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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 swim-proof bone conduction headset that survives full submersion and pairs on the newest Bluetooth standard, choose Haowolf Bone Conduction Headphones; if you need maximum playtime per charge, a flexible neckband that adapts to your head shape, and a physical button you can feel with gloves on, choose Sunffice Open Ear.
• Haowolf Bone Conduction Headphones — biggest strength: a true IPX8 waterproof rating, the highest level of water protection either of these two carries, plus Bluetooth 5.4 and a listed 10-hour playback window. Biggest trade-off: no active noise control, and the same 10 hours applies to both charging and playback in its specs — that's a modest ceiling versus the Sunffice.
• Sunffice Open Ear — biggest strength: up to 15 hours of music, a claimed 20 hours of calls and 70 hours of standby, a memory titanium alloy neckband that twists to fit, and push-button controls. Biggest trade-off: the sheet only says "IPX Water Resistance" and explicitly warns it is not suitable for swimming.
• Who each pick is for: Haowolf for swimmers, heavy sweaters and rain runners who want the toughest water rating here; Sunffice for long-distance cyclists, commuters and all-day wearers who want battery life and a glove-friendly button.
The headline feature on the Haowolf X16 is the IPX8 waterproof construction. That rating is the whole reason this model exists in the lineup: it's built to shrug off sweat, rain and being submerged, which is why Haowolf markets it as a swimming headphone. If your training includes laps, or you ride in weather that soaks everything you own, this is the spec that separates it from the Sunffice.
Everything else supports that athletic brief. Bone conduction drivers sit outside your ear canal and send sound through your cheekbones, so your ears stay open to traffic, trail chatter and poolside noise — a genuine safety plus for running and cycling on public roads. Bluetooth 5.4 is the newer of the two wireless versions here, and Haowolf frames it around stronger anti-interference and more stable connections in messy signal environments. A 16mm dynamic driver is specified for the low end and highs, and the 20Hz–20,000Hz range is the standard full-band figure.
The housing mixes plastic, polycarbonate, silicone and TPE, which speaks to a soft-touch, flexible fit rather than a rigid frame. Touch controls keep the surface clean, and there's no noise cancellation at all — which is the point of open-ear design, but worth knowing if you wanted to mute a noisy train carriage.
Sunffice Open Ear: Who It's For
The Sunffice pair leads with endurance. The listed figures are 15 hours of music, 20 hours of calls and 70 hours of standby — all noticeably longer than the Haowolf's 10-hour playback window. That gap matters most for people who don't want to think about charging: full workdays, long weekend rides, flights, or a whole week of short gym sessions between top-ups. Charging happens over USB-C, and the port has a waterproof cover.
The second differentiator is the frame. Sunffice uses a memory titanium alloy neckband that can be twisted to match different head shapes. In practice that means a more custom-feeling fit and less pressure over long sessions, and the lightweight, earplug-free design is aimed squarely at all-day comfort without ear fatigue. The controls are physical push buttons — including a multifunction button for play/pause, calls and Siri — which is genuinely easier to operate by feel than a touch surface when your hands are cold or wet.
Audio is bone conduction through the cheekbones with a HiFi stereo claim and rich bass, running on Bluetooth 5.2 with a 10-metre range and low-latency framing. There's active noise cancellation in the control spec, though on an open-ear design the practical effect is limited — your ears are still open by design, which Sunffice treats as a safety feature for perceiving surroundings.
Buy it if battery life, fit flexibility and tactile buttons top your list, and you train hard but stay out of the pool. Skip it if you swim — the sheet is explicit that it isn't suitable for swimming — or if you specifically want the newer Bluetooth 5.4 radio.
• Best for swimming and heavy water exposure → Haowolf Bone Conduction Headphones. IPX8 is the only true submersion-grade rating between the two; Sunffice says outright it isn't for swimming.
• Best for battery life → Sunffice Open Ear. 15 hours of music, 20 hours of calls and 70 hours of standby beats the Haowolf's 10-hour playback figure.
• Best for the newest connectivity → Haowolf Bone Conduction Headphones. Bluetooth 5.4 versus Bluetooth 5.2, with Haowolf emphasising anti-interference and connection stability.
• Best for fit flexibility → Sunffice Open Ear. The memory titanium alloy neckband twists to suit different head shapes; the Haowolf sheet lists no adjustable-band feature.
• Best for glove-friendly, no-look control → Sunffice Open Ear. Push-button control beats a touch surface when you're wearing gloves or your fingers are numb.
• Best for audio hardware spec → Haowolf Bone Conduction Headphones. A 16mm dynamic driver and a stated 20Hz–20,000Hz range give it the more detailed audio story on paper.
• Best for rain and sweat without swimming → either works, but I'd give the edge to Haowolf for its higher water rating, and to Sunffice for longer sessions between charges.
• Best for teens and general everyday wear → Sunffice Open Ear, whose stated age range covers teenagers and adults, while Haowolf lists adults.
In my opinion, the Haowolf Bone Conduction Headphones are the pair I'd buy if water is anywhere in your routine. IPX8 is a meaningful, hard-to-fake advantage, and the Bluetooth 5.4 radio is the more future-proof choice; the 10-hour window is plenty for most workouts and commutes. I'd only switch to the Sunffice Open Ear if you specifically want the longer 15-hour playtime, the twist-to-fit titanium neckband, or physical buttons you can work by feel. For a swimmer, the Sunffice's "not suitable for swimming" note is a deal-breaker; for a long-ride cyclist, its battery life is the deal-maker. Check the current price on Amazon for both and let your own routine — pool or pavement — decide.
FAQ
Yes — its spec sheet lists IPX8 waterproof protection and it's marketed as a swimming headphone, so it's designed to handle submersion as well as sweat and rain. That's the key difference from the Sunffice, which is only described as water-resistant.
No. The Sunffice sheet describes IPX water resistance for sweat and weather and adds a clear note that it is not suitable for swimming. It's fine for rain and intense workouts, but keep it out of the pool.
The Sunffice Open Ear lists the longer figures — 15 hours of music, 20 hours of calls and 70 hours of standby — against the Haowolf's 10-hour playback. If you charge infrequently and listen all day, the Sunffice is the better fit on paper.
That's subjective, and I haven't measured either. On specs alone, the Haowolf lists a 16mm dynamic driver and a 20Hz–20,000Hz frequency range, which reads as the more detailed audio hardware, while the Sunffice emphasises balanced HiFi stereo and rich bass through bone conduction. Both are open-ear designs, so expect ambient sound to remain audible either way.
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