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If you want a wired, plug-and-play pair that works with anything that has a 3.5mm jack, choose Apple EarPods Headphones; if you need a wireless, sweat-proof pair for the gym, choose TRAUSI Headphones.
• Apple EarPods Headphones — biggest strength: a wired 3.5mm design with a built-in remote and microphone, so there's nothing to charge and no pairing to mess with.
• Apple EarPods Headphones — biggest trade-off: it's strictly a wired product. No Bluetooth, no water-resistance rating, and no battery — because it doesn't need one.
• TRAUSI Headphones — biggest strength: fully wireless Bluetooth earbuds with an IPX7 waterproof rating and an LED digital display, built with gym use in mind.
• TRAUSI Headphones — biggest trade-off: you're dependent on Bluetooth pairing and battery, and it's plastic-bodied in-ear buds rather than an ear-shaped wired design.
• Who each pick is for: Apple EarPods for calls, laptops, older phones and anyone who wants zero charging; TRAUSI for workouts, running and people who want cable-free listening.
The whole pitch here is simplicity. EarPods with the 3.5mm plug are wired buds with a built-in remote on the cord. You pinch the cord to adjust volume, play or pause music and video, and answer or end calls. There's also an integrated microphone that the spec sheet says is designed to capture your voice clearly on phone calls, FaceTime calls, and when summoning Siri. That's the entire feature set — and for a lot of people, that's exactly enough.
The design detail worth paying attention to is the shape. Apple describes the EarPods housing as defined by the geometry of the ear rather than a traditional circular bud, which is why they tend to sit comfortably for more people than the classic round style. In my opinion, that ear-shaped shell is the real reason these have stuck around so long. They don't seal into your ear canal the way in-ear tips do, so they feel lighter over long stretches — good for a full workday of calls or a long flight.
Who should skip them? Anyone who wants wireless freedom, anyone who sweats heavily during workouts and wants a waterproof rating, and anyone who prefers the deeper, sealed-in feel of silicone tips. EarPods are open-fit wired buds. That's the deal, and it doesn't change.
TRAUSI Headphones: Who It's For
TRAUSI's offering is the opposite philosophy. These are wireless Bluetooth earbuds — model i27 — in a Soot Black plastic body, worn in-ear. The spec sheet lists touch controls rather than buttons: you tap the bud itself instead of pinching a cord. There's an LED digital display, which is a nice practical touch because it usually means you can see battery or status information at a glance instead of guessing.
The headline feature, though, is the IPX7 waterproof rating. IPX7 means the buds are built to handle water exposure, and combined with the "for Gym" framing in the product name, that tells you who TRAUSI is aiming at: people who sweat, people who run in the rain, people who don't want to baby their earbuds. That's a genuinely different use case from EarPods, which carry no water-resistance rating at all.
Battery is the trade-off you accept for going wireless. The sheet doesn't list a playtime figure, so I won't invent one — but the LED display exists precisely because these run on a battery and you'll want to know where it stands. They're also listed as compatible with smartphones and Bluetooth generally, and they're described as lightweight. The included items are the owner's manual and two wireless earbuds. Warranty is 90 days through the manufacturer.
Who should skip them? Anyone who hates charging gadgets, anyone who wants a guaranteed zero-latency wired connection for editing or gaming, and anyone whose device doesn't do Bluetooth. If you live on a laptop with a headphone jack and take a lot of calls, the wired option is simply less friction.
• Best for a guaranteed, no-charge connection → Apple EarPods Headphones. Wired 3.5mm, no battery, no pairing.
• Best for workouts and sweaty sessions → TRAUSI Headphones. IPX7 waterproof and built with the gym in mind.
• Best for phone calls and voice pickup → Apple EarPods Headphones. Built-in microphone tuned for calls, FaceTime and Siri.
• Best for cable-free movement → TRAUSI Headphones. Bluetooth wireless with touch controls.
• Best for older devices, laptops and consoles → Apple EarPods Headphones. Works with anything that has a 3.5mm jack.
• Best for checking battery status at a glance → TRAUSI Headphones. LED digital display on the buds.
• Best for long listening sessions without ear-canal pressure → Apple EarPods Headphones. Open, ear-shaped fit rather than sealed in-ear tips.
• Best for rain and water exposure → TRAUSI Headphones. IPX7 rating versus no water-resistance rating on EarPods.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the Apple EarPods Headphones. The reason is simple: they cover the widest range of everyday situations — calls, video, laptops, older phones — with no charging, no pairing and a microphone built for conversation. The 3.5mm plug means they'll still work years from now on almost anything you own.
That said, I'd genuinely recommend the TRAUSI Headphones instead if your listening happens mostly while moving. If you're in the gym, running outdoors, or you just can't stand cables, the IPX7 waterproofing and Bluetooth freedom are worth more to you than a wired connection ever will be. Check the current price on Amazon for both and decide based on which scenario describes your week.
Wired headphones like the Apple EarPods carry the audio signal from your device through the cable to the speakers in each bud, and the built-in remote on the cord sends your volume, playback and call commands back to the device. No battery or pairing is involved — plug into a 3.5mm jack and it works.
Current iPhones don't have a 3.5mm jack, so you'd use a 3.5mm-to-Lightning or 3.5mm-to-USB-C adapter. The EarPods themselves work with any device that has a 3.5mm headphone jack, so with the right adapter the remote and microphone continue to function.
Start by checking the obvious: the plug is fully seated in the jack, the volume isn't turned down, and the device isn't still routed to a Bluetooth output like the TRAUSI buds. Try the EarPods in a second device — if they work there, the problem is your original device's jack or settings, not the headphones.
For the gym I'd lean wireless. The TRAUSI Headphones are IPX7 waterproof and Bluetooth, so there's no cable to snag on equipment and sweat or rain isn't a concern. The EarPods have no water-resistance rating and a cord, which is workable but less convenient while training.
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