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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-25 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
If you want a low-latency wireless gaming headset with 40-hour battery and per-game audio presets, choose SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X; if you need open-ear earbuds built around AI translation, motion control, and a smart LCD case, choose TOZO Open X2.
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X — biggest strength: A true gaming-first setup. 2.4GHz low-latency wireless plus Bluetooth 5.3, 200+ game presets in the Arctis Companion app, and up to 40 hours of playback with a 15-minute fast charge giving up to 9 hours.
• SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X — biggest trade-off: It's an over-ear headset at 260g. That's light for the category, but it's still a closed, headband-style design — not something you'd forget you're wearing on a long commute or a run.
• TOZO Open X2 — biggest strength: An open-ear design packed with software. AI face-to-face translation, motion controls (nod to answer a call), a 1.75" smart LCD screen on an aluminum alloy case, LDAC and Hi-Res Audio certification, IPX7 waterproofing, and 36 hours of battery.
• TOZO Open X2 — biggest trade-off: Open-ear earbuds don't seal your ear canal, so isolation is minimal by design, and the spec sheet lists no active noise control. The AI features are also the headline, so you need to actually want them.
• Who each pick is for: SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X is for the gamer who plays across Xbox, PS5, PC, Switch, handhelds and mobile. TOZO Open X2 is for the traveler, cyclist, runner, or meeting-heavy professional who wants their ears open and their phone doing more.
The Arctis Nova 3X is built around one idea: give you an audio advantage in competitive games and let you tune it in seconds. The Arctis Companion app carries 200+ game presets, so you can load a profile for Call of Duty or Fortnite and sharpen specific sounds — footsteps, reloads, heals — without rebuilding an EQ from scratch. If you've ever lost a fight because you heard the wrong thing at the wrong moment, that's the problem this headset is aimed at.
The hardware backs it up. Neodymium magnetic drivers push clear highs, pinpoint mids and deep bass, the impedance is rated at 36 ohm, and the frequency response tops out at 22,000 Hz. It's a wireless-only design — there's no headphone jack — with both Bluetooth and RF on board, plus a multi-platform USB-C dongle and a USB-A adapter in the box. That means you can move between Xbox, PC, PlayStation, Switch, handhelds, phones and tablets without juggling cables. Battery is the other headline: up to 40 hours on a charge, and 15 minutes of charging gets you up to 9 hours, which is genuinely the kind of thing that saves you mid-session.
Comfort matters here because gaming sessions are long. At 260g with a stretchy headband and multiple adjustment points, plus a dual-hinge design for durability, SteelSeries clearly designed this to be worn for hours. It ships in Aqua, comes with a user manual, and carries a 1-year warranty.
Who should buy it: anyone whose main audio job is gaming across multiple platforms, especially if you play shooters and want app-driven presets rather than manual tuning.
Who should skip it: if you want earbuds for the gym, running, or wearing outdoors in the rain, this isn't that product. There's no IP rating in the spec sheet, no open-ear design, and no translation or AI features. It's a headset for sitting down and playing.
The TOZO Open X2 Pro is a very different animal. It's an open-ear earbud, which means nothing goes inside your ear canal — the dual-axis ear hook rotates to adapt to your movement, and the design is meant to stay put through work, school, cycling, running and other outdoor activity. Because your ears stay open, you keep awareness of traffic, coworkers, and the world around you. With IPX7 waterproofing, rain, sweat and splashes aren't a problem.
The feature list reads more like a smart device than a pair of earbuds. Face-to-face translation transcribes and translates your voice in real time while the AI listens, so two people can hold a conversation through it. Motion control means you can nod to answer a call — no buttons, no taps — which is aimed squarely at driving safety and never missing a call with your hands full. AI meeting record automatically records, organizes and summarizes meetings, so you can stay in the conversation instead of taking notes.
