We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-28 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
If you want one pocket-sized dongle that turns a wired pair of headphones into a MacBook-ready setup and also covers your iPhone, choose KETAKY Plus USB C; if you need actual wired earbuds in the box with a mic and a carrying case, choose AFGHOA USB C Headphone. These are two different products solving two different problems, and the MacBook angle is where the difference gets really obvious.
• KETAKY Plus USB C — biggest strength: a 2-in-1 Lightning + USB-C to 3.5mm adapter with a dongle DAC rated for 24-bit/96kHz audio and Apple MFi certification, so it covers both old iPhones and modern USB-C laptops.
• KETAKY Plus USB C — biggest trade-off: it is an adapter, not headphones. You still need to own a wired 3.5mm pair. The Lightning side also drops the inline playback controls that the USB-C side keeps.
• AFGHOA USB C Headphone — biggest strength: a complete plug-and-play set of in-ear USB-C earbuds with an inline mic, button controls, a DAC chip, three sizes of silicone eartips and a zipper carrying case.
• AFGHOA USB C Headphone — biggest trade-off: it is USB-C only. No Lightning option, so an older Lightning iPhone is out of the picture, and the 1.2 m cable is fixed.
• Who each pick is for: KETAKY Plus for the person who already loves a specific wired headphone and wants it to work on a MacBook, iPad and iPhone from one tiny dongle. AFGHOA for the person who wants earbuds today, with a mic and a case, and does not want to shop for headphones separately.
Think of KETAKY Plus USB C as the bridge product. It is a small black dongle with two adapters in one unit — a Lightning to 3.5mm side and a USB-C to 3.5mm side — and it exists so your existing wired headphones stop being device-specific. Plug the USB-C end into a MacBook, an iPad, a Galaxy phone or a Pixel, and your 3.5mm headphones just work. Swap to the Lightning end and the same headphones work on an iPhone 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, XS, XR or 8 Plus. For a MacBook owner, that USB-C side is the whole point: Apple's laptops dropped the headphone jack on plenty of configurations, and this restores it without a dock.
The technical story here is the dongle DAC. KETAKY Plus rates it at up to 24-bit/96kHz, which is the kind of number that only matters if you actually care about your source chain — lossless files, a decent pair of wired headphones, and a laptop that would otherwise give you nothing. The MFi certification is the other meaningful spec. In practice that is what keeps a Lightning iPhone from throwing an "Accessory Not Supported" message at you, and it is the reason this adapter is described as driver-free and stable rather than hit-or-miss.
Here is the honest trade-off, straight from the spec sheet: the USB-C side supports play/pause, volume, track skip and call answer/end through the adapter. The Lightning side does not support those advanced controls. So if inline buttons matter to you on an iPhone, this is not the side you get them on. On a MacBook, though, you are usually controlling playback from the keyboard anyway, which makes that limitation mostly irrelevant.
Who should buy it: MacBook, iPad, Galaxy, Pixel and iPhone owners who already have wired headphones they like and want one compact adapter to rule all of them. Who should skip it: anyone who does not own wired 3.5mm headphones yet, or who wants a microphone on the cable for calls. This is a connector, not a headset. The two-year warranty is a reasonable safety net for something this small that lives in a bag pocket.
AFGHOA USB C Headphone is the finished product. You get wired in-ear earbuds with a USB-C plug, a built-in HD microphone, and inline buttons that handle answer, end and reject calls, play/pause, track skip, volume and even waking Siri. No dongle, no separate headphones, no hunting for a case — a zipper carrying case is included, along with three sizes of replacement eartips.
The specs describe a fairly standard but sensible in-ear design: dynamic drivers, 32 ohm impedance, 105 dB sensitivity, and a 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz frequency range — effectively the full audible band, with the low end reaching down to 20 Hz. The cable is 1.2 m and described as tangle-free. There is a DAC chip in the USB-C connector, which is what makes these work on devices that expect a digital audio signal rather than an analog one. That matters on a MacBook, and it is also why the compatibility list runs so long: MacBook Pro and Air, iPad, iPhone 17 and 16 and 15 families, Samsung's S26 through S21 lines, Google Pixel 10 down through 6a, OnePlus, Motorola, Nothing Phone and more.
