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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a headphone you can actually wear in the water — swimming laps with onboard music and no phone in sight — choose H2O Audio TRI 2; if you need a lighter, simpler, all-day Bluetooth companion for running, cycling and the gym, choose Pupabiflor Bone Conduction Headphones.
• H2O Audio TRI 2 — biggest strength: true dual-mode audio. Bluetooth 5.3 on land, plus a built-in MP3 mode with 8GB of memory that plays clear audio up to 12 feet underwater, so you can swim with music and leave your phone on the deck.
• H2O Audio TRI 2 — biggest trade-off: it's the heavier, more complex kit (0.33 kg with case and accessories), MP3 battery life is shorter than Bluetooth, and it only makes sense if you'll genuinely use the swim mode.
• Pupabiflor — biggest strength: all-day comfort and endurance. At just 29g with titanium alloy memory wire and up to 12 hours of continuous playback, it disappears on your head and keeps going.
• Pupabiflor — biggest trade-off: IPX7 sweat and rain resistance is not swim-rated, there's no onboard memory, and it's Bluetooth-only — so it can't follow you underwater.
• Pick the TRI 2 if your training mixes pool or open-water swimming with land workouts.
• Pick the Pupabiflor if you want a featherweight, budget-minded open-ear headphone for running, gym and cycling.
The TRI 2 is built around one idea: your workout shouldn't stop when you get in the water. It uses bone conduction drivers that sit outside the ear canal, so you keep your ears open to traffic, training partners and poolside cues. On land you stream over Bluetooth 5.3 — music, podcasts, calls. The moment you go under, you flip to MP3 mode and play straight from the built-in 8GB memory, which holds roughly 2,000 songs and up to 130 hours of audio. H2O Audio rates underwater playback as clear up to 12 feet, and the box includes optional earplugs specifically for swimming.
Battery is split by mode, and that's worth understanding before you buy: an average of about 8.5 hours of mixed use, 9 hours in Bluetooth, and 6 hours in MP3. A full charge takes about 2 hours. The audio formats supported are M4A, MP3, WMA, FLAC and APE, so your existing library will almost certainly load fine. There's also PLAYLIST+, which records live-streamed audio from an app so you can replay it later — even underwater. That's a genuinely unusual feature and it's aimed squarely at swimmers who want their streaming playlists in the pool.
In my opinion, the TRI 2 is for the multi-sport athlete: the person who swims laps on Tuesday, runs on Thursday and rides on the weekend, and wants one headphone for all of it. You also get redesigned, intuitive button controls that work with wet hands, a soft silicone finish, and a hard-shell case with a mesh pocket for the cable and accessories. H2O Audio backs it with a one-year warranty.
Who should skip it? If you never swim, you're paying for capability you won't use. The MP3 mode, the 8GB memory, the earplugs and the waterproofing are the whole point. A pure land runner is better served by something lighter and simpler.
The Pupabiflor is the straightforward, comfortable everyday option. It weighs only 29g, and the frame combines a lightweight integrated build with a precision titanium alloy memory wire, so it bends to your head shape and stays put. The earhook is described as bionic-based and grips the ear in multiple directions — the practical upshot being it shouldn't shift during sprints, burpees or a bumpy bike path. Skin-friendly silicone sits against your skin, and because the drivers never enter the ear canal, there's no pressure or irritation even after hours of wear.
Water resistance is IPX7 with a nano-coating. Read that carefully: IPX7 means it shrugs off sweat, rain and a humid gym, and it's rated to survive immersion — but Pupabiflor positions this as a running, walking, cycling and gym headphone, not a swim headphone. There's no onboard memory and no MP3 mode, so underwater it would simply lose its Bluetooth signal. Treat it as sweat-and-weather proof, not swim-ready.
Battery is the headline number: up to 12 hours of continuous use from a high-density battery. That's a full week of hour-long gym sessions on a single charge, or a long ride without a top-up. Connectivity is Bluetooth 5.3, same generation as the TRI 2, with millisecond no-lag pairing to phones, tablets and computers and stable transmission. The open-ear design keeps you fully aware of your surroundings — a real safety argument for jogging on roads, cycling in traffic or running trails. Controls are button-based, noise control is none (which is the point of open ear), and the package includes the headphones and a user manual. Warranty is one year.
I'd point the Pupabiflor at the runner, walker, cyclist or gym-goer who wants lightweight comfort, long battery and situational awareness without any swim ambitions. Skip it if your training includes laps.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for all-day battery → Pupabiflor. Up to 12 hours continuous, versus 9 hours Bluetooth, 6 hours MP3 and roughly 8.5 hours mixed on the TRI 2.
• Best for lightweight comfort → Pupabiflor. 29g with titanium alloy memory wire versus a 0.33 kg total kit on the TRI 2.
• Best for phone-free workouts → H2O Audio TRI 2. Load your library into 8GB of memory (about 2,000 songs) and leave the phone behind entirely.
• Best for rain and sweat → either. TRI 2 carries IPX8; Pupabiflor carries IPX7 with a nano-coating. Both handle weather and hard training.
• Best for situational awareness → both. Both are open-ear bone conduction, so external sound stays unobstructed.
• Best for streaming and calls on land → both. Both run Bluetooth 5.3; the TRI 2 adds PLAYLIST+ recording and playback, plus optional earplugs for swimming.
• Best for a simple, no-fuss setup → Pupabiflor. Pair once and go, with no file transfers or mode switching.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the H2O Audio TRI 2. In my opinion it's the more capable product because it solves a problem the Pupabiflor can't touch: music while swimming. Bluetooth 5.3 for land, 8GB of MP3 memory for the water, IPX8, PLAYLIST+, a hard case and a one-year warranty add up to a genuine multi-sport tool rather than just a running headphone. The Pupabiflor is a smart, light, long-lasting choice — and I'd recommend it without hesitation to anyone who never gets in a pool. But if your training crosses between land and water, the TRI 2 is the one that keeps up. Check the current price on Amazon before you decide, since that's the one variable that can tip this either way.
Only if you'll use the swim mode. The TRI 2 adds MP3 playback from 8GB of memory, IPX8 waterproofing and PLAYLIST+ recording. If you never swim, the Pupabiflor gives you more battery and less weight for land training.
It's rated IPX7 with a nano-coating, which covers sweat, rain and immersion, but Pupabiflor lists it for running, walking, cycling and gym use. It has no onboard memory, so it can't play music without Bluetooth — meaning no audio underwater.
The Pupabiflor, at up to 12 hours of continuous playback. The H2O Audio TRI 2 delivers about 9 hours over Bluetooth, 6 hours in MP3 mode, and roughly 8.5 hours mixed, with a 2-hour charge time.
Both use open-ear bone conduction, so neither blocks or presses into your ear canal. The Pupabiflor is the lighter of the two at 29g with a titanium alloy memory wire; the TRI 2 uses a soft silicone finish and redesigned controls for wet, active use.
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