On audio, TOZO leans on LDAC and Hi-Res Audio certification, a directional audio design that focuses the sound toward you, and BASS+ and ORIGX Pro tuning for a balanced, immersive result. The Free-Band Custom EQ lets you adjust any frequency point without restriction, with 32 professional presets if you'd rather not build your own curve. The charging case is aviation-grade aluminum alloy with a 1.75" smart LCD screen, and you can upload custom wallpapers through the TOZO App. Battery life is rated at 36 hours, and the box includes the charging case, the earbuds, a USB-C (A to C) cable and a user manual. It ships in Blue.
Who should buy it: travelers, cyclists, runners, drivers, and anyone in back-to-back meetings who wants open ears, hands-free control, and translation on tap.
Who should skip it: if you want deep isolation and a fully sealed listening experience, open-ear is the wrong shape. The spec sheet also lists no noise control, so this is a hear-your-surroundings product by design, not a noise-cancelling one.
• Best for competitive gaming → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X. 200+ game presets, neodymium drivers, and 2.4GHz low-latency wireless are purpose-built for it.
• Best for battery life → TOZO Open X2 on paper at 36 hours, though the Arctis Nova 3X matches it at 40 hours — and its 15-minutes-for-9-hours fast charge is the more useful number in practice.
• Best for open-ear awareness → TOZO Open X2. That's the entire design premise; the Arctis Nova 3X is over-ear and closed.
• Best for workouts and weather → TOZO Open X2. IPX7 waterproofing plus a rotating dual-axis hook that's meant to stay secure through movement.
• Best for multi-platform gaming → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X. Xbox, PS5, PC, Switch, handhelds, phones and tablets via one USB-C dongle, with a USB-A adapter included.
• Best for travel and translation → TOZO Open X2. Real-time face-to-face translation and AI meeting summaries are features nothing on the SteelSeries side attempts.
• Best for app-based sound tuning → TOZO Open X2 if you want unlimited frequency adjustment and 32 presets; the Arctis Nova 3X counters with game-specific presets instead of a general EQ playground.
• Best for long sessions at a desk → SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X. 260g, a stretchy headband, multiple adjustment points and a dual-hinge build are aimed at marathon play.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X — but only because my priority is gaming. In my opinion, the combination of a 40-hour battery, a 15-minute charge that returns up to 9 hours, 2.4GHz plus Bluetooth 5.3, and app-driven presets for specific games is a more complete package for that job than anything the TOZO side offers.
That said, I'd recommend the TOZO Open X2 without hesitation to a different person: someone who runs, cycles, drives, travels, or lives in meetings. If translation, motion control, open-ear awareness and IPX7 matter more to you than latency and game presets, the TOZO is the smarter buy. These aren't rivals so much as two answers to two different questions.
The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X, clearly. It's built for it: 2.4GHz low-latency wireless, a multi-platform USB-C dongle, 200+ game presets and neodymium drivers. The TOZO Open X2 is an open-ear everyday earbud, not a gaming headset.
They're close. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X is rated up to 40 hours, and the TOZO Open X2 up to 36 hours. The bigger practical difference is charging: the SteelSeries gets up to 9 hours of playback from a 15-minute fast charge.
Yes. It carries an IPX7 waterproof rating and a rotating dual-axis ear hook designed to stay secure through movement, so rain, sweat and splashes are covered. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X has no IP rating listed, so I wouldn't treat it as an outdoor workout headset.
The TOZO Open X2 lists no noise control, and its open-ear shape means it deliberately lets outside sound in. The SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X is over-ear, which physically blocks some ambient noise, but neither is marketed as an active noise cancelling product.
That depends on what you need it for, and prices change, so check the current price on Amazon before deciding. If you want a gaming headset, the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 3X is the one that fits the job. If you want open-ear earbuds with AI translation and a smart case, the TOZO Open X2 is the one.
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See also: Holiper Dual Driver vs Linsoul Tripowin Nova 2M, Purity Air Open Ear vs FIFINE X3W, LDSXAY Beats Powerbeats Pro vs TOZO Hybrid Active Noise