We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-23 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want an everyday open-ear headphone for running, workouts and calls, choose MZYDM Bone Conduction Headphones; if you need a bone conduction headphone you can actually take into the pool, choose MARLALL Swimming Headphones-Bone Conduction.
• MZYDM's biggest strength: a straightforward Bluetooth 5.4 sports headphone with a 15-hour battery, IPX6 sweat resistance, a 15mm driver and a bendable open-ear hook design at just 29g.
• MZYDM's biggest trade-off: it is explicitly not built for swimming, and the manufacturer says so on the spec sheet — moisture from workouts is fine, full immersion is not.
• MARLALL's biggest strength: a genuine IP68 sealed design plus 32GB of built-in MP3 storage, which is what lets it work underwater where Bluetooth simply cannot travel.
• MARLALL's biggest trade-off: swimming only works in MP3 mode, Bluetooth is a dry-land feature, and the mic needs drying after a swim before calls behave properly.
• Who MZYDM is for: runners, gym-goers and commuters who want one simple wireless headphone for daily training and hands-free calls.
• Who MARLALL is for: swimmers and water-sports people who want music in the water and are willing to manage playlists through the magnetic charging cable.
The MZYDM pair is the simpler proposition of the two. It's a Bluetooth 5.4 open-ear headphone with a hook-shaped earpiece that sits outside your ear canal rather than inside it. The spec sheet lists a 15-hour average battery life, a 15-metre Bluetooth range, multi-point connection, and a 15mm bone conduction driver covering 20Hz to 20,000Hz. Those numbers describe a device built for a normal training week: pair it once, take a call on your phone, and have the music on your laptop pause automatically when you do.
The physical design matters here too. At 29g, with a plastic enclosure the manufacturer describes as firm but bendable, this is the kind of headphone you forget you're wearing on a long run. The IPX6 rating covers sweat, rain and splashes — exactly the conditions a runner or gym user actually meets. Button controls are listed, which is worth noting: physical buttons are easier to find by feel mid-run than touch surfaces, and there's no noise cancelling here, which is the whole point of open-ear listening. You keep your awareness of traffic, training partners and surroundings.
MARLALL Swimming Headphones-Bone Conduction: Who It's For
The MARLALL set is a different animal, and the spec sheet is unusually honest about why. It carries an IP68 waterproof rating, a nano-coated sealed enclosure, and a liquid silicone build with titanium in the housing. That's the hardware side of swimming. The software side is the important part: it has 32GB of internal memory in MP3 mode, which is what you actually use in the water, because Bluetooth signals don't transmit underwater. The manufacturer repeats that warning more than once, and it's the single most important thing to understand before buying.
In practice, that means your routine changes slightly. You load playlists onto the internal storage using the magnetic charging cable, which also gives your computer direct access to that storage. Then at the pool you switch to MP3 mode, put it on under your cap or goggles, and swim. Out of the water, Bluetooth 5.4 takes over with a 10-metre range for calls and streaming on iOS and Android. Battery life is listed at 30 hours with a 2-hour charge time, and the whole thing weighs 22.68g.
Buy it if you swim, snorkel or spend time on the water and want music that survives immersion — the IP68 rating and 32GB of storage are the two features that make that possible. Skip it if you want a plug-and-play headphone for the gym and nothing else. The MP3-mode requirement is real friction: you have to manage playlists, and after a swim you need to dry the microphone or calls won't be clean. The one-year warranty is longer than MZYDM's 30-day description, which is worth noting if longevity matters to you.
• Best for swimming → MARLALL Swimming Headphones-Bone Conduction. IP68 sealing and 32GB of MP3 storage are the only combination here that works underwater.
• Best for running and gym work → MZYDM Bone Conduction Headphones. IPX6 handles sweat and rain, and the 29g bendable hook is built for movement.
• Best for battery life → MARLALL Swimming Headphones-Bone Conduction. 30 hours versus 15 hours, though the two are measured under very different conditions.
• Best for the lightest feel → MARLALL Swimming Headphones-Bone Conduction. 22.68g against 29g, and the liquid silicone is designed to sit without pressure points.
• Best for Bluetooth range and pairing convenience → MZYDM Bone Conduction Headphones. Bluetooth 5.4 with a 15-metre range and multi-point connection, so switching between phone and laptop is a one-click affair.
• Best for call quality out of the box → MZYDM Bone Conduction Headphones. The built-in mic is described as delivering crisp call audio with no post-swim drying ritual required.
• Best for hands-free awareness while training → either. Both are open-ear designs with no noise cancelling, so you stay aware of traffic and surroundings.
• Best for a swimmer who also runs → MARLALL Swimming Headphones-Bone Conduction. One device covers the pool in MP3 mode and the pavement in Bluetooth mode.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the MZYDM Bone Conduction Headphones for a normal training life. Fifteen hours of battery, a 29g bendable frame, IPX6 sweat protection and multi-point Bluetooth cover running, gym sessions and calls without any mode-switching homework. In my opinion it's the easier headphone to live with day to day.
That said, I'd recommend the MARLALL pair without hesitation to anyone whose training happens in water. Nothing about the MZYDM design can follow you into a pool, and the MARLALL's IP68 build plus 32GB of storage is a genuinely different capability, not just a bigger number. Decide which of those two lives you actually lead, and the choice makes itself. If price is the deciding factor, check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
how to bone conduction earphones work
They sit against the cheekbone just in front of your ear and send vibration through the bone to your inner ear, bypassing the ear canal. That's why both of these are open-ear designs — your ears stay uncovered, so you hear your surroundings at the same time as your audio.
how to wear bone conduction earphones
The transducer rests on the bone in front of your ear, with the hook or band wrapping behind. MZYDM uses a bendable 29g hook you adjust for fit; MARLALL uses liquid silicone that conforms to the ear and is designed to stay put under a swim cap or goggles.
how to use bone conduction earphones
Pair over Bluetooth and play from your phone or laptop — that's the MZYDM model entirely, and it's how the MARLALL works on land too. For swimming, the MARLALL switches to MP3 mode and plays the 32GB of files loaded onto it, because Bluetooth can't transmit underwater.
how are bone conduction earphones different for swimming
Most aren't suitable for swimming at all — MZYDM is IPX6 sweat-resistant and explicitly not for swimming. Waterproof swimming models like MARLALL use an IP68 sealed build and internal MP3 storage, since Bluetooth signals don't travel through water.
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See also: MARLALL Swimming Headphones-Bone Conduction vs Silisoundtech Bone Cond, MARLALL Liquid Silicone Swimming vs PSIER Bone Conduction Headphones, MOSSANTFUL Bone Conduction Headphones vs sunvito Bone Conduction Swimm