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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a tiny, pocket-friendly pair of earbuds you can lose behind your keys and find again with your phone, choose Skullcandy Dime 2; if you need active noise cancellation, a long single-charge runtime and a customizable sound app, choose Spigen True.
• Skullcandy Dime 2 — biggest strength: the integrated lanyard and palm-sized case make it one of the easiest pairs to actually keep with you, plus built-in Tile finding technology for when you misplace a bud.
• Skullcandy Dime 2 — biggest trade-off: no active noise cancellation and only 3.5 hours in the buds, so it's a short-session, everyday-carry pick rather than an all-day workhorse.
• Spigen True — biggest strength: up to 40dB of active noise cancellation, 7.5 hours per charge (30 hours with the case) and a 5-band-style EQ app with preset sound profiles.
• Spigen True — biggest trade-off: it's a bigger, heavier white plastic-and-silicone bud with a conventional charging case — no lanyard, no Tile tracking, no pocket-sized gimmick.
• Skullcandy Dime 2 is for you if you want cheap, light, sweat-resistant buds for commutes, walks and gym bags.
• Spigen True is for you if you want quiet, long battery, and you're willing to tune the sound yourself in an app.
The Dime 2 is a deliberately small product. Skullcandy built it around a 6mm dynamic driver, Bluetooth 5.2 with a 10-meter range, and an IPX4 sweat-and-water rating. The numbers that matter most here are the battery ones: 3.5 hours in the earbuds and 8.5 more in the case, for a stated total of 12 hours. A one-hour charge refills the case. That's not a week-of-work battery. It's a "grab them on the way out the door" battery.
Where this pair earns its keep is portability and durability in the boring sense. The case is compact with a rubberized body and an integrated strap, so it clips onto a bag loop or a lanyard instead of rolling around loose in a pocket. IPX4 means light rain and sweat are fine — not swimming, not a downpour. And the Tile finding technology (once you register the product in the Tile app) is the feature I'd actually pay attention to, because tiny buds get lost, and most budget pairs give you no way to hunt them down.
The sound-isolation approach is passive, not active. The tip seals your ear and blocks some outside noise, which is enough on a quiet street or a bus, and not enough on a plane or a subway platform. There's no app-based EQ here either — controls are media controls, and that's it.
Spigen True: Who It's For
The Spigen True is the opposite philosophy: pack in features, accept a bulkier bud. The headline spec is up to 40dB of active noise cancellation — real ANC, not just a sealing tip. That's the difference between muffling a train and actually quieting it. The battery story backs it up: 7.5 hours in the buds on a single charge, extending to 30 hours with the case. That's roughly double the Dime 2's per-charge time and more than double its total.
The audio hardware is unusual for the price bracket: an LCP graphene driver, with a frequency range of 20Hz–20,000Hz. Spigen pairs that with six microphones, which is a lot for a set of buds — it matters for call clarity and for making ANC work, since ANC needs mics listening to the outside world. There's also a dedicated gaming mode that prioritizes low-latency transmission, so audio stays in sync with what's on screen.
Then there's the app. The Spigen Audio App gives you five preset sound profiles plus a customizable equalizer, and control is app-based rather than relying purely on touch gestures. If you like tuning bass up for the gym and pulling it back for podcasts, that flexibility is the point. Bluetooth 5.2 handles pairing.
The trade-offs are honest ones. It's a white plastic/silicone bud — no lanyard, no Tile tracking, nothing clever about carrying it. It's also the heavier of the two designs. And ANC always costs something: it works best with a good seal, and some people find the pressure sensation of strong ANC uncomfortable over long stretches.
Buy the Spigen True if you want one pair to do everything — noisy commute, long flights, calls, gaming, and sound you can tweak. Skip it if you want the smallest possible case, a strap to clip on, or a find-my-buds safety net.
• Best for battery life (per charge and total) → Spigen True. 7.5 hours in the buds and 30 hours with the case versus 3.5 and 12.
• Best for blocking noise → Spigen True. Up to 40dB active noise cancellation beats passive sound isolation.
• Best for portability and not losing them → Skullcandy Dime 2. Integrated lanyard, rubberized compact case, Tile finding technology.
• Best for workouts and light rain → Skullcandy Dime 2. IPX4 sweat and water resistance, and a light 6mm-driver bud that stays out of the way.
• Best for sound customization → Spigen True. Five presets plus a customizable EQ in the Spigen Audio App.
• Best for calls → Spigen True. Six microphones is a serious array for a set of buds this size.
• Best for gaming → Spigen True. A dedicated low-latency gaming mode.
• Best for a cheap, toss-in-a-bag backup pair → Skullcandy Dime 2. It's built around carry, not around features.
• Best for long listening sessions → Spigen True. You'll be recharging the Dime 2 partway through an afternoon.
If I were buying one pair for myself, I'd take the Spigen True. In my opinion, active noise cancellation, a 30-hour total runtime, six mics and an EQ app cover far more real situations — commuting, flights, calls, gaming — than a lanyard and a tiny case do. The Dime 2 is genuinely good at one thing: staying with you and being findable. If that's your priority, or you want a cheap second pair, buy the Dime 2 without hesitation. But as a single do-everything set of earbuds, the Spigen True wins on the specs that matter most of the day. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since both sit in the budget-to-mid range and the gap matters.
Yes. The Spigen True has up to 40dB of active noise cancellation, while the Dime 2 relies on passive sound isolation from the ear tip seal. ANC is the meaningful upgrade on a plane, train or busy street.
The Dime 2 gives you 3.5 hours in the buds plus 8.5 hours in the case, for 12 hours total. The Spigen True gives 7.5 hours per charge and 30 hours total with the case. The Spigen lasts roughly twice as long per charge and more than twice as long overall.
Yes, within reason. It carries an IPX4 sweat and water resistance rating, so sweat and light rain are fine. Just don't submerge it or wear it in heavy rain.
The Skullcandy Dime 2, clearly. It has built-in Tile finding technology that works once you register the product in the Tile app, plus a built-in strap so the case can be clipped to something. The Spigen True has no tracking feature.
Correct. The Spigen Audio App offers five preset sound profiles and a customizable equalizer. The Dime 2 uses standard media controls with no companion EQ app listed.
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