If you want lightweight, child-focused wired headphones with an 85 dB volume limit for flights, choose Philips Coolplay Kids On-Ear; if you need fold-flat travel headphones with an over-ear, closed-back design, choose Sony MDR-ZX110. I’d pick Philips for a child’s seatback listening and Sony for an adult who wants a compact pair to pack.
If you want lightweight, child-focused wired headphones with an 85 dB volume limit for flights, choose Philips Coolplay Kids On-Ear; if you need fold-flat travel headphones with an over-ear, closed-back design, choose Sony MDR-ZX110. I’d pick Philips for a child’s seatback listening and Sony for an adult who wants a compact pair to pack.
Neither model is Bluetooth: both have a 3.5 mm jack, so check that the device you plan to use has a compatible headphone connection.
Philips Coolplay Kids On-Ear vs Sony MDR-ZX110 at a Glance
• Philips Coolplay Kids On-Ear: Its lightweight, adjustable headband and 85 dB maximum volume limit suit child-focused listening. The trade-off: it has no listed noise control or folding design.
• Sony MDR-ZX110: Its closed-back, over-ear design and swivel-folding earcups are practical for travel. The trade-off: it has no stated volume limiter for children.
• Choose Philips for a child who needs a simple wired headset with a defined volume ceiling.
• Choose Sony for an adult or older listener who wants an enclosing fit and a more packable design.
Philips puts the emphasis on a fit designed for children. The headband is described as ergonomic, lightweight, and adjustable to grow with the child, while soft ear cushions are intended to provide a comfortable, secure fit. At 0.04 kg, it is the much lighter of these two listed models, a practical advantage when a child will wear headphones through a flight or carry them between trips.
How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-20 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
I’d choose Philips for a child’s personal listening, especially when the adjustable fit and volume limit matter more than folding storage. I’d skip it if you need headphones that fold for a small bag, or if you specifically want a closed-back design described as helping keep distractions out. It is an on-ear wired model, and its product details list a 3.5 mm jack.
Sony takes a different approach. The MDR-ZX110 has cushioned earcups that cover the ear, a self-adjusting headband, and a closed-back design intended to keep music in and reduce outside distractions. Its 30 mm neodymium dynamic drivers and stated frequency range of 12 Hz–22 kHz describe a conventional wired listening option, rather than a child-focused headset with a volume ceiling.
The travel-friendly feature is its swivel-folding earcups. They can lie flat and fold for storage, which is useful when you want headphones to take up less room in a bag between listening sessions. Sony also lists a 1.2 m cable, but the design remains wired; the provided product details specify a 3.5 mm jack.
I’d pick Sony for an adult or older listener who values an over-ear fit, a closed-back design, and earcups that fold for packing. I’d be more cautious about choosing it for a younger child because the listed features do not include an 85 dB limiter or an adjustable headband described as growing with the child. The specifications also do not claim active noise cancellation, so don’t treat its closed-back construction as equivalent to an electronic flight-noise system.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for a stated volume ceiling → Philips Coolplay Kids On-Ear. Its maximum volume is limited to 85 dB; Sony’s listed features do not include a comparable limiter.
• Best for carrying in a travel bag → Sony MDR-ZX110. Its earcups swivel and fold, while Philips has no folding feature listed.
• Best for an over-ear fit → Sony MDR-ZX110. Its cushioned earcups cover the whole ear; Philips is an on-ear model.
• Best for a lightweight child’s headset → Philips Coolplay Kids On-Ear. Its listed weight is 0.04 kg, compared with 181 g for Sony.
• Best for a closed-back design → Sony MDR-ZX110. The product description specifically identifies a closed-back, enclosing construction.
• Best if your device has a 3.5 mm jack → Either. Both product sheets list that wired connection, so the fit and design matter more than connectivity here.
• Best if you want Bluetooth → Neither, based on the listed connection details. Both list a 3.5 mm jack; don’t choose either expecting a wireless Bluetooth listening experience.
For flights, the biggest practical split is not a contest over a supposed “best hi res headset for flights.” Neither sheet identifies high-resolution certification, Bluetooth playback, or active noise cancellation. Instead, decide whether the child-focused volume limit or Sony’s fold-flat, enclosing design better matches the person who will wear them.
The phrases “open ear earbuds for flights” and “best bluetooth earbuds for flights” point to different product categories. These are both wired over-head headphones, not open-ear earbuds, and neither should be mistaken for a Bluetooth option. If you want either category, you’ll need to compare a different set of products.
My Verdict
Philips is the more child-focused option: it has an adjustable headband described as growing with the child, soft cushions, and an 85 dB maximum volume limit. Sony has cushioned over-ear earcups but no listed volume limiter.
The provided connection details list a 3.5 mm jack for both models. They should be treated as wired headphones, not Bluetooth headphones.
Sony has swivel-folding earcups that lie flat for storage. Philips is listed as lightweight, but its product details do not describe a folding design.
Neither product sheet lists active noise cancellation. Sony is described as closed-back and intended to help keep distractions out, but that is not the same as a claim of electronic noise cancellation.
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