We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-06 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a pair of bone conduction earphones that can actually go underwater with you for laps and still handle sweaty gym sessions afterward, choose MARLALL Swimming Headphones-Bone Conduction; if you need all-day open-ear earbuds for the gym with a charging case that keeps the music going for days between plug-ins, choose dufiga Open Ear Headphones.
• MARLALL's biggest strength: IP68 waterproofing plus 32 GB of built-in MP3 storage, so it works where Bluetooth physically cannot — under water.
• MARLALL's biggest trade-off: Underwater playback only works in MP3 mode, and you have to remember to dry the mic after a swim or calls suffer.
• dufiga's biggest strength: A 300 mAh charging case with an LED display that stretches listening to 80+ hours total, with 6 hours per earbud.
• dufiga's biggest trade-off: IPX7 means sweat and rain are fine, but it is not built for swimming, and the warranty is short.
• Pick MARLALL if you swim, snorkel, or want one headset that survives the pool and the weight room.
• Pick dufiga if you want the most comfortable wireless headphones for the gym with a case you recharge once a week.
• Either way, both are open-ear designs that leave your ear canal unplugged — great for awareness in busy gyms.
MARLALL's headline feature is the IP68 rating. That's the number to care about, because it means the sealed, nano-coated body resists full immersion — not just sweat and rain. The enclosure combines silicone and titanium, and the whole thing weighs 22.68 g, which is light enough to forget you're wearing it. The catch is the one MARLALL states plainly: Bluetooth signals don't travel through water, so swimming means switching to MP3 mode and playing from the 32 GB of internal memory. That's roughly 8,000 songs loaded onto the headset itself, and the magnetic charging cable doubles as the way you push new playlists across from a computer.
For dry use, it's a normal Bluetooth 5.4 headset with a claimed 10-meter range, touch controls, and a 20 Hz–20,000 Hz bone conduction driver. Battery life is rated at 30 hours with a 2-hour charge time. There's no noise cancellation, which is the point of an open-ear fit — you hear the pool deck, traffic, or a training partner while the audio plays through your cheekbones.
Who should buy it: swimmers first, obviously, but also anyone who wants one pair for the pool, the gym, and outdoor runs without swapping gear. The bone conduction fit doesn't jam into your ear canal, so long sessions stay comfortable, and MARLALL explicitly pitches it for snorkeling, boating, biking, and hiking too.
Who should skip it: if you mostly lift indoors and never get near water, you're paying for waterproofing and storage you won't use. Also skip it if you want a pocketable charging case — this is a single-piece headset, and you'll need to remember the MP3-mode rule and the post-swim mic dry-off every single time. And if you wear it for calls, note that there's no noise control, so a loud gym floor will come through.
The dufiga pair takes the opposite approach: a clip-on open-ear design that hooks over the ear rather than resting on bone near the temple, backed by a charging case. Each earbud weighs 0.18 oz, and the soft silicone build with an ergonomic surround is meant to stay put through running, dancing, or wearing glasses. Because nothing enters the ear canal, dufiga frames it as painless and harmless for long wear — the same open-ear logic as MARLALL, executed in a smaller, lighter form.
The numbers here tell a different story than MARLALL's. Bluetooth 5.3 handles the connection, with dufiga emphasizing low latency for video and stable calling. Each earbud gets 6 hours of playback; the 300 mAh case supports 12–15 full recharges for 80+ hours total, and the LED display shows the charge status of both the buds and the case. Charging is Type-C. Controls are physical buttons rather than touch — play/pause, track skip, volume, Siri, and call handling — which dufiga says prevents accidental taps.
Two things to weigh honestly. First, IPX7 protects against sweat, rain, and splashes, but it is not a swimming rating — this is a gym, running, and fitness headset, not a pool headset. Second, the warranty is listed at two months, which is short, and dufiga's own notes mention that dust in the charging case can reduce charging efficiency over time, so the pins need occasional cleaning.
Who should buy it: anyone who wants the best open ear earbuds for gym use — lifting, treadmill, cycling — and wants the freedom of a case that lives in a bag pocket. The button controls are a real plus if you've fought with touch sensors mid-set. Who should skip it: swimmers, and anyone who wants a longer warranty or the reassurance of a titanium-reinforced build.
• Best for swimming → MARLALL. IP68 plus 32 GB MP3 mode is the only way either headset works underwater.
• Best for battery life → dufiga. 6 hours per bud and 80+ hours with the case versus MARLALL's 30 hours per charge.
• Best for gym-only use → dufiga. Lighter at 0.18 oz per bud, clip-on stability, and a case you can toss in a gym bag.
• Best for one-device-does-everything → MARLALL. Pool, gym, run, and hike with no second pair needed.
• Best for call clarity in noisy places → neither is ideal. MARLALL has no noise control and needs a dry mic; dufiga leans on Bluetooth 5.3 stability but still lets ambient sound in.
• Best controls for sweaty hands → dufiga. Physical buttons beat touch controls when your fingers are wet or shaky.
• Best for durability confidence → MARLALL. Silicone-and-titanium construction, IP68 sealing, and a 1-year warranty versus dufiga's two months.
• Best for people who hate charging → dufiga. The LED case turns charging into a weekly habit instead of a nightly one.
In my opinion, the dufiga Open Ear Headphones are the better buy for most people reading this — specifically for the gym. They're lighter, the charging case gives you 80+ hours of total playback, the button controls work with sweaty hands, and the clip-on fit is exactly what you want from the best comfortable wireless headphones for gym sessions. I'd only steer you to MARLALL if water is genuinely part of your routine. If you swim laps, snorkel, or train somewhere the headset gets submerged, MARLALL's IP68 body and 32 GB MP3 mode make it the only one of the two that can follow you in — and the 1-year warranty backs that up. For a dry gym bag, though, dufiga wins.
FAQ
how to bone conduction earphones work
how to use bone conduction earphones
Pair them over Bluetooth, then place the transducer against your cheekbone or clip it over your ear as the design intends. For MARLALL specifically, switch to MP3 mode before entering the water, since Bluetooth won't transmit underwater, and dry the microphone after swimming so calls stay clear.
how to wear bone conduction earphones
Position the driver so it rests on the bone just in front of your ear without pressing hard. MARLALL's silicone-and-titanium frame conforms to that spot; dufiga's clip-on surround is designed to stay put while running or wearing glasses. Neither goes inside your ear canal.
how are bone conduction earphones different from regular earbuds
Regular earbuds seal or plug your ear canal, which blocks outside sound and can feel uncomfortable over long sessions. Bone conduction units like these keep the canal open, which is safer for running and gyms where you want to hear what's around you. The trade-off is less isolation and, on both of these, no active noise cancellation.
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