We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-18 · 5 min read · Independent comparison
If you want an everyday open-ear sport headphone that keeps your ears free and your wallet happy, choose IHAO Air Conduction; if you need a headphone that actually works underwater and carries its own music library, choose LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming. That's the whole call in one line. Everything below is the reasoning behind it.
• Biggest strength of IHAO Air Conduction: a lightweight ~46 g open-ear frame with Bluetooth 5.2, IPX5 sweat/rain resistance, and multi-device pairing — a simple, comfortable sport headphone for land.
• Biggest trade-off of IHAO Air Conduction: no onboard memory, no underwater rating, and its IPX5 protection is sweat-and-rain only, not swim-level.
• Biggest strength of LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming: IP68 sealing rated for 2+ hours at 10 ft depths, a 32 GB MP3 mode that plays without a phone, Bluetooth 5.4, and up to 10 hours per charge.
• Biggest trade-off of LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming: you pay for that swim capability in bulk and complexity — you have to switch to MP3 mode underwater, and Bluetooth is dead the moment your head goes under.
• Pick IHAO Air Conduction if you're a runner, cyclist or gym-goer who wants an open-ear headphone that stays put and survives sweat.
• Pick LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming if you swim laps, surf, or train in water and want music without leaving a phone on the poolside.
The IHAO Air Conduction is built around one idea: keep your ears open and your head light. At roughly 46 g it sits on your cheekbones rather than inside your ear canal, so there's no pressure build-up and no "plugged" feeling during a long session. Bluetooth 5.2 handles the connection, and the headphone can pair with two devices at once, which is genuinely useful if you're switching between a phone and a laptop or a watch.
The IPX5 rating is the part to read carefully. That covers sweat and rain — fine for a run in bad weather, a spin class, or a gym session. It does not cover submerging the headphone. So if your training happens on land, the IHAO Air Conduction is the more straightforward tool: open-ear awareness of traffic and surroundings, a secure fit for running and cycling, and a mic for calls.
Who should skip it? Swimmers, and anyone who wants to leave their phone behind. There's no onboard storage here, so all audio comes over Bluetooth, and water will block that signal anyway. If your workouts happen in a pool, this isn't the one.
The LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming is a different animal entirely. It's rated IP68 and engineered for 2+ hours at 10 ft depths, and it carries 32 GB of internal memory — enough for thousands of tracks. That combination is the point: you load your music onto the headphone, switch it to MP3 mode, and swim with no phone anywhere near the water. Bluetooth physically can't travel through water, so the MP3 mode isn't a gimmick, it's the only way this works in a pool.
On land it holds up too. Bluetooth 5.4 gives you a stable, low-latency connection, there's a noise-canceling microphone for calls, and the battery runs up to 10 hours on a 2-hour magnetic charge. At 29 g it's lighter than the IHAO on paper, and it uses a flexible titanium alloy frame with memory foam ear tips and a soft skin-friendly coating to stay put during movement.
The trade-offs are real, though. You're managing two modes — Bluetooth for dry land, MP3 for water — and you have to remember to switch. The 32 GB is fixed internal storage, not expandable. And if you never go near water, you're carrying swim-grade engineering you'll never use.
• Best for swimming → LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming. IP68, 10 ft depth rating, 2+ hours underwater, 32 GB MP3 mode. The IHAO can't go there.
• Best for running, cycling and gym work → IHAO Air Conduction. IPX5 sweat/rain protection and a secure ~46 g open-ear fit are exactly what dry-land training needs.
• Best for battery life → LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming. Up to 10 hours of playback versus the IHAO's unspecified runtime.
• Best for leaving your phone behind → LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming. 32 GB of internal storage plays with no source device at all.
• Best for wireless connectivity → LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming, narrowly. Bluetooth 5.4 beats the IHAO's 5.2 on latency and connection stability.
• Best for multi-device switching → IHAO Air Conduction. It connects to two devices at once, which the LOBKIN sheet doesn't claim.
• Best for lighter weight → LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming. 29 g versus roughly 46 g, though the IHAO's open-ear design is arguably the comfier everyday shape.
• Best for a simple, no-fuss daily headphone → IHAO Air Conduction. One mode, one job, done.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming. In my opinion it's the more capable headphone overall: IP68 waterproofing, 32 GB of built-in storage, Bluetooth 5.4, and up to 10 hours of playback cover swimming and everything the IHAO does on land — running, cycling, calls. The IHAO Air Conduction is a fine, lightweight open-ear sport headphone, but it's a land-only device, and the moment you want to swim with music it's out of the running. Unless your workouts are strictly dry and you value the IHAO's simplicity and dual-device pairing, the LOBKIN is the safer long-term buy. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit — that's the one number that could tip this either way.
No. Its IPX5 rating covers sweat and rain only, not submersion. For pool or open-water swimming you need a headphone rated for underwater use, like the LOBKIN's IP68.
No — water blocks Bluetooth transmission. You switch them to MP3 mode and play from the built-in 32 GB of storage, which is why they work independently of your phone while swimming.
It depends on what you'll actually do. The IHAO Air Conduction covers land sports with less complexity, while the LOBKIN Bone Conduction Swimming adds IP68 waterproofing, 32 GB storage, Bluetooth 5.4 and 10 hours of playback. Compare the current prices on Amazon and match them to your routine.
The LOBKIN is lighter at 29 g, with a titanium alloy frame and memory foam tips. The IHAO is around 46 g but uses an open-ear design that rests off the ear canal, which many people find pain-free over long periods.
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