If you want one pair of open-ear headphones that covers swimming, commuting and hands-free calls on airplane travel, choose SAMVEK Swimming Headphones Underwater; if you need a softer, silicone-first fit built around pool sessions and long marathon swims, choose RR SPORTS IP68. That's the short answer. The longer answer comes down to a handful of spec differences that genuinely change how each pair feels after the first week — fit material, battery math, and how much the brand expects you to live in MP3 mode.
• SAMVEK's biggest strength: it's the more complete everyday tool — 32GB of onboard storage, 8 hours of playback or talk time from a 200mAh battery, a 2-hour charge time, and a multi-function button that handles play/pause, track skipping and answering calls without you thinking about it.
• SAMVEK's biggest trade-off: the shell is ABS plastic with an over-ear style, and the brand's own copy is inconsistent about the Bluetooth version (the title and description say 6.0, one bullet says 5.4). Buy it for the storage and battery, not for the version number.
• RR SPORTS' biggest strength: the fit story. Ultra-soft silicone, a hook-shaped earpiece, and a liquid silicone adjustable strap — this is a pair designed to be forgotten about on your head for hours.
• RR SPORTS' biggest trade-off: the numbers are thinner. Up to 7 hours of battery life with no charge time listed, 32GB holding up to roughly 7,000 songs, and no APE format support — plus a narrower set of documented features overall.
• Pick SAMVEK if you want one headphone for the plane, the pool, the bike and the phone call.
• Pick RR SPORTS if comfort against your skin and a strap-assisted fit matter more to you than an extra hour of runtime.
SAMVEK's X7 is a bone conduction open-ear headphone that does two jobs and expects you to switch between them. On land it's a normal Bluetooth headset — Bluetooth 6.0, a 10-meter (33-foot) range, iOS and Android compatibility, and a built-in mic good enough for calls. In the water it becomes a standalone MP3 player with 32GB of storage, and that's the mode you have to use, because Bluetooth simply doesn't travel through water. A double-click of the power button flips between the two. The IP68 rating covers full submersion to about 2 meters, plus sweat, rain and dust, so showering, snorkeling and boating are all inside its comfort zone.
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-20 · 7 min read · Independent comparison
Where this pair pulls ahead is the daily-driver stuff. The 200mAh battery gives you up to 8 hours of playback or talk time after a 2-hour charge, which is the kind of number that gets you through a workday, a commute or a long flight without hunting for a cable. The single multi-function button keeps the controls learnable — play, pause, previous/next track, answer and hang up — and there's no jack at all, so everything is wireless. At 30 grams it's light enough to forget you're wearing it, and the open-ear design keeps your ear canal clean and your surroundings audible, which is exactly what you want for road running, cycling or walking through an airport.
Who should skip it: anyone who wants a plush, fabric-wrapped, skin-soft fit. ABS plastic is durable and easy to wipe down after a swim, but it isn't the cushiest material on the market. Also skip it if you're chasing active noise cancellation — the noise control field is literally "None," because open-ear and noise cancelling are opposites. And if you want to stream Spotify while your head is underwater, no bone conduction headphone does that; you'll be dragging files onto the drive via the magnetic charging cable either way.
RR SPORTS' X26 takes the same core idea — 32GB of built-in memory, IP68 sealing to 2 meters, Bluetooth 6.0 with a 10-meter range, MP3 mode required underwater — and builds it around comfort instead of versatility. The frame is ultra-soft silicone with a hook-shaped earpiece that sits on the ear, and there's an adjustable liquid silicone strap that runs behind your head. That combination is the entire pitch: a fit that stays put during flip turns, sprints and long sets, and doesn't press hard edges into your skull over a two-hour session. The sealing is reinforced with a nano-hydrophobic coating rather than relying on gaskets alone, which is a sensible approach for something living in chlorinated water.
On the numbers side, you get up to 7 hours of battery life, storage for roughly 7,000 songs, and support for MP3, WMA, WAV and FLAC. Bluetooth 6.0 is claimed to bring better interference resistance and a more stable connection, which matters in a gym or a crowded pool deck where everyone's phone is competing for the same airwaves. Like the SAMVEK, it has no headphone jack, and the package is straightforward: the headphones, a magnetic charging cable and a manual, backed by a one-year manufacturer warranty.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for battery life → SAMVEK. Up to 8 hours of playback or talk time versus up to 7 hours, and SAMVEK at least tells you the 2-hour charge time.
• Best for comfort over long sessions → RR SPORTS. Soft silicone, a hook earpiece and an adjustable liquid silicone strap beat an ABS over-ear build on skin feel every time.
• Best for hands-free calls → SAMVEK. Call answering and hanging up are explicitly part of the multi-function button design, and talk time is quoted at the same 8 hours as playback.
• Best for sheer storage → SAMVEK. Both are 32GB, but SAMVEK's sheet claims up to 8,000 songs and supports APE on top of MP3, WMA, WAV and FLAC. RR SPORTS lists up to 7,000 songs and stops at FLAC.
• Best for commuting → SAMVEK, narrowly. Open-ear keeps you aware of traffic either way, but the longer battery and documented call handling make it the better daily commute companion.
• Best for a secure fit during hard swim sets → RR SPORTS. That adjustable strap is doing real work here.
• Best for file-format flexibility → SAMVEK. Five formats versus four.
• Best if you want a color choice → RR SPORTS. It's the only one of the two that confirms a finish (Cream Orange); SAMVEK's sheet lists Black.
I'd buy the SAMVEK. It's the more useful object: 8 hours versus 7, a stated 2-hour charge, call handling built into the controls, one more supported audio format, and a button system that makes switching into MP3 mode for the pool close to automatic. For airplane travel specifically — where you want one pair that handles gate announcements, a call, and a downloaded playlist on the tray table — it's the safer bet. The RR SPORTS is the pair I'd recommend to a swimmer who spends more time in the water than on a plane and wants the silicone fit and strap. Before you commit, check the current price on Amazon — that's the one variable that can flip either decision.
FAQ
Do these headphones actually work with Bluetooth underwater?
Do either of these come with a charging case?
No. Both ship with a magnetic charging cable — SAMVEK doesn't list a case at all, and RR SPORTS' package is headphones, cable and manual. If lightweight earphones with a charging case are what you're after, these two aren't that product; they're built to be worn, not carried in a pod.
SAMVEK, because it's the only one of the two that explicitly lists answering, hanging up and a mic for calls. But be realistic: neither lists a low-latency gaming mode, so if you're hunting for the best crystal clear calls open ear headphones for Xbox sessions, these are a compromise — fine for voice chat, not a substitute for a proper gaming headset.
I don't quote figures — pricing moves, and the page button shows the current numbers. Judge value on specs instead: SAMVEK gives you more runtime, faster documented charging, an extra format and call controls; RR SPORTS gives you a softer silicone build and a stability strap. Pick the one whose strength you'd actually miss.
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