We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-20 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
If you want the classic sealed in-ear experience with active noise cancellation, a charging case that tops up your listening time, and a hard 36-hour total battery figure, choose Generic Earbuds; if you need your ears left open to traffic, conversation and your surroundings while you run or ride, choose GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones.
• Generic Earbuds — biggest strength: A full in-ear system: Bluetooth 5.4, adaptive noise cancellation, ENC call noise reduction, dual 14.2 mm dynamic drivers, an LED battery display and IP7 waterproofing, with 6–8 hours per charge and up to 36 hours total via the case.
• Generic Earbuds — biggest trade-off: They seal your ear canal by design. That's what makes the noise reduction work, but it also means you're cut off from the world around you, and the fit depends on silicone tips suiting your ears.
• GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones — biggest strength: An open-ear hook design with a quad-speaker setup (dual drivers per earbud), 15 mm large-diaphragm dynamic drivers and a dedicated amplifier chip, plus 40 hours of battery life and IPX6 water resistance.
• GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones — biggest trade-off: Nothing plugs your ears, so you get no isolation and no noise cancellation. The spec sheet lists no charging case, no LED display and no stated Bluetooth range, and the design is clearly built around movement rather than desk work.
• Who each is for: Generic Earbuds suit someone who wants immersive, isolated listening for commuting, calls and workouts; GREYOLK suit runners, cyclists and anyone who needs to stay aware of their surroundings for hours at a time.
The Generic Earbuds (model SP99) are what most people picture when they hear "wireless earbuds." Two buds, a charging case, and a spec sheet that reads like a checklist of the things buyers actually ask about. Bluetooth 5.4 with a stated 15-metre range and automatic pairing covers the basics of staying connected across a phone, a laptop or a tablet. The audio side is handled by dual 14.2 mm low-distortion composite dynamic drivers with AAC and SBC support, and the frequency range runs from 2,000 Hz to 20,000 Hz with 32 ohm impedance and 101 dB sensitivity — easy to drive from a phone without any external amp.
Buy these if you want maximum immersion, call clarity in noisy places, and a case that keeps the total runtime high. Skip them if you need to hear traffic, teammates or your surroundings while you listen — the sealed fit and active noise cancellation work directly against that.
GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones: Who It's For
The GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones (model 039) take the opposite approach to almost everything above. Instead of sealing your ear canal, they hook over your ear and sit outside it, leaving the canal open. The colour is black, the ear placement is listed as Open Ear, and the control method is touch, same as the Generic pair. Bluetooth is version 5.4 here too, and there's no headphone jack on either product.
Where GREYOLK differs is the driver arrangement. This is a quad-speaker design — dual drivers in each earbud — built around 15 mm large-diaphragm dynamic drivers with a dedicated headphone amplifier chip. The primary drivers are aligned with your ear canal to push sound toward you rather than into your ear. That's a genuinely different engineering problem from a sealed bud, and the amplifier chip is there to make sure the open design still has enough output to sound full rather than thin. The other standout number is battery: 40 hours of average life, which is the longest single figure on either sheet and, notably, is achieved without any charging case mentioned in the specs.
That combination — open ear, earhook fit, 40 hours, IPX6 — tells you exactly who this is built for. IPX6 means it handles sweat and heavy rain spray but isn't rated for immersion, so it's a workout and outdoor rating rather than a swimming one. The earhook keeps the bud anchored through running and cycling in a way that in-ear tips sometimes don't. And because your canal stays open, you hear cars, bikes, footsteps and conversation while your audio plays on top.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for noise cancellation and isolation → Generic Earbuds. Adaptive Noise Cancellation plus a sealed in-ear fit is the only combination here that actively blocks sound.
• Best for calls in loud places → Generic Earbuds. The ENC microphone noise reduction is designed specifically for voice clarity in noisy environments.
• Best for total battery life → GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones. 40 hours on a single listed figure beats the Generic pair's 36 hours, and GREYOLK doesn't depend on a case to get there.
• Best for runners, cyclists and outdoor workouts → GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones. The open-ear earhook fit and IPX6 rating are made for movement and keeping you aware of traffic.
• Best for gym sessions and sweaty training → Generic Earbuds on paper, GREYOLK in practice. Generic carries the higher IP7 dust-and-water rating, but GREYOLK's hook design is less likely to work loose mid-set.
• Best for commuting, flights and focused desk work → Generic Earbuds. This is exactly the scenario the isolation, LED battery display and case are designed around.
• Best for all-day wear comfort → GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones. Nothing sits inside your ear canal, so there's no pressure build-up over long sessions.
• Best for knowing your remaining battery at a glance → Generic Earbuds. The LED display shows the charge of both the buds and the case; GREYOLK lists no display.
In my opinion, the right pick comes down to one question: do you want your ears sealed or open? If you want to disappear into your music, take calls in a noisy office, or block out a commute, I'd buy the Generic Earbuds — noise cancellation, ENC call clarity, a battery display and a case that stretches runtime to 36 hours is a genuinely complete package, and IP7 is the tougher water rating of the two. If you run, ride or simply can't stand the plugged-up feeling, I'd buy the GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones instead: 40 hours of battery and an open-ear hook design are built for exactly that life, and no amount of noise cancellation makes up for not hearing the car behind you.
For outdoor running, yes, in my view. The earhook keeps them anchored and the open design lets you hear traffic and other people. The trade-off is zero noise isolation — you'll hear the world along with your music. The Generic Earbuds are the better pick for treadmill or indoor sessions where isolation helps.
Yes. The spec sheet lists Adaptive Noise Cancellation, plus ENC noise reduction on the microphones for calls. Combined with the sealed in-ear fit and silicone tips, that's the main reason to choose them over an open-ear design. The GREYOLK pair lists no noise cancellation at all — that's the point of its open design.
The Generic Earbuds give 6–8 hours per charge and up to 36 hours total with the charging case, recharging over Type-C in about an hour. The GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones list 40 hours of average battery life, which is the longer figure and doesn't rely on a case.
If you'll use them in noisy places, on calls, or on planes and trains, go with the Generic Earbuds for the isolation. If your priority is hearing your surroundings while you run, cycle or work out, go with the GREYOLK Open Ear Headphones. Either way, check the current price on Amazon before deciding — the button on this page takes you there.
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