How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a compact, truly wireless in-ear pair with a secure fit, sweat and dust resistance, and touch controls for calls, tracks, and volume, choose Skullcandy Indy True; if you need marathon battery life with swappable magnetic batteries, an open-ear design that keeps you aware of your surroundings, and a charging case with a digital power display, choose ROEL-PLAY Open Ear.
• Skullcandy Indy True — biggest strength: A genuinely pocketable true-wireless in-ear design with IP55 sweat, water, and dust resistance, up to 16 hours of total battery life, and touch controls that handle calls, track skipping, and volume without reaching for your phone.
• Skullcandy Indy True — biggest trade-off: Battery life tops out at 16 hours total, and the in-ear seal depends on getting the right eartip fit — the brand itself notes sound quality and call performance suffer if the tips don't seat properly.
• ROEL-PLAY Open Ear — biggest strength: A magnetic swappable battery system with two cycling batteries delivering up to 60 hours of playback, expandable to 120 hours with spares, plus a charging case with an LED screen showing real-time power.
• ROEL-PLAY Open Ear — biggest trade-off: It's an open-ear hook design, so it won't give you the sealed, isolated listening of an in-ear bud, and it relies on button/touch controls on a larger frame rather than a tiny in-ear shell.
• Who each pick is for: Skullcandy Indy True suits someone who wants minimal, wire-free in-ear listening with isolation and a snug fit; ROEL-PLAY Open Ear suits runners, cyclists, and long-session users who need battery endurance and situational awareness.
Skullcandy Indy True is built around the idea that true wireless should feel effortless. It's a Bluetooth 5.0 in-ear pair with a rounded-tip earpiece shape and removable stability ear gels, so the fit is something you can tune rather than accept as-is. That matters, because the product notes are blunt about it: if the eartip doesn't match your ear canal, you won't get the intended sound or call quality. Get it right, though, and you have a compact, indigo-colored bud with a dynamic driver, 16-ohm impedance, and a 20Hz–20kHz frequency range — a conventional, familiar tuning for everyday music and podcasts.
Who should buy it: someone who wants a small, sealed in-ear bud with sound isolation, a secure fit they can adjust, and touch controls that cover the basics. Who should skip it: anyone who hates fiddling with eartips, wants to hear traffic while running, or needs battery life measured in days rather than hours. In my opinion, Indy True is the pick when portability and isolation matter more than endurance.
ROEL-PLAY Open Ear: Who It's For
ROEL-PLAY Open Ear takes the opposite approach: it's designed so you never think about charging. The M143 uses a magnetic detachable battery system — you swap in a fresh cell in about three seconds, and the two included batteries cycle while the spare charges in the case. That adds up to up to 60 hours of comprehensive working time, expandable to 120 hours with spare batteries. The case has an LED digital screen showing real-time power for both the earbuds and the case, which is a genuinely useful touch if you've ever been caught out mid-trip.
The open-ear hook design is the other defining feature. Instead of sealing your ear canal, it uses an AF acoustic focusing directional transmission setup with reverse sound wave cancellation to beam audio inward and limit leakage. The titanium-coated dome speaker supports AptX and AAC decoding, and the brand describes Dolby-style 360° spatial surround with balanced bass and clear vocals. Because nothing blocks your canal, you stay aware of traffic and surroundings — a real safety argument for running and cycling. The rotatable liquid-silicone ear hook uses a golden-triangle support structure, and the whole thing is rated IPX5 for sweat and light rain.
On the tech side, it runs Bluetooth 6.0 with low-latency support and dual-device switching between phone and laptop, plus ENC AI noise reduction for calls. Controls are touch-based taps with a button-control element. Who should buy it: long-distance runners, cyclists, commuters, and anyone who wants all-day or multi-day battery without babysitting a charger. Who should skip it: listeners who prioritize deep isolation and a sealed bass response over awareness and endurance. Note that it's not a jacked pair — no headphone jack here, wireless only.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for battery life → ROEL-PLAY Open Ear. Up to 60 hours with the swappable batteries, expandable to 120 hours with spares, versus up to 16 hours total on the Indy True.
• Best for compact, isolated listening → Skullcandy Indy True. A true-wireless in-ear with sound isolation and a pocket-sized case beats an open-ear hook if you want to block out the world.
• Best for running and cycling safety → ROEL-PLAY Open Ear. The open, non-blocking design keeps surrounding sound audible while the silicone hook holds firm.
• Best for gym and sweat → a tie, with nuance. Indy True carries IP55 sweat, water, and dust resistance; ROEL-PLAY carries IPX5 sweatproof for heavy sweat and light rain.
• Best for travel and multi-day trips → ROEL-PLAY Open Ear. The LED power display on the case plus swappable batteries removes the low-battery anxiety that a single 16-hour budget can create.
• Best for a snug, adjustable fit → Skullcandy Indy True. Removable stability ear gels let you tune the seal, though the brand warns fit directly affects sound and call performance.
• Best for switching between phone and laptop → ROEL-PLAY Open Ear. Bluetooth 6.0 with dual-device switching, versus Bluetooth 5.0 on the Indy True.
If I had to pick one, I'd take the ROEL-PLAY Open Ear — but only if battery life and situational awareness are what I care about most. Up to 60 hours with swappable batteries, a case that shows real-time power, and an open design that keeps me aware on the road is a combination that suits how most people actually use earbuds outdoors. If, instead, I wanted a small in-ear pair with isolation, a tunable fit, and touch controls for volume and calls, I'd pick the Skullcandy Indy True without hesitation. In my opinion, the deciding question isn't which is better — it's whether you want your ears sealed or your ears open. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one variable I can't weigh for you.
how to disable touch controls on headphones
Disabling touch controls is usually handled in the companion app for the specific brand, or by unpairing the earbuds from your device. Neither the Skullcandy Indy True nor the ROEL-PLAY Open Ear data sheets list an app-based toggle, so the practical route is to unpair the headphones when you don't want taps to register. If your model has no app support, removing the Bluetooth pairing is the reliable fallback.
what is touch control on headphones
Touch control means the outer surface of the earbud responds to taps and swipes instead of physical buttons. The Skullcandy Indy True uses touch control for call, track, and volume management, while the ROEL-PLAY Open Ear uses smart touch taps for music playback and call management. Both let you operate the headphones without reaching for your phone.
why are my headphones controlling my phone
Headphones control your phone because they're paired over Bluetooth and send standard media commands — play, pause, skip, and call answer — when you tap the touch surface. If a tap is registering when you don't intend it, the usual cause is an accidental touch on the control area. Unpairing the device in your Bluetooth settings stops those commands from reaching the phone.
how to disable touch controls sony headphones
Sony headphones typically handle this in the Sony Headphones Connect app, where you can reassign or turn off touch functions. That's a brand-specific setting and doesn't apply to the Skullcandy Indy True or ROEL-PLAY Open Ear, which don't list a comparable app in their spec sheets. For those two, unpairing is the straightforward way to stop touch input.
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