Comfort gets real attention in the description. The silicone eartips are pitched as ultra-soft and skin-friendly, and the in-ear fit is the mechanism behind the noise isolation — the earbuds seal your ear canal rather than relying on active noise cancellation. That is a meaningful distinction. Passive isolation is great for commutes, libraries and shared offices, and it does not need a battery or a charging case to work.
Who should buy it: anyone who wants a wired USB-C headset out of the box for a MacBook, an iPad or a modern Android phone, and who takes calls or joins video meetings. Who should skip it: Lightning iPhone owners — there is no Lightning option here — and anyone who dislikes the sealed feeling of in-ear buds. The warranty runs 8 months, shorter than KETAKY Plus's two years, which is worth knowing before you commit.
• Best for a MacBook with no headphone jack → KETAKY Plus USB C. The USB-C to 3.5mm side restores wired audio on a laptop that dropped it, and it works with any headphones you already own.
• Best for an all-in-one headset → AFGHOA USB C Headphone. Earbuds, mic, inline controls and a case arrive together. Nothing else to buy.
• Best for mixed iPhone + MacBook households → KETAKY Plus USB C. The MFi-certified Lightning side covers older iPhones, and the USB-C side covers the laptop. One dongle, two ecosystems.
• Best for calls and video meetings → AFGHOA USB C Headphone. The built-in HD mic and remote buttons are the point. KETAKY Plus has no microphone at all.
• Best for noise isolation on a commute → AFGHOA USB C Headphone. The sealed in-ear fit does the work passively, with no battery involved.
• Best for high-resolution listening with your own headphones → KETAKY Plus USB C. The dongle DAC is rated up to 24-bit/96kHz, and the Lightning side is MFi-certified to avoid "Accessory Not Supported" errors.
• Best for travel and packing light → KETAKY Plus USB C. Two adapters in one tiny unit, at roughly 0.01 kg, replace two separate dongles.
• Best for a simple, complete gift or first setup → AFGHOA USB C Headphone. Everything needed is in the box, including spare eartips and a zipper case.
If you are shopping specifically for a MacBook, I would buy the KETAKY Plus USB C. My reasoning is simple: the MacBook is the device most likely to have lost its headphone jack, and this adapter is the smallest fix for that — and it keeps working when you switch to an iPad, a Galaxy or an MFi iPhone. It also lets you use whatever wired headphones you already like instead of replacing them. The AFGHOA USB C Headphone is a genuinely tidy all-in-one package and I would recommend it without hesitation to someone who wants earbuds and a mic right now, but the fixed cable, USB-C-only connector and shorter warranty make it the less flexible of the two. In my opinion, KETAKY Plus is the smarter pick for a mixed-device desk.
how to use headphones for macbook
Connect your headphones, then plug the adapter's USB-C end into the MacBook's USB-C port. The KETAKY Plus side is driver-free and needs no setup, and the AFGHOA earbuds plug straight in the same way. Your Mac should route audio to the headphones automatically — if not, select them in your sound output settings.
how to connect headphones macbook
On a MacBook with no 3.5mm jack, a USB-C audio device is what you connect to. KETAKY Plus converts the USB-C port into a 3.5mm jack so your existing wired headphones attach normally, while AFGHOA connects directly through its USB-C plug. Neither requires installing drivers.
how to connect headphones macbook air
The MacBook Air is on KETAKY Plus's compatibility list alongside MacBook Pro, iMac and iPad. Plug the USB-C side in and use the Lightning side for iPhones. AFGHOA also lists MacBook Pro support with its USB-C connector, so either route works on a modern Air.
how to use headphones macbook pro
For the MacBook Pro, either product works — pick based on what you already own. If you have wired 3.5mm headphones you love, KETAKY Plus restores the jack and adds MFi iPhone support. If you want earbuds with a mic and inline controls for calls, AFGHOA covers that in one piece.
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