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If you want an open-ear design that keeps you aware of your surroundings while you take calls and still gives you touch controls, choose Quiksilver Open Ear; if you need a tiny in-ear bud with passive noise cancellation and a rotating capsule case, choose APZXTRK Mini. Both are touch control headphones, so the real question is how you want sound delivered to your ear. I'll break down which one makes more sense for calls, workouts, and everyday wear.
• Quiksilver Open Ear — biggest strength: open-ear ear-hook design with Bluetooth 5.4, an LED battery display, and sweat/water resistance.
• Quiksilver Open Ear — biggest trade-off: no noise control at all, so outside sound comes in with your audio.
• APZXTRK Mini — biggest strength: ultra-compact half in-ear fit with passive noise cancellation and a 360° rotating capsule charging case.
• APZXTRK Mini — biggest trade-off: it's an in-ear bud, so you lose the awareness that an open-ear design gives you.
• Who Quiksilver Open Ear is for: runners, cyclists, commuters, and anyone who wants to stay tuned in to traffic or a training partner.
• Who APZXTRK Mini is for: side sleepers, light travelers, and people who want a discreet bud that quiets the room a little.
The Quiksilver Open Ear is built around one idea: let sound in, keep the bud out of your ear canal. The ear-hook shape holds each earbud on the outside of your ear rather than inside it, which is why Quiksilver markets it for running, cycling, workouts, and all-day wear. In my opinion that's the single most useful thing about it — you can hear a car, a teammate, or a gate agent while your audio keeps playing. For a lot of people that's the whole reason to buy an open-ear set in the first place.
On the feature side it's genuinely current: Bluetooth 5.4 with auto pairing when you open the case, a 10-meter wireless range, and a 20Hz–20,000Hz frequency range. The smart LED display on the case shows remaining power at a glance, which is a small thing that matters a lot on a long run or a travel day. Quiksilver also rates the set sweat and water resistant, which lines up with the sports-and-fitness positioning. Touch controls handle music, volume, track skipping, answering calls, and your voice assistant, and Quiksilver includes hands-free calling in the feature list — that's the reason I'd point a frequent caller toward this one.
Who should skip it? Anyone who wants to shut the world out. Quiksilver lists no noise control on this model — not active, not passive — so if you're trying to muffle a noisy office or a plane cabin, this is the wrong tool. It's also an open-ear fit, so bass will never feel as sealed-in as it does with an in-ear bud. And the color is white, which is a real consideration for gym and trail use.
The APZXTRK Mini goes the opposite direction: make the bud as small as possible and put it in your ear. It's a half in-ear design with a plastic shell, and the whole kit is genuinely tiny — the carrying case measures about 2.5 inches long, 2.5 inches wide, and 1.5 inches tall, and the case plus buds come in around 64 grams. That small footprint is the point. APZXTRK explicitly frames these as sleep-friendly, comfortable enough for side sleeping and extended wear, which is a specific use case most earbuds can't honestly claim.
The spec sheet backs up the rest of the pitch. APZXTRK lists a Bluetooth 6.0 chip (note that the product-information field on the same sheet reads 5.4, so treat the "6.0" claim with a little caution) with a stated 33-foot range, a 32-ohm impedance, 105 sensitivity, a dynamic driver, and 60 milliseconds of audio latency. Battery is listed at up to 6 hours per charge with a 1-hour charge time via USB-C, and the description says the case carries over 30 hours of total playback with a real-time battery readout. You also get passive noise cancellation and touch controls for music and calls. The 360° rotating capsule case with a lanyard is the design flourish — it's meant to clip to a bag or belt loop.
The trade-offs are honest ones. Passive noise cancellation only blocks what a physical seal can block; it is not active noise cancelling, so don't expect silence. The in-ear fit means you're giving up the ambient awareness that makes the Quiksilver set appealing. APZXTRK also lists a 1-year warranty versus Quiksilver's 4-year manufacturer warranty, and the manufacturer name on the sheet (Apzxtpx) is worth a glance before you buy. If you want the smallest possible thing in your ear for sleep, travel, or light workouts, this is the one.
• Best for staying aware of your surroundings → Quiksilver Open Ear. Open-ear ear hooks, by design.
• Best for blocking out a noisy room → APZXTRK Mini. Passive noise cancellation beats none.
• Best for calls in motion → Quiksilver Open Ear. Hands-free calling plus secure ear hooks that survive a run.
• Best for sleep and side sleeping → APZXTRK Mini. Ultra-compact half in-ear build made for extended wear.
• Best for battery visibility → Quiksilver Open Ear. The LED display on the case shows remaining power directly.
• Best for portable charging case → APZXTRK Mini. The 360° rotating capsule with lanyard is genuinely pocketable.
• Best for longer warranty coverage → Quiksilver Open Ear. 4-year manufacturer warranty versus 1 year.
• Best for a discreet all-day bud → APZXTRK Mini. At 64 grams for the whole kit, it disappears in a bag.
In my opinion, if I'm buying one of these for calls, it's the Quiksilver Open Ear. Open-ear headphones are the better fit for talking while you're moving — you keep your awareness, the ear hooks stay put, Bluetooth 5.4 with auto pairing is current, and the 4-year manufacturer warranty is a real long-term signal. The APZXTRK Mini is the smarter pick if you want a tiny in-ear bud for sleep or quiet-ish travel, but for calls and workouts I'd take the Quiksilver. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one variable neither spec sheet settles.
Touch control means you tap or swipe the earbud's outer surface instead of pressing a physical button to play, pause, skip tracks, change volume, or take a call. Both the Quiksilver Open Ear and the APZXTRK Mini list touch control as their control method.
It depends on the model — some brands let you toggle touch controls off in a companion app, and others don't offer that option at all. Neither the Quiksilver Open Ear nor the APZXTRK Mini data lists a companion app, so if disabling touch is a must for you, check the manufacturer's documentation before buying.
Because touch control earbuds send commands to whatever device they're paired to — a tap answers a call, a double tap skips a track. If that's happening unintentionally, it's usually an accidental brush against the earbud surface. Both sets here pair over Bluetooth and will control your phone's media and calls.
Yes, for a specific kind of call. Open-ear sets like the Quiksilver Open Ear keep your ear canal clear so you can hear your own voice and your surroundings, and they include hands-free calling. If you need to block out background noise on a call, the APZXTRK Mini's passive noise cancellation is the better fit.
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