We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-22 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a simple, no-battery wired headphone you can plug into a computer or laptop and forget about, choose ARTIX CL750; if you need wireless freedom, long battery life and workout-ready durability, choose Skullcandy Icon 180.
• ARTIX CL750 — biggest strength: pure plug-and-play wired audio over a 3.5 mm jack, with 40 mm dynamic drivers, on-ear sound isolation and inline volume control. No charging, no pairing, no app.
• ARTIX CL750 — biggest trade-off: it's wired only. You're tethered to your device, there's no Bluetooth, no active noise cancelling and no water-resistance rating.
• Skullcandy Icon 180 — biggest strength: up to 50 hours of battery, Bluetooth 5.3, multipoint pairing, a sweat- and water-resistant nano-coating and a flat-folding travel design — plus a 3.5 mm AUX cable in the box.
• Skullcandy Icon 180 — biggest trade-off: it depends on a charge for wireless use, its 30 mm drivers are smaller than the ARTIX's 40 mm, and it has no active noise cancelling — only passive on-ear sealing.
• Who each pick is for: the ARTIX CL750 suits desk-bound users, students and anyone who wants zero-fuss wired listening; the Skullcandy Icon 180 suits commuters, travellers and gym-goers who want wireless range and battery endurance.
The ARTIX CL750 is the definition of a "just works" headphone. It's a wired on-ear model with a fixed 3.5 mm jack, 32-ohm impedance and a 20 Hz – 20 kHz frequency range — the standard full-range spec you'd expect from a general-purpose headphone. The 40 mm dynamic drivers are the headline number here, and in my opinion that's a genuinely useful size for an on-ear design: larger drivers generally move more air and tend to give you a fuller low end than smaller ones. If you spend your day in front of a laptop, this is the kind of headphone you plug in and stop thinking about.
The feature set is deliberately old-school, and that's the appeal. There's no battery to manage, no Bluetooth pairing to redo, no app to install. Volume control sits inline on the cable as a push-button control, so you can adjust levels without reaching for your keyboard. The earcups are on-ear with a plastic and faux-leather build, and the whole thing folds for storage in the included carrying case. The 3.5 mm aux jack theme and "Video Game" styling hint at where it fits best: desktops, laptops, consoles and any device with a headphone port. Sound isolation is passive — the earcups physically block some ambient noise, but there's no active noise cancelling here.
Skullcandy Icon 180: Who It's For
The Skullcandy Icon 180 is the opposite philosophy: a wireless, travel-first on-ear headphone built around battery life and durability. The headline figure is up to 50 hours of playback, and Rapid Charge fills in the gaps — a 10-minute charge reportedly gives you about 4 hours of listening. That combination is what makes it genuinely useful for people who are always on the move, because you can top it up in the time it takes to pack a bag. A full charge takes roughly an hour.
Connectivity is Bluetooth 5.3, and the multipoint pairing feature means it can hold two devices at once with seamless switching — phone and laptop, for example, without re-pairing each time. There's also a Skullcandy app where you can customise EQ, pick EQ presets and enable Low Latency Audio, which matters if you're watching video or gaming and want the audio to stay in sync. The included 3.5 mm AUX cable is a smart touch: if the battery dies or you're on a flight with a seatback jack, you can go wired anyway.
Physically, it's an on-ear design with oval earcups, plush cushions and a padded headband, built from faux leather, metal, plastic and silicone. It flat-folds and collapses for portability. The nano-coating makes it sweat- and water-resistant, so workouts and bad weather aren't a problem. Sensitivity is rated at 109 dB, which means it gets loud easily from modest sources. The driver size is 30 mm — smaller than the ARTIX — and the frequency range is the same 20 Hz – 20 kHz. Note that there's no active noise cancelling; noise control is listed as "None," so isolation is passive. It carries a 1-year manufacturer warranty.
Who should buy it: commuters, travellers, gym users and anyone who wants wireless convenience with serious battery life and app-based tuning. Who should skip it: if you want maximum driver size, a pure wired setup with zero charging, or you hate managing apps and firmware, the ARTIX is the simpler answer.
• Best for battery life → Skullcandy Icon 180. Up to 50 hours, with a 10-minute rapid charge giving roughly 4 hours.
• Best for zero-hassle wired use → ARTIX CL750. Plug into a 3.5 mm jack and listen; no charging, pairing or app required.
• Best for larger drivers → ARTIX CL750. 40 mm dynamic drivers versus 30 mm on the Icon 180.
• Best for travel and portability → Skullcandy Icon 180. Flat-folding, collapsible, with an AUX cable included for wired backup.
• Best for workouts and weather → Skullcandy Icon 180. Sweat- and water-resistant nano-coating; the ARTIX has no such rating.
• Best for multi-device switching → Skullcandy Icon 180. Bluetooth 5.3 multipoint pairing handles two devices at once.
• Best for tuning your sound → Skullcandy Icon 180. The companion app offers EQ customisation, presets and Low Latency Audio.
• Best for desk and laptop duty → ARTIX CL750. On-ear isolation, inline volume control and a folding plastic/faux-leather build made for stationary setups.
If I were buying for myself, I'd pick the Skullcandy Icon 180. In my opinion the 50-hour battery, rapid charge, multipoint Bluetooth, app EQ and sweat resistance cover far more of the situations most people actually use headphones in — commuting, travelling, working out, switching between phone and laptop. The included AUX cable also softens its one weakness, since you can still go wired when you want to. I'd only steer you to the ARTIX CL750 if you specifically want a dedicated wired headphone for a computer or laptop and never want to think about charging again; its 40 mm drivers and plug-and-play design are genuinely appealing for that narrow job.
FAQ
No. It's a wired on-ear headphone with a 3.5 mm jack and no Bluetooth. It works with anything that has a standard headphone port, including computers, laptops and controllers.
It does not have active noise cancelling — noise control is listed as none. Isolation is passive through the on-ear cushions, though the sweat- and water-resistant coating and long battery are its main selling points.
The ARTIX CL750 uses 40 mm dynamic drivers; the Skullcandy Icon 180 uses 30 mm dynamic drivers. Both cover a 20 Hz – 20 kHz frequency range.
Yes, in a limited way. It ships with a 3.5 mm AUX cable, so you can plug in and listen wired when the battery is empty, though app features and Bluetooth require power.
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