EXMAX HWE-05 vs Ugreen Airplane: Headphones for Airplane

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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.

Updated: 2026-09-24 · 7 min read · Independent comparison

If you want a simple, cheap-feeling pair of wired over-ear headphones you can hand out and not worry about, choose EXMAX HWE-05; if you need to turn an airplane's 3.5mm seat jack into a wireless Bluetooth signal for your own earbuds or headphones, choose Ugreen Airplane. These two products get lumped together because both show up in "airplane headphone" searches, but they solve completely different problems. One is a multi-pack of disposable wired headphones. The other is a small rechargeable Bluetooth adapter that has nothing to do with making sound on its own.

EXMAX HWE-05 vs Ugreen Airplane at a Glance

• EXMAX HWE-05 biggest strength: a lightweight 50 g over-ear wired headphone with an adjustable headband and a 3.5mm plug, sold as a 5-pack for schools, hotels, gyms, tour groups and give-aways.

• EXMAX HWE-05 biggest trade-off: it's explicitly built for short-term use, not long-term wear, and the brand itself frames it as disposable rather than durable.

• Ugreen Airplane biggest strength: a Bluetooth 5.2 transmitter/receiver that plugs into any 3.5mm jack (plane seat, TV, car stereo, treadmill) and sends audio wirelessly to your own Bluetooth headphones or AirPods.

• Ugreen Airplane biggest trade-off: it produces no sound by itself, so you must already own Bluetooth headphones or earbuds to use it — and it adds a device to charge and pair.

• Who each pick is for: EXMAX HWE-05 is for handing out working headphones to many people on a budget; Ugreen Airplane is for a traveler who wants to use their own wireless buds on a plane.

EXMAX HWE-05: Who It's For

The HWE-05 is a wired, over-ear headphone with a slim headband, soft padded ear pads and an adjustable fit designed to suit most heads — from kindergarten-age kids up to adults. It weighs just 50 g, so it's genuinely light on the head, and the 3.5mm plug works with tablets, laptops, desktops, MP3 players, fitness equipment and basically anything with a standard audio jack. The cord is listed at 150 cm in the feature bullets and 120 cm in the description, so expect roughly a few feet of reach — enough to move around a bit at a desk or seat without yanking the plug out.

Where it shines is volume and simplicity. You're buying a 5-pack of matching headphones that each come individually sealed in plastic. For a school testing session, a classroom lab, a hotel front desk lending out audio, a gym, a hospital waiting area or a tour group, that's the entire point: hand someone a headphone, they plug in, they listen. No pairing, no charging, no app. The padded cushions do double duty here — the brand describes them as sealing against ambient sound to help with passive noise reduction, which matters in a noisy room or cabin.

Who should skip it? Anyone who wants a headphone to last. The brand is upfront that these are not designed for long-term use and are meant for short-term and disposable situations; treated carefully, they might last a few months as school headphones, but that's the ceiling. The impedance is listed at 100 ohm, which is on the higher side and can mean they need a bit more power to get loud from weaker sources — worth knowing if you're plugging into something with a quiet output. If you want one nice headphone you'll keep for years, this isn't it. If you want a stack of working headphones for a group, it is.

Ugreen Airplane: Who It's For

The Ugreen Airplane is not a headphone. It's a 2-in-1 Bluetooth transmitter and receiver that plugs into a 3.5mm jack and either sends that audio out wirelessly (transmitter mode) or receives Bluetooth audio and passes it through a wired connection (receiver mode). On a flight, the use case is obvious: the seat's entertainment system has a 3.5mm jack, you plug the Ugreen adapter in, and now your own Bluetooth headphones or AirPods can hear the movie without any airline-provided cans.

