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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-27 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
• JLab Nightfall — biggest strength: 70+ hours of Bluetooth playtime, a 50mm driver setup, and a flip-to-mute boom mic that screams "gaming session," not "phone call."
• JLab Nightfall — biggest trade-off: It's an over-ear headset at 279 g with passive noise cancellation only, so it blocks your ears and your awareness of the room.
• Smof Open-Ear Headphones — biggest strength: An open-ear, air-conduction design at roughly 41 g that keeps your ear canal open and your surroundings audible.
• Smof Open-Ear Headphones — biggest trade-off: Around 10 hours of listening time and no low-latency dongle, so it's a work-and-drive headset, not a gaming rig.
• Who JLab Nightfall is for: Gamers on PC, PlayStation or Switch who want long sessions, spatial audio and a proper boom mic.
• Who Smof Open-Ear Headphones is for: Drivers, call-heavy workers, and anyone who needs to hear traffic, coworkers or family while on a call.
The Nightfall is built around stamina and immersion. JLab rates it at 70+ hours of Bluetooth playtime, and even the 2.4GHz USB-C dongle path is quoted at 60+ hours. A 10-minute rapid charge adds 10 more hours, which matters when you sit down for a session you didn't plan on. Connectivity is dual-mode: Bluetooth 5.3 for everyday use, or the included dongle for a 2.4GHz link with 30+ feet of range. That dongle works with USB-C or USB-A, which quietly solves the biggest headache in wireless gaming.
The audio side is where the gaming intent shows. Two 50mm drivers, each sitting behind a sound-isolating inner shelf per earcup, are designed to deliver detail and deep bass rather than a flat, neutral signature. Spatial Audio compatibility adds directional cues, so footsteps and engine noise land where they should. EQ3 settings — Gaming, Music and Custom — let you shift the tuning through the Lab App instead of living with one preset.
The mic is the other half of the story. It's a rotating boom that flips up to mute, using a near-field directional condenser to grab your voice and push down room noise. In practice, "flip up to mute" is the feature people actually use mid-match, and it beats hunting for a button. Comfort comes from Cloud Foam earcups and a super-wide adjustable headband that spreads weight instead of clamping it, which is the right call for a 279 g headset. JLab covers it with a two-year warranty, and it works with PC, PlayStation and Nintendo Switch out of the box.
Who should buy it: Anyone whose priority is multiplayer gaming or long listening sessions on a console or PC, who wants one headset that handles both Bluetooth and low-latency wireless, and who values battery life above all else.
Who should skip it: If you need to hear what's happening around you — driving, cycling, an open office, watching kids — the over-ear, sound-isolating design works against you. It also isn't the headset you'd grab for a quick phone call while walking around.
The Smof headset is the opposite philosophy. It's an open-ear, air-conduction design, meaning nothing goes into your ear canal and nothing wraps around your ear. The housing uses aluminum alloy for the back-hanging arm and ear hook, with soft silicone pads where it touches skin. At roughly 41 g, the whole point is that you forget it's there — Smof even calls out that it stays stable while wearing a helmet and glasses, which tells you exactly who this is aimed at. Truck drivers, delivery riders, warehouse staff and anyone working with their hands.
That open design has a real safety argument behind it. Because your ears stay open, you keep awareness of traffic and your surroundings while listening. It also keeps the ear canal clean and avoids the itchy, plugged-up feeling that comes from shoving earbuds in for hours. If you've ever pulled earbuds out after a long shift and hated the sensation, that trade-off is the entire reason this category exists.
Calls are the priority here, not music fidelity. The boom microphone uses noise-reduction processing to pick up your voice and push down background sound, so the person on the other end hears you rather than the engine. Bluetooth 5.1 with APTX is aimed at stable transmission and audio/video sync — useful for video calls and navigation prompts. Controls are a straightforward push button: play, pause, answer, end, skip tracks, and activate your voice assistant, plus a separate volume button. On battery, Smof quotes up to 8 hours of talk time or 10 hours of listening after a 2-hour charge, and compatibility stretches across phones, PCs, laptops, tablets and watches.
Who should buy it: Drivers, call center and remote-work folks, online teachers, and anyone who needs hands-free calls while staying aware of the world. It's also a strong pick if in-ear buds cause discomfort or irritation.
Who should skip it: If you want deep bass, immersive game audio or a sealed listening experience, an open-ear design will never deliver it. And if you game competitively, the lack of a low-latency dongle path is a real limitation.
• Best for battery life → JLab Nightfall. 70+ hours on Bluetooth and 60+ with the dongle versus roughly 10 hours of listening on the Smof.
• Best for gaming → JLab Nightfall. 50mm drivers, Spatial Audio compatibility, EQ3 modes and a 2.4GHz dongle for lower-latency play.
• Best for calls and driving → Smof Open-Ear Headphones. Open-ear awareness plus a noise-reducing boom mic built for talk time.
• Best for all-day comfort → Smof Open-Ear Headphones. Around 41 g with silicone pads and an aluminum hook beats a 279 g over-ear headset for sheer lightness.
• Best for long sessions at a desk → JLab Nightfall. Cloud Foam earcups and a wide adjustable headband are designed to spread weight over hours.
• Best for staying aware of your surroundings → Smof Open-Ear Headphones. Nothing seals your ears, so traffic and voices come through.
• Best for immersion and isolation → JLab Nightfall. The per-earcup sound-isolating shelf and passive noise cancellation push the world out.
• Best for multi-device flexibility → JLab Nightfall. Bluetooth plus a USB-C/USB-A dongle covers PC, PlayStation, Switch and Mac in one box.
If I had to pick one for myself, I'd buy the JLab Nightfall. In my opinion, it's the more versatile headset of the two: dual wireless modes, a genuinely long battery, a flip-to-mute boom mic and a design meant for hours of use. The Smof is the better tool for a narrower job — hands-free calls while driving or working — and if that's your entire use case, it's the smarter buy. But as a single headset that covers gaming, music and calls, the Nightfall gives you more to work with. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one variable that can flip this decision.
FAQ
how to bluetooth headset to xbox
how to bluetooth headset to ps5
The JLab Nightfall works with PlayStation out of the box, and you can pair it over Bluetooth 5.3 or use the included 2.4GHz USB-C dongle. The dongle is the more reliable route for game audio on PS5. The Smof headset isn't listed as a PlayStation device, so it's a poor fit there.
how to bluetooth headset to xbox series s
Like the standard Xbox, the Series S doesn't support Bluetooth audio headsets through its own wireless stack, and neither of these products claims Xbox compatibility. For Series S, you'd need a headset with its own USB dongle that the console recognizes. The JLab Nightfall's dongle is aimed at PC, PlayStation and Switch.
how to bluetooth headset to pc
Both will pair with a PC over Bluetooth — the Nightfall uses Bluetooth 5.3, the Smof uses Bluetooth 5.1 with APTX. On the Nightfall you can also plug the USB-C dongle into a USB-C or USB-A port for a 2.4GHz connection with 30+ feet of range, which is the better option for gaming and voice chat.
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