We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-24 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a traditional in-ear fit that seals out noise and keeps the price low, choose Skullcandy Smokin Buds 360; if you need an open-ear design that lets you hear traffic, coworkers, and your surroundings while you listen, choose Xoruezls Open Ear Earbuds.
• Skullcandy Smokin Buds 360 — biggest strength: a noise-isolating in-ear seal with three ear gel sizes, plus multipoint pairing so it hops between two devices at once.
• Skullcandy Smokin Buds 360 — biggest trade-off: the seal that blocks noise also blocks your surroundings, and total battery lands at 20 hours (7 in the buds, 13 in the case).
• Xoruezls Open Ear Earbuds — biggest strength: an open, clip-on hook design that leaves your ear canal clear, backed by a claimed 50 hours of total listening and environmental noise cancellation on calls.
• Xoruezls Open Ear Earbuds — biggest trade-off: open-ear audio means no isolation, and the 60 ms listed latency sits well above the sub-20 ms figure the brand advertises for movies and games.
• Who each pick is for: the Skullcandy is for commuters, students, and anyone who wants cheap, simple in-ear listening; the Xoruezls is for runners, cyclists, and office workers who need to stay aware of what's around them.
The Smokin Buds 360 is a straightforward in-ear design, and that's the whole point. It sits inside your ear canal with a pea-shaped bud and silicone gels in small, medium, and large, so you can tune the seal to your ear. That seal is what Skullcandy calls noise isolation — no active circuitry, just a physical plug that dulls ambient hum. For a bus ride, a library session, or a noisy shared apartment, that's exactly what you want.
Battery is split between the buds and the case: roughly 7 hours in the earbuds and another 13 in the case for about 20 total. A 10-minute Rapid Charge gets you about 1.75 hours, and a full charge takes around an hour. Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint pairing means you can be connected to a laptop and a phone simultaneously and switch between them without re-pairing. Touch controls handle playback, and the whole thing is rated IPX4, which covers sweat and light splashes but not a swim.
Who should buy it: commuters, students, and anyone who treats earbuds as a utility — something to jam into a pocket and use for calls, podcasts, and music on the go. Who should skip it: runners and cyclists who need to hear cars, and anyone who dislikes the plugged-up feeling of an in-ear seal. If you fall into that second group, the Xoruezls is the more sensible shape for you.
The Xoruezls takes the opposite approach entirely. Instead of plugging your canal, it hooks over your ear and fires sound toward it from outside, so natural airflow and ambient noise pass straight through. The brand frames this as a built-in transparency mode, and mechanically that's what it is — you get music and podcasts while still hearing the world. The flexible clip is designed to adapt to different ear shapes without pressing on cartilage, and the whole package is built around staying put during movement.
On paper the battery story is the headline: up to 8 hours per charge with roughly 32 more in the case, for a claimed 50 hours total, and a 10-minute top-up that yields about 2 hours of playtime. Bluetooth 6.1 is listed, along with a 10-meter range, and the brand highlights low latency for video and gaming. Worth flagging the mismatch in the spec sheet: the marketing claims under 20 ms latency while the listed audio latency is 60 ms. I'd treat the lower figure as a best-case claim and the 60 ms as the number to expect.
The driver is a 16.3 mm dynamic unit — noticeably larger than typical in-ear drivers — and the mics use environmental noise cancellation to clean up calls. IPX7 is listed in the description, which is a stronger water rating than the Skullcandy's IPX4, though I'd still treat any earbud as splash-resistant rather than submersible. Controls are touch-based.
Who should buy it: runners, cyclists, gym-goers, delivery riders, and office workers who need one ear on a call and one on the room. Who should skip it: anyone who wants deep isolation on a plane or train, and anyone who finds hook-style earpieces fiddly to seat correctly.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for staying aware of your surroundings → Xoruezls Open Ear Earbuds. Open-ear by design, with ambient sound passing through.
• Best for total battery life → Xoruezls Open Ear Earbuds, on the listed numbers (roughly 50 hours total versus roughly 20).
• Best for quick top-ups → a near tie. Skullcandy: 10 minutes for about 1.75 hours. Xoruezls: 10 minutes for about 2 hours.
• Best for workouts and sweaty sessions → Xoruezls Open Ear Earbuds, based on the higher IPX7 rating and the secure clip-on fit.
• Best for water resistance on the in-ear side → Skullcandy Smokin Buds 360, which carries an IPX4 rating and three gel sizes to lock the fit down.
• Best for switching between two devices → Skullcandy Smokin Buds 360, which lists multipoint pairing; the Xoruezls sheet doesn't mention it.
• Best for a first pair or a spare → Skullcandy Smokin Buds 360, purely because in-ear buds are the shape most people already know how to wear.
In my opinion, the right call comes down to one question: do you want your ears plugged or open? If you want quiet, a familiar in-ear fit, and multipoint pairing for juggling a phone and a laptop, I'd buy the Skullcandy Smokin Buds 360. If you run, ride, or work somewhere you need to hear what's happening around you — and you want the far longer total battery figure — I'd buy the Xoruezls Open Ear Earbuds. The Skullcandy is the safer, more conventional pick; the Xoruezls is the one that changes how you use earbuds. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since that's the one variable that can flip this decision.
how to clean in ear earbuds
Pop the silicone ear gel off the nozzle and rinse it with warm water, then let it dry fully before refitting. Wipe the bud body and charging contacts with a dry, soft cloth — never run the electronics under water, even on an IPX4-rated set like the Smokin Buds 360.
how to put in ear earbuds
Pull the top of your ear gently up and back to straighten the canal, then ease the bud in with a slight twist so the gel seats. The Smokin Buds 360 ships with small, medium, and large gels, so try each size — a proper seal is what gives you the noise isolation and the fuller bass.
how to fit in ear earbuds
Fit is about seal, not force. If the bud feels loose, move up a gel size; if it aches after ten minutes, move down. On the Xoruezls, fitting works differently — the flexible hook rests over the ear rather than inside it, so you're adjusting the clip angle, not the canal depth.
how to ear earbuds
If you mean keeping earbuds from falling out, the answer is the shape, not the squeeze. In-ear models rely on a correctly sized gel; clip-on open-ear models like the Xoruezls rely on a flexible hook that grips the outer ear, which is why they're marketed for running and workouts.
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