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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want headphones built for swimming laps and nothing else, choose Swimbuds Sport Waterproof Swimming; if you need everyday wireless earbuds for a Samsung Galaxy A23 with long battery life and a charging case, choose SGNICS Samsung Galaxy A23.
• Swimbuds Sport Waterproof Swimming — biggest strength: A genuinely water-focused design with an IPX8 (10 ft) rating, a short 40 cm anti-drag cord, and 11 pairs of eartips in 4 styles for a locked-in seal.
• Swimbuds Sport Waterproof Swimming — biggest trade-off: It's a wired pair with no noise cancelling and no charging case, so it's not the pick for phone calls or all-day music on the go.
• SGNICS Samsung Galaxy A23 — biggest strength: Wireless Bluetooth 5.3 earbuds with a charging case, 31 hours of total battery life, and a 13 mm dynamic driver for fuller sound.
• SGNICS Samsung Galaxy A23 — biggest trade-off: IPX4 water resistance is splash-level, not swim-level, so it won't survive a lap session in the pool.
• Who each pick is for: Swimbuds Sport is for pool and open-water swimmers who want audio that keeps working underwater. SGNICS is for Galaxy A23 owners who want a cheap, convenient wireless set for commuting, workouts and calls.
The Swimbuds Sport is a niche product, and it's proud of it. Everything about the design points at one job: keeping audio in your ears while you swim. The IPX8 rating means it's built to handle being submerged to around 10 feet, which is the kind of claim most earbuds don't even attempt. The 40 cm short cord exists because a long cable drags in the water, tangles, and pulls the buds loose mid-stroke — this one is deliberately short so it disappears against your head.
The fit system is where Swimbuds clearly put in the work. You get 11 pairs of eartips across 4 different tip styles, which matters a lot in water because a bad seal means muffled sound and water leaking in. The intended wear method is tucked into your goggle strap just above the ear, with the cable running upward and under the strap. It's a specific technique, but it's the difference between buds that stay put through a flip turn and buds that pop out on lap two.
Who should buy it: swimmers who train regularly, people who get bored in the pool, and anyone who's tried normal earbuds in water and watched them fail. Who should skip it: if you mostly want earbuds for the gym, phone calls, or listening on the bus, this isn't the tool. It's wired only, has no noise cancelling, and comes with a zip case rather than a charging case — because there's no battery to charge. It also ships with a 0.6 m extension cord, so you can reach a phone or player sitting at the poolside.
The SGNICS earbuds are the opposite philosophy: a general-purpose wireless set made to pair with your Galaxy A23 and just work. The headline number here is battery — roughly 7 hours per charge and about 31 hours total with the charging case topping the buds up three to four times. For most people that means charging the case once a week, not once a day. That's the kind of spec that quietly makes a pair of earbuds convenient rather than annoying.
Sound-wise, SGNICS uses a 13 mm compound diaphragm dynamic driver, which is on the larger side for earbuds and is the reason the brand talks about fuller, more detailed music. Bluetooth 5.3 handles the connection, with the brand quoting a stable range of up to 12 metres and lower power draw than older Bluetooth versions. The case reconnects automatically to your last device when you open it, so after the first manual pairing you don't have to fiddle with settings.
Water resistance is IPX4, which means sweat and light splashes are fine — a run in the rain, a gym session, a sweaty commute. It is not a swimming rating, and you shouldn't treat it like one. The touch controls handle play, pause, track skipping and calls, and there's an ENC noise-cancelling mic for voice pickup on the phone. Each bud weighs about 3.8 g, so they're light enough to forget you're wearing them.
Who should buy it: Galaxy A23 owners who want a wireless set for daily life — music, podcasts, calls, workouts — and who value a long battery over audiophile tuning. Who should skip it: swimmers, and anyone who wants a wired connection with zero charging involved.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for battery life → SGNICS Samsung Galaxy A23. About 31 hours total with the case; the Swimbuds have no battery at all because they're wired.
• Best for phone calls → SGNICS Samsung Galaxy A23. It has a built-in ENC mic and touch controls. The Swimbuds are audio-only.
• Best fit security in water → Swimbuds Sport Waterproof Swimming. 11 eartips in 4 styles plus a goggle-strap wear method is designed around one problem: staying sealed while moving.
• Best for commuting and everyday listening → SGNICS Samsung Galaxy A23. Bluetooth 5.3, auto-reconnect, and no cable to snag on a bag strap.
• Best for a poolside music player or MP3 → Swimbuds Sport Waterproof Swimming. The 3.5 mm jack plus the included 0.6 m extension cord reaches a device sitting on the deck.
• Best for a Galaxy A23 specifically → SGNICS Samsung Galaxy A23. It's wireless, so it pairs with the phone directly — no dongle, no adapter.
• Best for low-maintenance ownership → SGNICS Samsung Galaxy A23. A charging case and auto-pairing beat managing a cable and a zip pouch for most people.
In my opinion, this isn't a close fight — it's a question of what you actually do with your ears. If you swim, I'd buy the Swimbuds Sport Waterproof Swimming, because its IPX8 rating, short anti-drag cord and 11-tip fit kit solve a problem no ordinary earbud can. If you don't swim and you own a Galaxy A23, I'd buy the SGNICS Samsung Galaxy A23 — 31 hours of battery, Bluetooth 5.3, a charging case and a mic make it the far more useful daily pair. Buy for the water, or buy for everything else. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, since both sit in very different budget brackets.
Yes — the design is rated IPX8, which covers submersion to roughly 10 feet. That's a swim-specific rating, unlike the IPX4 splash resistance on the SGNICS buds. For pool training, the Swimbuds are the one built for it.
I wouldn't. IPX4 handles sweat and light splashes, not submersion. Take them to the gym or out in the rain, but keep them out of the water.
The SGNICS, without question. It runs about 7 hours per charge and roughly 31 hours total with the charging case. The Swimbuds are wired, so they draw power from whatever device they're plugged into and have no battery of their own.
Only if your A23 has a 3.5 mm headphone jack. If it doesn't, you'd need an adapter, which is a real downside. The SGNICS pair connects wirelessly over Bluetooth, so it works with the A23 directly. If price is the deciding factor for you, check the current price on Amazon for both before choosing.
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