We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-28 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want the cheapest way to keep using your existing Lightning earbuds on a new USB-C phone, choose Denlane Lightning; if you need a pair of volume-limited USB-C headphones a child can actually wear to school, choose INFURTURE USB C Kids.
These two products sit in the same search results but solve completely different problems. One is a tiny adapter that lets old Lightning EarPods talk to a USB-C port. The other is a full set of over-ear kids' headphones with a hard volume cap and active noise cancelling. Buying the wrong one is an easy mistake, so let's sort out which camp you're in.
• Denlane Lightning — biggest strength: turns a USB-C port into a Lightning audio jack, so your existing Lightning wired earbuds keep working on iPhone 15/16/17, USB-C iPads and Macs, and many Android phones. It's a 2-pack, so you get a spare.
• Denlane Lightning — biggest trade-off: it is audio only. The listing explicitly says it is not for charging or data transfer, and it only works with Lightning headphones — not a Lightning charging cable, not a Lightning-to-3.5mm dongle.
• INFURTURE USB C Kids — biggest strength: a native USB-C wired headphone with a 85/94dB volume limit, active noise cancelling, and an adjustable over-ear fit built for kids.
• INFURTURE USB C Kids — biggest trade-off: it's a single-purpose kids' headset. No adapter tricks, no adult tuning, no wireless mode — it plugs into USB-C and that's it.
• Who each is for: Denlane for anyone with a drawer full of Lightning earbuds and a new USB-C device; INFURTURE for a parent buying headphones for a child's tablet, classroom or travel bag.
The Denlane adapter is a pass-through for analog audio over Lightning. You plug the USB-C male end into your phone, tablet or laptop, then plug your Lightning EarPods into the Lightning female end. No app, no pairing, no settings menu — it's plug and play, and you can switch between devices whenever you like. The listing notes it supports call audio, music and the wired remote controls on the earbuds, which matters if you rely on the inline volume and mic buttons rather than pulling your phone out.
Where it earns its place is device churn. Apple moved the iPhone to USB-C starting with the 15 series, and the compatibility list here covers iPhone 15, 16 and 17, iPhone SE 4, iPad Pro 12.9" (3rd–7th gen), iPad Pro 11", iPad 10th and 11th gen, iPad Air 11" (4th–7th gen), iPad Mini 8.3" (6th–8th gen), plus MacBook, iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini and Mac Studio. It also lists a broad Android and Windows USB-C roster: Google Pixel 5A/5/4A/4/7 Pro, Moto Edge S/Edge S Pro/G8/G7 family, OnePlus 9/9 Pro/8/8 Pro/7T/7T Pro/7/6T, and Galaxy S23/S22 series plus Tab A7. If you own any of those and a set of Lightning earbuds, this is the bridge.
The build is worth a mention because small adapters get lost. Denlane uses a composite housing with abrasion resistance and heat dissipation, and uniquely it includes stringing holes with strings attached — you can hang it or tie it to the headphone cable. That's a genuinely thoughtful detail for something this easy to misplace. And since it ships as a 2-pack, you can keep one tethered to your bag and one at your desk.
Who should skip it? Anyone who wants to charge through the port, transfer files, or use a Lightning charging cable for anything. This adapter does audio only. Same if you're trying to run 3.5mm headphones — a Lightning female socket won't accept a 3.5mm plug. And if you already own USB-C headphones, you simply don't need it.
INFURTURE's FTBH135AG is a wired over-ear headphone with a USB Type-C jack and a kid-first design brief. The headline feature is the volume limit: it caps output at 85dB or 94dB, which is the kind of guardrail parents actually shop for when a child is using a tablet for school or entertainment. Rather than hoping a kid self-regulates the volume slider, the hardware sets the ceiling.
The second feature is active noise cancelling. On a plane, in a busy classroom, or in a car, ANC reduces the steady background drone so the child can hear content at a lower level — which pairs logically with the volume cap. There's also a stereo dynamic driver running a 20Hz–20,000Hz frequency range at 32 ohm impedance, so it will drive fine from a phone, tablet, iPad or laptop USB-C port without extra amplification.
It's a wired headphone, so there's no battery to charge and no pairing to lose — plug into USB-C and go. It ships with a user manual, it's rated for ages described as kid, and it carries a 1-year warranty. The trade-offs are honest: it's a single child's headset, not a shared adult pair, and it's not going to satisfy someone who wants a neutral, audiophile tuning or wireless freedom.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for reusing hardware you already own → Denlane Lightning. If you have Lightning EarPods and a USB-C phone or iPad, this is the entire reason the product exists.
• Best for a child's school or travel use → INFURTURE USB C Kids. The 85/94dB volume limit and ANC are the features that matter for young ears in noisy places.
• Best for multiple devices → Denlane Lightning. The compatibility list spans iPhone 15–17, iPad, Mac, Pixel, Moto, OnePlus, Galaxy S and Tab A7.
• Best for long listening sessions without a charger → INFURTURE USB C Kids. It's a wired headphone with no battery at all, so there's nothing to top up.
• Best for not losing the thing → Denlane Lightning. The stringing holes and included strings are a small but real anti-loss design.
• Best for comfort over long stretches → INFURTURE USB C Kids. Over-ear oval cups, adjustable headband, protein leather, 0.3 kg.
• Best if you need charging or data → neither. Denlane is explicitly not for charging or data transfer, and INFURTURE is headphones only.
• Best for a shared household → Denlane Lightning. The 2-pack means two adapters for two people or two bags.
If I had Lightning earbuds sitting in a drawer and a new USB-C device, I'd buy the Denlane Lightning adapter — it's a focused, well-considered fix for one specific annoyance, and the 2-pack plus the tether strings makes it hard to regret. If I were buying for a child instead, I'd go with INFURTURE USB C Kids, because the volume limit and ANC are the features that actually protect and help a young listener. Different problems, different answers. Pick based on which problem is yours, then check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
How to use usb c headphones on mac
Plug the USB-C connector straight into a USB-C port on your MacBook, iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro or Mac Studio — the Denlane compatibility list covers those machines, and the INFURTURE headset uses the same USB-C connection. macOS recognizes wired USB-C audio automatically, so there's no setup step.
How to use usb c headphones on android phone
Connect the USB-C plug to the phone's port. Denlane lists support for Pixel, Moto, OnePlus and Galaxy S22/S23 devices with Lightning earbuds attached, while the INFURTURE headset connects natively. If your phone has a USB-C port and supports USB audio, it should route sound to the headphones without any app.
How to use usb c headphones on android
Same routine as any Android device: plug in, and the phone switches audio output to USB-C. The Denlane adapter only carries audio — it will not charge the phone or pass data — so keep the charging cable separate. The INFURTURE headset needs no adapter at all.
How to use usb c headphones on ps5
Neither product lists PlayStation 5 in its compatibility data, so I wouldn't count on either working there. For consoles, check the console's own USB audio support before buying anything. If PS5 use is your main goal, treat these as unconfirmed.
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