It runs Bluetooth 5.2, supports stereo output, and includes a built-in microphone. Battery life is listed at 27 hours, which is more than enough for a long-haul flight plus a layover, and it charges over USB. It's small — roughly 2.21" by 1" by 0.51" — and light at 0.11 kg, so it disappears in a carry-on pocket. Ugreen also notes dual pairing, meaning in transmitter mode it can feed two sets of headphones at once, and in receiver mode it can accept two sources. That's genuinely useful for two people sharing a screen.

The trade-offs are real. First, it makes no sound on its own, so if you don't already own Bluetooth headphones or earbuds, this does nothing for you. Second, it's one more thing to charge and pair before a flight — and pairing quirks are normal with these adapters (the manual explains red/blue flashing for pairing, blue for a successful pair, white for shutdown, and a restart or factory reset if charging or pairing misbehaves). Third, audio travels over Bluetooth, so there's the usual small latency and compression versus a direct wire. Controls are handled through an app. It also works beyond planes: TVs, car stereos, treadmills and other 3.5mm sources. If you're a wireless-headphone owner who flies, this is the more relevant product of the two.

Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?

• Best for using your own wireless earbuds on a plane → Ugreen Airplane. It converts the seat's 3.5mm jack to Bluetooth 5.2 for your AirPods or headphones.

• Best for handing headphones to a group → EXMAX HWE-05. The 5-pack of wired over-ears is built for schools, hotels, gyms and give-aways.

• Best for zero setup → EXMAX HWE-05. Plug in the 3.5mm jack and listen; no pairing, charging or app.

• Best for battery life → Ugreen Airplane. Its 27-hour battery rating dwarfs the HWE-05's no-battery wired design.

• Best for long-term personal use → Ugreen Airplane. The HWE-05 is explicitly disposable and not intended for long-term wear.

• Best for two people sharing one screen → Ugreen Airplane. Dual pairing feeds two headsets at once; the HWE-05 is a single wired connection.

• Best for non-flight 3.5mm sources → Ugreen Airplane. It also works with TVs, car stereos and gym equipment.

• Best for comfort on a short session → EXMAX HWE-05. At 50 g with soft pads and an adjustable band, it's light for brief use.

My Verdict

If I had to pick one for actual air travel with my own wireless earbuds, I'd buy the Ugreen Airplane. In my opinion it's the product that solves the real airplane problem — the seat jack only takes wired headphones — and its Bluetooth 5.2 connection, 27-hour battery and dual pairing cover a long flight and a travel partner. The EXMAX HWE-05 only makes sense to me if your job is equipping a group: a classroom, a hotel, a gym or a tour, where a 5-pack of disposable wired over-ears is the practical answer. Different jobs, different picks. Check the current price on Amazon before you decide, since both are budget-leaning in different ways.

FAQ

what headphones for airplane

For a plane, you want either a wired headphone that plugs straight into the seat's 3.5mm jack (like the EXMAX HWE-05) or a Bluetooth adapter that turns that jack wireless so you can use your own headphones (like the Ugreen Airplane). The right choice depends on whether you already own wireless headphones.

what is the best headphones for airplanes

In my opinion, "best" here means best fit for your setup. If you own Bluetooth earbuds, the Ugreen Airplane is the better travel pick because it converts the seat jack to Bluetooth 5.2 with 27-hour battery and dual pairing. If you want simple wired listening with no charging, the EXMAX HWE-05 is the straightforward option.

what earphones for airplane

Earphones work on a plane if they connect to the seat's 3.5mm jack — either by plugging in directly or by pairing to a Bluetooth adapter like the Ugreen Airplane. The Ugreen unit is designed to send the seat audio wirelessly to your earbuds, including AirPods, so you can use the earphones you already own.

what kind of headphones for airplane

On a plane you'll see two kinds: wired over-ear headphones with a 3.5mm plug, and Bluetooth headphones paired to a 3.5mm adapter. The EXMAX HWE-05 is the wired over-ear type; the Ugreen Airplane is the adapter that lets Bluetooth headphones work with an airplane's wired jack.

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