We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-22 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a compact, wired in-ear set with a metal housing, inline volume control and a magnetic tangle-free design, choose ApexOne Metal in-Ear Earbuds; if you need volume-limited over-ear headphones built for kids with a USB-C and 3.5 mm connection, choose SIMOLIO Kids. Those two sentences really do settle most of this comparison. The rest of this article explains why, spec by spec, so you can confirm the pick matches how you'll actually use it.
• ApexOne Metal in-Ear Earbuds — biggest strength: a wired 3.5 mm in-ear design with a metal housing, inline volume control and mic, magnetic earbuds that clip together around your neck, and a pocket case with extra ear tips.
• ApexOne Metal in-Ear Earbuds — biggest trade-off: it's a wired in-ear set for adults with no volume limiting and no over-ear cushioning, so it isn't the family-safe or all-day-comfort pick.
• SIMOLIO Kids — biggest strength: over-ear kids' headphones with a 3-level safe volume limiter, a built-in mic, a share port, both USB-C and 3.5 mm connectivity, memory foam cushions and a foldable frame.
• SIMOLIO Kids — biggest trade-off: it's a bulkier over-ear headset aimed at children (rated for kids, with a one-year manufacturer warranty), not a pocketable adult in-ear pair.
• Who each pick is for: ApexOne for an adult who wants a small, tough, wired in-ear set for music and calls on the go; SIMOLIO for a parent buying a safer, comfier over-ear option for a child's tablet, Kindle or school device.
The ApexOne set is a wired in-ear headphone built around a 3.5 mm jack. The earpieces sit in your ear canal, the housing is metal, and the whole thing runs off the device's headphone port — no charging, no pairing, no batteries to think about. The dynamic driver covers a 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz range, which is the standard full-range span, and the design leans on silicone tips to seal the ear and isolate ambient sound. Two small and two large spare tips ship in the box alongside the pre-fitted pair, so you can size the seal to your ears.
What it does best is the everyday small stuff. There's an inline remote with volume control plus pause/play, answer/end call, and a built-in microphone, so you can take a call without pulling the phone out. The magnetic housings snap together when you take them off, which keeps the cable from tangling in a pocket and lets you wear the buds around your neck like a necklace between songs. The included pocket case is small and light — the case itself weighs about 2 ounces — and ApexOne notes it can also hold small items like keys or cards. The cable runs about 47 inches (120 cm), which is a normal length for a phone-in-pocket or laptop setup.
Who should buy it: an adult who wants a cheap-to-live-with, no-fuss wired in-ear pair for a phone, tablet, MP3/MP4 player, laptop or anything else with a 3.5 mm jack. The compatibility list covers iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android, Samsung and tablets — as long as the device has a 3.5 mm port, you're set. It's also a good fit if you lose or break earbuds often and want something small and replaceable rather than precious.
Who should skip it: anyone shopping for a child. There's no volume limiting here, the age range is listed as adult, and in-ear tips aren't the safest or most comfortable choice for small ears. If your priority is protecting a kid's hearing or getting over-ear comfort for long sessions, this isn't the pair — that's the SIMOLIO's job.
The SIMOLIO SM-904 is an over-ear wired headset aimed at kids. The earcups sit around the ear rather than inside it, with memory foam cushions and a padded headband, and the frame folds for storage. That over-ear shape is what gives it its passive noise cancellation — the cushions physically block some classroom noise, office chatter and commute sound without any electronics or batteries. Inside, a dynamic driver handles the audio, and SIMOLIO describes rich bass with clear mids and highs for listening, learning and travel.
The features that matter most for a family purchase are the safety and sharing ones. There's a 3-level safe volume control, a built-in mic, and a share port so a second pair of headphones can plug into the same device — handy on a car trip or a shared tablet. Connectivity is unusually flexible: the model name is "SM-904 (USB C&3.5mm)" and it lists both a 3.5 mm jack and USB-C, so it can serve newer phones and tablets as well as older 3.5 mm devices like a Kindle. The controls are on a remote on the cable. SIMOLIO rates the age range as kid, backs it with a one-year manufacturer warranty, and includes 24/7 support.
Who should buy it: a parent or guardian buying headphones for a child to use with a tablet, Kindle, iPhone, iPad or school laptop, where safe volume and all-day comfort matter more than portability. The over-ear cushions and padded band are the point — they're built for hours of wear without fatigue, which is exactly what a kid doing remote learning or a long trip needs.
Who should skip it: an adult who wants something tiny that disappears into a pocket. It's an over-ear headset in purple, it folds rather than compresses, and it's designed and rated for kids. If you want a barely-there wired in-ear for your own commute, the ApexOne is the more natural fit.
• Best for kids and safe listening → SIMOLIO Kids. The 3-level safe volume control is the single clearest reason to pick it for a child.
• Best for portability and pocket carry → ApexOne Metal in-Ear Earbuds. In-ear buds plus a 2-ounce pocket case beat a foldable over-ear headset for slipping into a bag.
• Best for comfort over long sessions → SIMOLIO Kids. Memory foam cushions and a padded headband are made for hours of wear; in-ear tips are not.
• Best for tangle-free convenience → ApexOne Metal in-Ear Earbuds. The magnetic housings snap the buds together and let you wear them around your neck.
• Best for device flexibility → SIMOLIO Kids. It supports both USB-C and 3.5 mm, where the ApexOne is a 3.5 mm wired set.
• Best for calls on the go → ApexOne Metal in-Ear Earbuds. Inline mic plus answer/end and volume controls put everything on the cable, right where your hand already is.
• Best for sharing one device → SIMOLIO Kids. The share port lets a second pair of headphones join the same source.
• Best for a no-battery, no-charging setup → tie. Both are fully wired and passive; neither needs power.
For a child, I'd buy the SIMOLIO Kids. In my opinion the 3-level safe volume control, over-ear memory foam comfort, USB-C plus 3.5 mm flexibility and the share port make it the more thoughtful choice for a kid's tablet, Kindle or school device — and the one-year manufacturer warranty is a reasonable safety net.
For myself, I'd buy the ApexOne Metal in-Ear Earbuds. The metal housing, magnetic tangle-free buds, inline mic and volume controls, spare tips and pocket case are exactly what I want in a small wired pair that lives in a bag or a jacket pocket and works with anything that has a 3.5 mm jack. Check the current price on Amazon for whichever one matches your use case.
SIMOLIO Kids. It's over-ear, rated for kids, and includes a 3-level safe volume control, whereas the ApexOne is an in-ear set listed with an adult age range and no volume limiting.
Yes. The model is listed as "SM-904 (USB C&3.5mm)" and it supports both, so it can connect to newer USB-C phones and tablets as well as older 3.5 mm devices like a Kindle or school laptop.
It depends on the traveller. For an adult who wants something pocketable, the ApexOne's in-ear fit, magnetic buds and pocket case are easier to carry. For a child, the SIMOLIO's over-ear cushions and passive noise isolation are the more comfortable travel setup.
Pick in-ear (ApexOne) if you want a small, tough, wired set for music and calls with a 3.5 mm device. Pick over-ear (SIMOLIO) if you want cushioned comfort, passive noise blocking and kid-safe volume, and you don't mind a bulkier headset that folds for storage.
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