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
If you want a do-everything open-ear pair for long rides, gym sessions and calls, choose PAXA Open Ear Earbuds; if you need headphones that survive actual swimming and work without a phone, choose RELAXYO Swimming Bone Conduction.
These two look like they belong in the same shopping cart, but they solve different problems. One is built around ambient awareness, long battery life and AI call clarity for cycling and training. The other is built around water — real water — plus onboard storage so you can leave your phone on the pool deck. On a bike, that distinction matters more than any spec sheet headline.
• PAXA Open Ear Earbuds — biggest strength: up to 60 hours of playtime, Bluetooth 5.4, hybrid ENC noise cancellation and an IPX5 coating make it the more versatile everyday training companion, including long cycling routes.
• PAXA Open Ear Earbuds — biggest trade-off: IPX5 handles sweat and rain, not submersion. Do not swim in these.
• RELAXYO Swimming Bone Conduction — biggest strength: an IP68 rating plus 32GB of built-in MP3 storage means it keeps working underwater with no phone nearby.
• RELAXYO Swimming Bone Conduction — biggest trade-off: only 7 hours of battery life, no noise control at all, and you have to switch to MP3 mode before you get in the water.
• Who each pick is for: PAXA for cyclists, gym-goers and commuters who want one pair for everything above the waterline. RELAXYO for swimmers and multi-sport athletes who need water to be a non-issue.
The PAXA pair is an air-conduction open-ear design — the model is the Y3Pro, and the ear cups use a titanium mesh with what the brand describes as a zero-pressure airflow system. In plain terms, nothing plugs your ear canal. Sound is delivered around the ear rather than into it, so traffic, a passing rider or your group-ride chatter still reaches you. For cycling, that's the whole point. You hear the road and your music at the same time.
The battery claim is the headline number: up to 60 hours of playback on a full charge. Even if real-world results land short of that, the design intent is clear — this is a pair you charge occasionally, not nightly. Bluetooth 5.4 covers the connection side, with low-latency, synchronized audio and video, which helps on calls and casual gaming. There's also a real-time translation feature built in for travel, language learning and international work, which is unusual in a sports-first open-ear set.
Who should buy it: cyclists, gym regulars, yoga and workout people, commuters, and anyone who wants one open-ear pair that covers the whole day. The included case lanyard is a small touch, but a genuinely useful one if you're the type who loses accessories. Who should skip it: swimmers, and anyone who wants total isolation from the outside world. This design deliberately does the opposite.
RELAXYO Swimming Bone Conduction: Who It's For
The RELAXYO X7 is a bone-conduction headphone with a hook-style open-ear fit in black. Instead of pushing air at your ear, it sends vibration through the bone, which is why it can work when your ears are covered — by a swim cap, by goggles, by water. That's the design logic behind the IP68 rating. The brand specifically notes you can wear them with a swim cap or goggles, and that's not a throwaway line: it's the difference between a headphone that tolerates moisture and one that's meant to be submerged.
The second half of the story is the 32GB of built-in MP3 storage. Bone conduction over Bluetooth doesn't travel well through water, so RELAXYO built in a workaround: load your music onto the headphones, switch from Bluetooth mode to MP3 mode, and swim. No phone on the pool deck, no signal cutting out every time your head goes under. The manufacturer explicitly says to make that mode switch before swimming, and if you forget, you'll spend your first lap wondering why the audio dropped.
The trade-offs are real and worth stating plainly. Battery life is listed at 7 hours — a fraction of what the PAXA set claims, though for lap swimming that's still several sessions. There is no noise control at all, so no call-clarity processing and no attempt at ambient noise reduction. Connectivity is Bluetooth 5.4 when you're out of the water, and there's no headphone jack, so it's wireless only. It ships with a one-year manufacturer warranty.
Who should buy it: swimmers first, but also runners, cyclists and marathoners who want one pair that can handle a pool session and a road session without being babied. If your training calendar includes water, this is the category to be in. Who should skip it: anyone who wants long battery life between charges, anyone who takes a lot of calls while training, and anyone who wants noise cancellation. None of that is here, and the spec sheet doesn't pretend otherwise.
• Best for battery life → PAXA Open Ear Earbuds. Up to 60 hours claimed versus 7 hours on the RELAXYO.
• Best for swimming → RELAXYO Swimming Bone Conduction. IP68 and a dedicated MP3 mode; the PAXA set is IPX5 and not built for submersion.
• Best for cycling → PAXA Open Ear Earbuds. Open-air awareness, low-latency Bluetooth 5.4 and touch controls that resist accidental taps fit road and trail riding better than a 7-hour bone-conduction set.
• Best for calls → PAXA Open Ear Earbuds. Hybrid ENC with AI noise handling versus no noise control at all on the RELAXYO.
• Best for training without a phone → RELAXYO Swimming Bone Conduction. 32GB of onboard storage means you can leave the phone behind entirely.
• Best for multi-sport athletes who swim → RELAXYO Swimming Bone Conduction. One pair covers pool, run and ride.
• Best for all-day wear and travel → PAXA Open Ear Earbuds. The translation feature, long playtime and lanyard-equipped case suit travel and long days.
• Best for rain and sweat only → PAXA Open Ear Earbuds. IPX5 is enough for outdoor workouts; just don't confuse it with waterproof.
If I'm buying for cycling — which is the use case I care most about here — I'd take the PAXA Open Ear Earbuds. In my opinion, the combination of open-air awareness, low-latency Bluetooth 5.4, long battery life and microphone processing is exactly what a rider needs, and IPX5 covers sweat and rain without drama. I'd only switch to the RELAXYO Swimming Bone Conduction if water were genuinely part of my routine, because its IP68 rating and 32GB MP3 mode solve a problem the PAXA set can't. Two different jobs. Pick the one that matches yours — and check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
Yes, in my opinion that's their strongest use. The open-air design keeps you aware of traffic, Bluetooth 5.4 keeps audio and video in sync with low latency, and the touch controls are positioned to avoid accidental taps during a workout.
That's what they're built for. The IP68 rating covers swimming, surfing and similar water sports, and the brand notes you should switch from Bluetooth mode to MP3 mode before getting in. The 32GB of onboard storage is what makes that possible.
No. The spec sheet lists noise control as none. If call clarity and background noise reduction matter to you, the PAXA set's hybrid ENC system is the one to look at.
The PAXA Open Ear Earbuds, by a wide margin — up to 60 hours of playback versus 7 hours for the RELAXYO. If you hate charging, that gap is the deciding factor.
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See also: Sanpyl Swimming Headphones Underwater vs sunvito Bone Conduction Swimm, SONY WH-XB900N vs Donerton Earbuds, Pyle Active Sport Waterproof vs VleenVl Headphones, earbuds for gaming