How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a pair of headphones you can actually wear in the water — swimming laps, sweating through a long session, even going under — choose Soveign Waterproof Headphones; if you need earbuds for calls, long battery life and everyday gym work around water, choose FK Trading Google Pixel 7.
• Soveign Waterproof Headphones — biggest strength: IPX8 waterproofing plus a bone-conduction, open-ear design and a built-in 32GB MP3 player, so you can keep music going with no Bluetooth connection at all.
• Soveign Waterproof Headphones — biggest trade-off: It's not a calling-first headset. Bluetooth is limited underwater, so you have to switch to MP3 mode when swimming, and there's no charging case with a big battery figure attached to it.
• FK Trading Google Pixel 7 — biggest strength: A 48-hour total playtime figure (9 hours per charge, plus a 500mAh case) with USB-C fast charging, four microphones for calls, and IPX6 sweat/rain protection.
• FK Trading Google Pixel 7 — biggest trade-off: IPX6 is splash- and sweat-resistant, not swim-rated, so it's the wrong tool for laps or submersion.
• Who each pick is for: Pick the Soveign if water is the whole point. Pick the FK Trading Google Pixel 7 if you want versatile everyday earbuds with strong battery life and call quality.
The Soveign Waterproof Headphones are built around one idea: staying on your head and playing music while you're wet. The IPX8 rating is the headline — that's a submersion-level claim, and the whole shell is wrapped in waterproof silicone rather than just coated at the seams. That's the difference between "sweat won't kill these" and "these are meant to go underwater." If your training happens in a pool, this is the design brief you're looking for.
The second thing that matters here is the bone-conduction, open-ear format. Nothing goes inside your ear canal, so you keep some awareness of your surroundings, and the band sits outside your ear instead of plugging it. It's also rated for 360-degree bending, which means you can flex the frame to sit the way you want and not worry about the middle joint cracking. In my opinion that flexibility matters more than people expect with open-ear bands, because fit is the whole ballgame when you're moving.
Then there's the 32GB MP3 mode. This is the part that makes the swimming claim actually usable: Bluetooth gets limited in water, so the Soveign wants you to switch to MP3 mode when you're submerged. With 32GB of built-in memory — enough for thousands of songs — you load your music ahead of time and leave your phone in the locker. One-button physical controls handle volume, playback and calls, which is far easier to operate with wet hands than a touch surface.
Who should buy it: swimmers, divers, open-water athletes, and anyone who wants music without carrying a phone. Who should skip it: if your priority is crystal-clear phone calls or you want a pocketable charging case with a long battery number attached, this isn't the product for you.
The FK Trading Google Pixel 7 earbuds are a different animal entirely — a classic true-wireless sports earbud with ear hooks, aimed at the gym, running and general workout use. The spec that jumps out first is battery: 9 hours of playback per charge and a 500mAh case that takes the total to 48 hours, with USB-C charging that fills the case in about 1.5 hours. If you're the type who forgets to charge things, that's a genuinely forgiving setup.
The ear-hook design is the other core feature. Soft, flexible hooks wrap over the ear to hold the bud in place during hard movement, and you get three sizes of silicone tips (S/M/L) so you can find a seal. A proper seal does double duty: it keeps the bud planted and it blocks outside noise, which is what the listing is getting at with the "block out surrounding noise" claim. That's the opposite philosophy from the Soveign's open-ear approach — one keeps you aware, the other shuts the world out.
On the water question, the FK Trading buds carry IPX6. That's a meaningful rating for sweat and rain, and it's fine for a hard workout, a run in bad weather, or a sweaty gym session. It is not a swim rating, and I'd treat it that way — don't take these into a pool. For calls, there are four microphones with environmental noise-canceling technology, and Bluetooth 5.3 handles the connection. Compatibility is broad: Android phones including the Galaxy line, iPhone, iPad Pro and other Bluetooth devices.
Who should buy it: gym-goers, runners, cyclists, anyone who takes a lot of calls mid-workout, and people who want one pair of earbuds to do everything except swim. Who should skip it: swimmers and anyone who wants to go underwater.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for swimming and submersion → Soveign Waterproof Headphones. IPX8 versus IPX6 is the entire argument here.
• Best for phone calls → FK Trading Google Pixel 7. Four microphones with noise-canceling technology versus a call button on the Soveign.
• Best for music without a phone → Soveign Waterproof Headphones. The 32GB MP3 mode means no Bluetooth and no device needed.
• Best for blocking out the gym → FK Trading Google Pixel 7. Sealed in-ear tips with three sizes; the Soveign is deliberately open-ear.
• Best for staying aware of traffic and surroundings → Soveign Waterproof Headphones. Bone conduction leaves your ear canal open.
• Best for sweat and rain only → either one. Both ratings cover perspiration and weather; only one covers going under.
• Best for durability against flexing → Soveign Waterproof Headphones. The 360-degree bend frame is designed to take that abuse.
If I had to pick one, I'd pick based on where you sweat. For the pool, open water or anywhere you'll actually be submerged, I'd buy the Soveign Waterproof Headphones — the IPX8 rating, the bendable open-ear frame and the 32GB MP3 mode are a coherent package built for exactly that job, and nothing about the FK Trading buds can match it in the water. For the gym, the run and the commute, I'd buy the FK Trading Google Pixel 7 — the 48-hour playtime, four-mic calling and secure ear hooks make it the more useful everyday pair. Only one of these is a swimming product. Decide which person you are, and the choice makes itself.
are headphones waterproof
Not automatically. "Waterproof" is a rating, not a category, and these two prove it: the Soveign carries IPX8, which is the submersion-level claim you want for swimming, while the FK Trading Google Pixel 7 carries IPX6, which is splash- and sweat-resistant but not built for going underwater. Always match the rating to the activity.
are headphones water resistant
Yes — both of these are. IPX6 (FK Trading) and IPX8 (Soveign) are both water-resistance ratings, just at different levels. IPX6 handles sweat, rain and heavy spray; IPX8 goes further and covers immersion, which is why the Soveign is the one you'd wear in a pool.
I wouldn't. Its IPX6 rating covers sweat and rain during workouts, not submersion, so a pool is outside what the spec supports. If swimming is your goal, the Soveign's IPX8 design is the one built for it.
No — and the product itself flags this. Bluetooth is limited in water, so you switch to MP3 mode when swimming. That's why the 32GB built-in memory matters: you load your music before you get in and leave your phone behind. On land, Bluetooth 5.3 works normally.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
When you buy through links on this page, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon or its affiliates. This site is an independent third-party review and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon or the product brands mentioned.
See also: KOAIEZ IP7 vs Dohaeris IPX7: Ipx7 Waterproof Headphones, AWEI T95 vs CHENRUIDA Clip: Ipx6 Waterproof Headphones, BNARQP NE49 vs JBMI Earbuds: Ipx5 Waterproof Headphones