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If you want a pair of earbuds that can survive a downpour on a long run and keep working when the battery dies, choose SoundMAGIC ST80; if you need active noise cancellation and seamless switching between your laptop and phone, choose Sudio A3.
• SoundMAGIC ST80 — biggest strength: a genuinely unusual dual wired/wireless design. The Bluetooth module detaches and a 3.5mm wired module takes its place, so the buds never become e-waste when the battery runs flat.
• SoundMAGIC ST80 — biggest trade-off: it's a sports-first, hook-style bud. There's no active noise cancellation, only passive sound isolation, and the over-ear hooks are a distinct look that won't suit everyone.
• Sudio A3 — biggest strength: active noise cancellation rated at 18dB, Bluetooth 5.4 multipoint, and a compact pebble case — a proper everyday commuter set.
• Sudio A3 — biggest trade-off: wireless only. No 3.5mm fallback, IPX4 rather than IPX6, and 5 hours per charge means the case is doing most of the heavy lifting.
• Buy the SoundMAGIC ST80 if you train hard, sweat a lot, run outdoors in bad weather, or want one set of buds that outlives its own battery.
• Buy the Sudio A3 if you want to drown out an office or a train carriage and hop between devices without re-pairing.
The ST80 is built around one idea: staying put. The gel-flexible ear hooks rotate a full 360° and stretch to adjust, so the bud sits over the ear rather than relying purely on the ear canal to hold it. If you've ever had a bud ping out mid-sprint, that hook architecture is the whole point. The earpiece shape is listed as "hook," the ear placement as on-ear, and the enclosure mixes metal, plastic and silicone — a sturdier build than the all-plastic norm at this style of bud.
Audio-wise, SoundMAGIC leans on a 13.5mm dynamic driver, which is large for this category. Combined with a Qualcomm chip and Bluetooth 5.0 supporting aptX, AAC and SBC, the tuning is aimed at punchy bass and clear mids rather than a flat studio signature. Impedance is 16 ohm with 100dB sensitivity and a 20Hz–20KHz range. Note the 16-ohm figure: that's a low-impedance, easy-to-drive design, which matters because you can also run these wired. The box includes a 3.5mm wired module, a Bluetooth module, six sets of eartips, a USB cable and a hard case.
That dual-module setup is the real differentiator. The wired module means the ST80 can plug into a laptop, an in-flight entertainment jack, or a gym machine with a headphone port — no pairing, no charging, no latency. Battery life is quoted at 24 hours, with a 1-hour charge time and a 13-metre Bluetooth range.
Who should buy it: runners, cyclists, gym-goers, anyone who trains outdoors in the rain, and anyone who wants a wired fallback. Who should skip it: commuters who want to silence a noisy train, people who want a discreet in-ear look, and anyone who wants to switch between two devices without re-pairing — there's no multipoint here.
Sudio A3: Who It's For
The Sudio A3 (sold as the A3 Pro) takes the opposite approach. It's a compact in-ear set with a pebble-shaped charging case, made from 20% recycled plastics in a frosted Scandinavian finish with geometric stems. Ear placement is in-ear, the enclosure is plastic, and the weight is 93.6g for the whole package.
The headline feature is active noise cancellation rated at 18dB. That's the electronic kind — microphones listening to the outside world and cancelling it — not the passive seal the ST80 relies on. For a train, a plane, an open-plan office or a café, that's a different class of quiet. The noise control field is listed simply as Active Noise Cancellation.
Battery is quoted at up to 25 hours total, split as 5 hours per charge plus extra from the case. Charge time is 5 hours. Read that honestly: 5 hours in the buds is a modest single-sitting figure, but the case extends it to a full day of listening, which is the normal trade-off for a small ANC bud.
Connectivity is Bluetooth 5.4 with multipoint — you can hold a phone and a laptop at once and switch between them without unpairing. There's no headphone jack at all; this is wireless-only, with USB-C charging. The driver is a balanced armature, which typically favours detail and vocal clarity over the big, loose low-end thump a dynamic driver delivers. Impedance is 32 ohm. The enhanced microphones are aimed at clear calls in noisy environments, and IPX4 covers sweat and splashes — fine for the gym, not for a rainstorm.
Who should buy it: commuters, remote workers, students, and anyone who wants noise cancellation and easy device switching. Who should skip it: people who train hard outdoors in the rain, and anyone who wants a wired backup when the battery dies.
• Best for noise cancellation → Sudio A3. 18dB of active ANC versus passive isolation only on the ST80. If quiet is the goal, this isn't close.
• Best for battery life → SoundMAGIC ST80. 24 hours quoted versus 5 hours per charge on the A3, plus the ST80 charges in 1 hour instead of 5.
• Best for heavy sweating and rain → SoundMAGIC ST80. IPX6 versus IPX4. Both handle sweat; only one is rated for sustained rain.
• Best for running and cycling → SoundMAGIC ST80. The 360° rotating ear hooks and adjustable stretch are designed specifically to stop the bud moving.
• Best for switching between phone and laptop → Sudio A3. Bluetooth 5.4 multipoint, two devices at once. The ST80 is single-connection Bluetooth 5.0.
• Best for calls in noisy places → Sudio A3. Enhanced mics plus ANC. The ST80 has a noise-cancelling mic, but nothing to reduce what you hear around you.
• Best for never being stranded → SoundMAGIC ST80. The detachable Bluetooth module swaps for a 3.5mm wired module, so a flat battery doesn't end your session.
• Best for a discreet, pocketable everyday set → Sudio A3. Compact pebble case, in-ear fit, 93.6g total.
If I had to pick one for myself, I'd take the SoundMAGIC ST80. In my opinion it's the more versatile buy, because the dual wired/wireless design means it's still useful in five years when the battery has aged — and IPX6 plus the hook fit covers the workouts where most earbuds fail. That said, if your day is trains, calls and laptop switching rather than trails, the Sudio A3's ANC and multipoint are the features you'll actually feel every single day, and I'd recommend it without hesitation for that life. Match the tool to the job.
For running, yes — in my opinion. The 360° rotating ear hooks, adjustable stretch and IPX6 rating are built for movement and weather, and the 3.5mm wired module is a genuine backup. The A3 is IPX4 and in-ear only.
Does the Sudio A3 have noise cancellation?
The SoundMAGIC ST80, on the numbers: 24 hours quoted with a 1-hour charge time. The Sudio A3 offers up to 25 hours total, but that's 5 hours per charge plus top-ups from the case, and a 5-hour charge time.
Yes. It ships with both a Bluetooth module and a 3.5mm wired module, so you can run it over Bluetooth or plug in directly. The Sudio A3 is wireless only and has no headphone jack.
I can't quote prices here, and both sit in different spots depending on the retailer and any deals running. Check the current price on Amazon for each before deciding — the feature differences above are what should drive the choice.
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