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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want to turn any wired 3.5mm audio jack — a plane seat, a hotel TV, a treadmill, an old car stereo — into a Bluetooth feed for the earbuds you already own, choose Twelve South AirFly Pro; if you need a complete wireless gaming headset built for Xbox with a boom mic, huge battery life and RGB flair, choose HyperX CloudX Flight 2.
• Twelve South AirFly Pro — biggest strength: It's a tiny Bluetooth 5.0 transmitter/receiver that makes wired audio wireless, with aptX Low Latency support, 25+ hours of claimed battery, and the ability to pair two sets of headphones at once.
• Twelve South AirFly Pro — biggest trade-off: It is not a headset. You bring your own earbuds or headphones, and it depends entirely on a 3.5mm jack being available at the source.
• HyperX CloudX Flight 2 — biggest strength: A full over-ear gaming headset with a detachable mic, 2.4 GHz plus Bluetooth 5.3, active noise cancellation, and up to 100 hours of 2.4 GHz playtime (150 hours over Bluetooth with lighting off).
• HyperX CloudX Flight 2 — biggest trade-off: It's over-ear and weighs in around 12.6 ounces, it's wired to nothing (no 3.5mm jack at all), and its whole design assumes gaming first.
• Who each is for: AirFly Pro is for travelers and anyone stuck with a headphone jack; CloudX Flight 2 is for Xbox and multi-platform gamers who want one wireless headset for everything.
The AirFly Pro is one of those gadgets that solves a very specific annoyance. You have good earbuds. The airplane seat, the gym machine, the hotel TV or the car stereo only has a 3.5mm aux out. AirFly Pro plugs into that jack and transmits the audio wirelessly to your Bluetooth headphones. That's TX mode. Flip the TX/RX switch and it works in reverse too: it receives Bluetooth from your phone and pushes it out through a wired speaker or AUX input — handy for older car stereos and boat systems.
The spec sheet is honest about what it is. Bluetooth 5.0, aptX Low Latency, aptX and SBC codecs, stereo output, and 25+ hours of battery from a 0.81 Wh lithium-polymer cell. It charges over USB-C in about two hours and, importantly, it can be used while charging — so a long-haul flight with a seat USB port isn't a problem. It remembers previously paired headphones, so after the first setup (which the manual says can take up to 90 seconds) it just reconnects when you power it on. It can even hold two pairs of headphones at once, which is genuinely useful for sharing a movie on a plane or in a car.
HyperX CloudX Flight 2: Who It's For
The CloudX Flight 2 is a completely different animal. This is a full-size over-ear wireless gaming headset, officially licensed for Xbox and designed to work seamlessly with Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One. It connects over low-latency 2.4 GHz via the included dongle, or over Bluetooth 5.3, and it also works with PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. There's no 3.5mm jack at all — it's wireless only.
Battery is the headline number: up to 100 hours on 2.4 GHz, or up to 150 hours over Bluetooth with the RGB lighting switched off. Even with the full RGB glow running, HyperX quotes up to 23 hours. In practice that means you can play a few hours a night for weeks without thinking about a charger. Controls sit on the headset itself — volume, chat/game mix, a multifunction button, mic mute and monitoring, plus a wireless mode switch — and there's app support through HyperX NGENUITY for tuning.
Comfort is clearly a design priority: memory foam ear pads, 90° rotating earcups and steel sliders, which is the kind of build that survives being tossed in a bag. The customization angle is real too — the magnetic earcup plates pop off without tools, and full-panel RGB lets you restyle the look, with one profile storable onboard. The detachable microphone means it can double as a plain pair of wireless headphones for music or calls when you're not gaming. Active noise cancellation is listed as a feature, and Bluetooth range is quoted at up to 20 meters.
Who should buy it: Xbox players who want one headset for console, PC and mobile, people who hate charging frequently, and anyone who likes a customizable look. Who should skip it: anyone who mainly wants to make an airplane seat work with their existing AirPods, or anyone who prefers a light, in-ear setup. At roughly 12.6 ounces with a plastic enclosure, it's a substantial piece of hardware meant for sitting down to play.
• Best for frequent flyers and travel → Twelve South AirFly Pro. It exists specifically to bridge in-flight entertainment and your own wireless earbuds.
• Best for Xbox and console gaming → HyperX CloudX Flight 2. It's officially licensed for Xbox and ships with a 2.4 GHz dongle for low-latency play.
• Best for battery life → HyperX CloudX Flight 2, by a wide margin: up to 100 hours on 2.4 GHz and up to 150 hours over Bluetooth with lighting off, versus 25+ hours for AirFly Pro.
• Best for using your existing headphones → Twelve South AirFly Pro. It doesn't replace your earbuds; it upgrades the source they connect to.
• Best for voice chat and multiplayer → HyperX CloudX Flight 2. The detachable mic, mic mute and chat/game mix controls are built for talking while playing.
• Best for non-Bluetooth car stereos and speakers → Twelve South AirFly Pro. RX mode feeds Bluetooth audio into a wired AUX input.
• Best for sharing audio with a second person → Twelve South AirFly Pro, which can pair two sets of headphones at the same time. CloudX Flight 2 is a single-user headset.
• Best for comfort over marathon sessions → HyperX CloudX Flight 2. Memory foam pads, rotating earcups and steel sliders are designed for long play sessions.
• Best for a no-fuss, pocket-sized gadget → Twelve South AirFly Pro. It measures about 1.75" x 1.25" x 0.38" and weighs around 18 grams.
These two don't really compete for the same dollar — they solve different problems, and the "better" one depends entirely on what you're missing. In my opinion, if you already own wireless earbuds or headphones and your frustration is a wired jack on a plane, a treadmill or an old stereo, the Twelve South AirFly Pro is the smarter buy: it's small, it lasts 25+ hours, and it makes hardware you already own work the way you want. If instead you need an actual headset for Xbox that also handles PC, Switch and mobile, the HyperX CloudX Flight 2 is the one I'd pick, mostly because of that enormous battery life, the 2.4 GHz low-latency connection and the comfort-focused build. Buy the one that matches the problem you actually have. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit.
FAQ
HyperX CloudX Flight 2, by a large margin. HyperX quotes up to 100 hours on 2.4 GHz and up to 150 hours over Bluetooth with lighting off, dropping to about 23 hours with full RGB on. AirFly Pro is rated at 25+ hours, and it can also be used while charging.
It's Xbox licensed, but it's not Xbox only. It connects via 2.4 GHz dongle or Bluetooth 5.3 and is listed as compatible with PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch and mobile devices. The detachable mic also lets it work as a regular wireless headphone.
Yes. AirFly Pro has no speakers and no mic of its own — it just moves audio between a 3.5mm jack and a Bluetooth device. If you don't have Bluetooth headphones or earbuds, there's nothing for it to transmit to.
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