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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-24 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• MINISO MS217 biggest strength: a low-profile, ergonomic in-ear shape made for side sleepers, backed by ANC and up to 48 hours of total playtime with the case.
• MINISO MS217 biggest trade-off: it is not a waterproof swimming product — its whole design story is sleep, calls, and AI translation, not water.
• esonstyle biggest strength: IP68 waterproofing rated to 3 meters for 60+ minutes, plus an 8GB MP3 player so you don't need a phone near the water at all.
• esonstyle biggest trade-off: Bluetooth does not work underwater — you must double-click the MFB button into MP3 mode before you submerge, and your streaming library stays on dry land.
• Pick MINISO MS217 if you sleep on your side, take calls, travel, or work across languages.
• Pick esonstyle if your priority is training in water with open-ear bone conduction sound and no phone.
The MS217 is a sleep earbud first. MINISO built it around a low-profile, ergonomic shape that sits snugly inside the ear canal, so resting your head on a pillow doesn't create the pressure point that normal earbuds do. That single design decision is the reason this product exists, and it's the reason side sleepers keep hunting for something like it. On top of that, active noise cancellation handles background noise for sleep, calls, and music in busy rooms.
Then there's the part most sleep earbuds don't have: a 3-in-1 AI translation system. It handles near-instant translation with under 0.5 seconds of delay and, per the spec sheet, 98% accuracy, working across 135 languages including Spanish, Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, German, and French. The modes are genuinely varied — hands-free conversation, single-ear touch control, photo translate for snapping text, AI chat, a meeting mode for multilingual group discussions, a hybrid mode that runs music and translation together, and voice notes that auto-transcribe. Translation runs through the Saymi app, which is a free download with no subscription. Battery life is 8 hours per charge and 40 more in the compact case, for 48 hours total, with Type-C fast charging. There's also a sleep mode that silences the low-battery and shutdown alarms so nothing wakes you at 3 a.m.
esonstyle Swimming Headphones Underwater: Who It's For
The esonstyle set is the opposite philosophy: open-ear bone conduction built to survive water. The IP68 rating means it's fully submersible, withstanding depths up to 3 meters for 60+ minutes — enough for real lap sessions, plus surfing, kayaking, or a hard rain run. Sound travels through your cheekbones and leaves your ear canals completely open, so you hear your music and your surroundings at the same time. For road running and cycling, that awareness matters.
The headline feature is the 8GB built-in MP3 player. You load your own files over the magnetic cable and store 2000+ songs on the headphones themselves, which means no phone, no streaming, no signal problems at the pool. That's not a gimmick — it's the only thing that actually works underwater, because water interferes with Bluetooth transmission. The instructions are blunt about it: double-click the MFB button to switch between Bluetooth and MP3 mode, and only MP3 mode is supported underwater. In MP3 mode the default is sequential playback; triple-press the MFB to shuffle. Bluetooth 6.0 still handles normal dry-land use with quick pairing, low latency, a 10-meter range, and clear calls mid-run.
The frame is titanium and light at 28 grams, with a flexible fit that's meant to hold through sprints, flip turns, and trails. Battery life is 8 hours, which covers marathon-length sessions, all-day cycling, or several swims. It's sweatproof and shatterproof, finished in black ABS, with passive noise cancellation rather than active. Controls are touch-based. Two honest trade-offs: it's an adult-oriented sport product with a rather specific workflow, and if you want to listen to a playlist from your phone while swimming, you can't — you have to own and load the MP3 files first.
Who should buy it: swimmers, triathletes, cyclists, trail runners, and anyone who wants audio without anything in their ears. Who should skip it: side sleepers (a rigid open-ear band is not a pillow companion), and people who'd rather not manage an offline music library at all.
• Best for side sleeping → MINISO MS217. The low-profile ergonomic shape is designed specifically so pillow pressure doesn't ruin your night.
• Best for swimming → esonstyle. IP68, 3 meters, 60+ minutes submerged. The MS217 has no water rating at all.
• Best for translation and travel → MINISO MS217. 135 languages, under 0.5s delay, multiple modes including photo translate and meeting mode.
• Best for training without a phone → esonstyle. 8GB of onboard storage for 2000+ songs, with shuffle available in MP3 mode.
• Best for noise cancellation → MINISO MS217. Active ANC versus the esonstyle's passive noise cancellation.
• Best for outdoor safety → esonstyle. Open-ear bone conduction keeps traffic and surroundings audible; the MS217 seals the canal.
• Best for total playtime → MINISO MS217. 8 hours per charge plus 40 in the case, versus 8 hours flat on the esonstyle.
• Best for calls → a genuine tie with a twist. Both offer clear calls over Bluetooth 6.0, but only the esonstyle keeps working once you're in the water — in MP3 mode, without Bluetooth.
• Best for a single everyday carry → MINISO MS217. A pocket-sized case that handles sleep, calls, and translation in one object.
In my opinion, most people searching these two names together are really asking one question: do I swim, or do I sleep? If you swim, buy the esonstyle — the IP68 build and 8GB MP3 player are the only combination here that works underwater, and no amount of translation cleverness changes that. If you sleep on your side, travel, or work across languages, buy the MINISO MS217; the sleep-first ergonomics and 135-language translation are things the esonstyle simply doesn't attempt. I'd personally reach for the MS217 as the more versatile daily device, but I wouldn't take it anywhere near a pool.
No. Nothing in its spec sheet describes a water rating. It's built for sleep, calls, and translation, so keep it dry. The esonstyle is the swimming product in this pair.
No. Water interferes with Bluetooth transmission, so only MP3 mode is supported underwater. Double-click the MFB button to switch modes, and load your songs into the 8GB memory beforehand.
Translation runs through the Saymi app, which is a free download with no subscriptions. The earbuds support 135 languages with under 0.5 seconds of delay.
They're not competing on the same job, so value depends on your use case. Check the current price on Amazon for each, then compare against what you actually need: underwater playback and open-ear awareness, or sleep comfort plus AI translation.
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See also: HIFI WALKER Bone Conduction Headphones vs Opinta Swimming Headphones, ZHQMG Bone Conduction Headphones vs MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming, KICKER Earbuds TW3 vs KLKE Z3: Aware Mode Headphones