is the packaged board and cable, not a device you hold to your ear. It comes in white per the title and black per the design field, so confirm the variant matches what your machine expects.
Who should buy it? The owner of a 2020 MacBook Air Retina 13" A2179 whose headphone jack has stopped working, who has the tools, the patience and ideally some prior repair experience. Who should skip it? Almost everyone else — especially anyone who just wants to listen to music on a MacBook. If that is you, you are on the wrong half of this comparison, and the APETOO earbuds are the correct purchase.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for a dead headphone jack on a 2020 MacBook Air Retina 13" A2179 → HAWSON A2179. This is the only scenario where it is the right item.
• Best for plug-and-play simplicity → APETOO 3.5mm. Gold 3.5mm plug, no installation, no disassembly.
• Best for call and meeting use → APETOO 3.5mm. Inline remote control plus the hold-to-mute microphone function.
• Best for fit adjustability → APETOO 3.5mm. Three pairs of silicone tips and a 45-degree in-ear shape versus a fixed internal board.
• Best for travel and portability → APETOO 3.5mm. A 3.9-foot TPE cable, a right-angle plug and a mini zipper carry case.
• Best for passive noise reduction in loud places → APETOO 3.5mm. In-ear sound isolation; the HAWSON part does nothing for noise.
• Best for repairability-minded owners only → HAWSON A2179. Narrow compatibility, real installation skill required, and it is tested before shipping.
• Best for cross-device flexibility → APETOO 3.5mm. Works with anything that has a 3.5mm stereo jack, from laptops to consoles to MP3 players.
If you searched for headphones for a MacBook, I recommend the APETOO 3.5mm. It is the only one of these two products that is, in fact, a headphone, and it covers the everyday jobs — class, calls, travel, study — with a mute button, swappable tips and a case, all over a standard 3.5mm connection that most laptops and tablets still accept. The HAWSON A2179 is a good, specific repair part for a narrow problem, and I would only point you to it if your 2020 MacBook Air Retina 13" A2179 has a broken jack and you know your way around a laptop's internals. For everyone else, the choice is not close. Check the current price on Amazon for the APETOO 3.5mm before you commit.
FAQ
how to use headphones for macbook
how to connect headphones macbook
For a wired headphone like the APETOO 3.5mm, connection is physical: push the gold 3.5mm plug into the jack until it seats, then adjust volume on the laptop or the inline control. For Bluetooth headphones you would instead open the MacBook's settings and pair the device, but the APETOO model is wired-only. No setup steps, no pairing menu.
how to connect headphones macbook air
It works the same way on a MacBook Air: insert the 3.5mm plug into the headphone jack and audio routes there. The catch is model year — some MacBook Air generations dropped the 3.5mm port, in which case a wired headphone needs an adapter. Note that the HAWSON A2179 is not a headphone at all; it is a replacement audio board for the 2020 MacBook Air Retina 13" A2179.
how to use headphones macbook pro
On a MacBook Pro with a 3.5mm jack, plug the APETOO 3.5mm in and play audio as normal, using the inline button for calls and mute. There is no software to install. If your MacBook Pro lacks the port, plan for an adapter, because this earbud set is wired and depends on that physical connection.
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See also: GAMEPOWER JIN X 3.5mm vs Puiixur Replacement 3.5mm, AblePlanet Headset vs Generic STM1BK, Amylove 12 vs Yunsailing 30: ON Ear Headphones For Students, Scosche BT102 vs MANHATTAN 5.2: Wired Noise Isolating