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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-29 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• FIFINE X3 biggest strength: Active Noise Canceling, 65-hour battery, Bluetooth 5.3 multipoint, and on-board volume adjustment via button and touch controls.
• FIFINE X3 biggest trade-off: It's wireless-only — no wired USB-C audio path and no inline remote, so volume and modes live on the headset itself.
• APETOO USB C Headphones biggest strength: A wired USB-C plug with an inline button remote dedicated to volume control, plus a built-in DAC for lossless stereo.
• APETOO USB C Headphones biggest trade-off: No battery, no Bluetooth, and it only works with devices that have a USB-C audio port — no 3.5 mm fallback.
• Who each pick is for: FIFINE X3 → commuters, gym-goers and hybrid workers who want ANC and multipoint. APETOO → phone and laptop users who want a plug-and-play wired set with a physical volume remote.
The FIFINE X3 is built around three ideas: block the noise, last all day, and jump between devices. The Active Noise Canceling is the headline — it's designed to cut ambient rumble on public transit or in a crowded office so voices come through clearer on calls. The 40 mm dynamic drivers cover a 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range at 32 ohm impedance, and the over-ear cups use fabric and memory foam with an adjustable headband. In my opinion that combination is what makes it wearable for long stretches rather than a 20-minute headphone.
Then there's the battery. FIFINE rates it at up to 65 hours of average use with a 2.5-hour charge, which is the kind of number that changes how you use a headphone — you stop thinking about the charger. Bluetooth 5.3 with a 10-meter range keeps the connection stable, and multipoint lets you stay paired to a laptop and a phone at once, so a call can come in without you re-pairing anything. There's also a transparency mode for hearing what's around you, and a low-latency mode for watching video without lip-sync drift.
On volume control specifically: the X3 handles it on the headset. The controls are button-based with touch input as well, covering play/pause, answer/hang up, volume adjustment, and mode switching. No inline remote, no wire — it's all on the ear cup.
Buy it if you commute, travel, work out, take a lot of calls, or juggle multiple devices and want ANC plus a battery that outlasts your week. Skip it if you want a wired connection, need a physical inline volume remote, or you're on a device where Bluetooth latency matters and you can't enable the low-latency mode.
The APETOO USB C Headphones take the opposite approach. This is a wired in-ear set with a USB-C plug, and the whole point is that there is no battery, no pairing, and no charging — you plug in and it works. The connector feeds a built-in digital DAC chip that transmits high-fidelity stereo, and the soft silicone tips isolate ambient sound passively rather than electronically. The enclosure is ABS, alloy, copper and TPE, with oval-shaped in-ear housings, and the drivers run 20 Hz–20,000 Hz at 32 ohm — the same impedance figure as the FIFINE, which matters if you care about how hard each one is to drive.
Volume control is where this set earns its place in a comparison like this. The control type is listed as Volume Control, handled by a Remote with Button control method — that's an inline remote on the cable, so your hand finds the volume without reaching for your phone. If you've ever fumbled for a phone while walking, that's the difference.
Compatibility is broad but strictly USB-C: iPhone 17/16/15 series, Samsung Galaxy S26 through S20 and Note lines, Galaxy A and Z series, Google Pixel 10 down to Pixel 2 XL, iPad 10/Pro/Air/mini, MacBook Air and Pro, plus OnePlus and Motorola devices — all of them USB-C audio ports, since there's no 3.5 mm jack involved. The package includes a mini storage zipper case and two extra pairs of S/L ear tips, and APETOO notes lifetime after-service with a 24-hour weekday response.
A couple of practical notes straight from the manufacturer: on Mac, you may need to set Sound → Output/Input to "USB"; on iPhone 17/16/15 you may need to choose "Headphones" the first time; and if one side is silent, re-plugging the connector usually resolves it. Buy it if you want wired reliability, a physical volume remote, and passive isolation with no charging. Skip it if your phone or laptop has only a 3.5 mm jack, or you want ANC and wireless freedom.
• Best for noise cancellation → FIFINE X3. It has Active Noise Canceling; APETOO relies on silicone-tip sound isolation only.
• Best for volume control on the cable → APETOO. Its remote is explicitly a volume control; the X3 puts volume on the headset buttons and touch surface.
• Best for all-day use without charging → FIFINE X3. 65 hours of average battery life versus a wired set that never needs a charge because it never has one.
• Best for zero-latency, zero-pairing simplicity → APETOO. Wired USB-C means no Bluetooth handshake and no battery state to manage.
• Best for switching between laptop and phone → FIFINE X3. Multipoint keeps two devices connected simultaneously.
• Best for travel and gym → FIFINE X3. Foldable, lightweight, over-ear with memory foam; APETOO is more pocketable but tethered.
• Best for calls on the move → either, depending on your setup. The X3 gives you ANC and a mic over Bluetooth; APETOO gives you a wired mic that doesn't depend on charging.
• Best for phones with no headphone jack → APETOO. That's exactly the device class it's built for — as long as the port is USB-C.
If I had to pick one for most people, I'd buy the FIFINE X3. In my opinion, ANC plus 65 hours of battery plus multipoint covers more real situations — commuting, calls, workouts, switching between a laptop and a phone — than any single wired advantage can. I'd choose the APETOO USB C Headphones instead if my priority were a dead-simple wired connection with a physical inline volume remote and no charging routine at all. Both are sound picks; the deciding question is whether you want freedom from cables or freedom from batteries. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one thing that can tip a close call.
how to disable volume control on wired headphones
On a set like the APETOO, volume is handled by the inline remote's buttons on the cable — those are hardware controls, not a software toggle, so there's no setting that turns them off. In practice you'd control volume from the device itself instead, or leave the remote buttons alone and adjust on screen.
do earbuds have volume control
Many do, and the APETOO USB C Headphones are one example: their control type is listed as Volume Control via a button remote on the cable. Over-ear models like the FIFINE X3 handle volume differently — through button and touch controls on the headset rather than an inline remote.
Yes. The APETOO is a wired USB-C set with no 3.5 mm option, so it needs a device with a USB-C audio port — that covers most recent iPhone, Galaxy, Pixel, iPad and MacBook models listed by the brand. If your device only has a round headphone jack, this set won't connect.
The FIFINE X3, in my opinion, because its Active Noise Canceling is designed to reduce background noise so your voice comes through more clearly in crowded or transit settings, and it connects wirelessly with a built-in mic. The APETOO's isolation is passive, from the silicone ear tips, which helps you hear but doesn't actively cancel the room.
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