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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-26 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• Thore iPhone Earphones MFi — biggest strength: Apple MFi certification, an 11mm dynamic driver tuned for 20 Hz–20 kHz, a fully wired Lightning connection with no pairing, and a sweat/water-resistant build.
• Thore iPhone Earphones MFi — biggest trade-off: It's a single pair, so you get one set of earbuds and one set of three ear gels rather than a backup pair.
• Matsusho 2 — biggest strength: You get two pairs in one box, plus a 36-month warranty and a mic/remote that handles calls, playback and volume.
• Matsusho 2 — biggest trade-off: Despite being a Lightning plug, it needs Bluetooth switched on and a 2–8 second connection step, and its drivers are balanced armature rather than dynamic.
• Who Thore is for: iPhone owners who want plug-and-play, sport-ready earbuds with a reinforced cord.
• Who Matsusho 2 is for: Households with more than one Lightning iPhone, or anyone who wants a spare pair on hand.
The Thore V120 is the straightforward option. It's an in-ear wired Lightning earbud, MFi certified, which means it's built to the Apple accessory standard rather than just shaped like a Lightning plug. For an iPhone 12, 13 or 14 owner — including Pro Max models — that matters, because the Lightning port is the only audio connection you've got unless you're on a dongle.
The audio side is handled by a single 11mm dynamic driver with a 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency range and 16 ohm impedance. Low impedance like that is friendly to a phone's output, and a dynamic driver of that size is the classic recipe for warm, full-bodied sound rather than clinical detail. Thore also lists sound isolation as the noise control method, which is the passive kind — the seal from the ear gels does the work, not electronics. That's why the three included ear gel sizes matter more than they look.
Buy it if you want one pair that plugs in and just works, you sweat in your earbuds, or you've been burned by Lightning earbuds that stopped being recognized. Skip it if you specifically need a second pair for a partner, a kid or a bag, because this is a single-item package.
Matsusho 2: Who It's For
Matsusho 2 takes the opposite approach. The headline feature is the quantity: this is a 2-pack, so you're buying two complete pairs of white in-ear Lightning earbuds in one purchase. For a two-iPhone household, or for someone who always loses one pair, that's a meaningful difference in how you actually live with them.
The second thing to understand is the connection. Matsusho describes these as a "pop-up" style earphone that uses Bluetooth connectivity alongside the Lightning plug. In practice that means you turn Bluetooth on, plug the earphones in, and they connect — and on subsequent uses they reconnect automatically in roughly 2–8 seconds. It's not a pure analog passthrough like the Thore. That's a real trade-off: an extra step, an extra dependency, and a small delay before audio starts.
The drivers are balanced armature rather than dynamic, with the same 20 Hz–20,000 Hz range. Balanced armature drivers are typically chosen for efficiency and clarity in the midrange; dynamic drivers like Thore's tend to move more air and feel fuller down low. Neither is universally better — they're different flavors.
You also get an inline remote for volume, playback and calls, a silicone and TPE build, and a 36-month worry-free warranty. The model number is SKFASTC-US110 and the Bluetooth version is 5.2, so the wireless side is at least current-generation.
Buy it if you want two pairs, you like the idea of a long warranty, or you're outfitting more than one Lightning iPhone. Skip it if you want zero pairing steps and the simplest possible plug-and-play experience.
• Best for plug-and-play simplicity → Thore iPhone Earphones MFi. No Bluetooth, no pairing, no 2–8 second wait.
• Best for two people or a spare pair → Matsusho 2. Two complete pairs in one package.
• Best for workouts and sweat → Thore iPhone Earphones MFi. Water-resistant with a reinforced TPU cord.
• Best for fit customization → Thore iPhone Earphones MFi. Three ear gel sizes are included; the seal is also what drives its sound isolation.
• Best for warranty length → Matsusho 2. A 36-month worry-free warranty versus Thore's limited lifetime guarantee — different structures, both worth reading.
• Best for fuller low-end character → Thore iPhone Earphones MFi. The 11mm dynamic driver is the more traditional big-sound approach.
• Best for midrange clarity → Matsusho 2. Balanced armature drivers are the usual pick when detail matters more than thump.
• Best for iPhone 15 or 16 owners → neither as-is. Both use a Lightning plug, so a USB-C iPhone needs an adapter.
I'd buy the Thore iPhone Earphones MFi. In my opinion, the MFi certification and the fully wired Lightning connection are the two things that decide this category — you plug in, it works, and there's no Bluetooth handshake in the middle of your commute or your run. The water resistance, reinforced cord and three ear gel sizes round out a pair that's clearly designed to survive daily use. Matsusho 2 is the smarter buy only if the second pair is genuinely useful to you; otherwise you're paying for a spare and accepting an extra connection step. Either way, check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
how to use headphones for iphone
Plug the Lightning connector into your iPhone's charging port and press play. With the Thore, that's all there is — the phone routes audio through the Lightning jack automatically. With the Matsusho 2, you also need Bluetooth turned on so the earphones can connect, which takes a few seconds the first time.
how to use wired headphones for iphone 15
The iPhone 15 moved to USB-C, so a Lightning-plug earphone like either of these won't fit directly. You'll need a Lightning-to-USB-C adapter to use them. If you'd rather avoid adapters entirely, look for a USB-C earphone instead, because neither Thore nor Matsusho 2 ships with a USB-C plug.
how to use wired headphones for iphone
Connect the Lightning plug, then use the inline remote for volume, playback and calls. On the Thore, the remote is a standard wired controller with a mic. On the Matsusho 2, the remote works the same way, but remember the earphones still rely on Bluetooth for the connection, so keep Bluetooth enabled.
how to use wired headphones for iphone 16
Same situation as the iPhone 15: the iPhone 16 uses USB-C, not Lightning. An adapter is required for both the Thore and the Matsusho 2. If you want a cleaner setup with no dongle, choose earbuds built with a USB-C connector from the start.
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