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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want a lightweight, foldable on-ear headphone built for school-age kids and everyday 3.5mm listening, choose UKELALA U2; if you need a bass-forward gaming headset with a mic and platform-switching flexibility, choose SUBSONIC.
• UKELALA U2 — biggest strength: Very light at 0.22 kg with a foldable, on-ear build and a tangle-resistant nylon braided cable — in my opinion the easier one to live with daily.
• UKELALA U2 — biggest trade-off: It's a straightforward wired 3.5mm headphone. No microphone, no battery, no gaming features.
• SUBSONIC — biggest strength: 40mm dynamic drivers, a detachable microphone, and volume/mute controls on a headset that works across consoles, PC, phones and tablets.
• SUBSONIC — biggest trade-off: At 350 g it's noticeably heavier, and the fit is built around gaming sessions rather than all-day classroom wear.
• Pick UKELALA U2 if you're buying for a kid, teen or student who needs a cheap-to-replace-feeling, packable headphone for a Chromebook, tablet or phone.
• Pick SUBSONIC if you want one headset for gaming, chat and streaming, and you like the Brawl Stars styling.
The UKELALA U2 is a wired on-ear headphone with a single 3.5mm jack. That one detail tells you almost everything about who it suits. There's no pairing, no charging, no firmware — you plug it into a Chromebook, laptop, phone, tablet, Switch, TV, MP3 player or Kindle and it works. For a parent buying for a child, that simplicity is the whole point. Nothing to configure, nothing to lose, nothing to run out of battery mid-lesson.
The design leans hard into comfort and portability. The ear cushions are described as ultra-soft, the headband is breathable, and the over-head structure is meant to stay comfortable through long wear. It weighs just 0.22 kg, which is light for a headphone of this type, and the folding hinge means it collapses down for a backpack or a drawer. UKELALA also notes stainless steel in the retractable structure, which is the kind of detail that matters when a headphone lives in a school bag. The 4.9 ft nylon braided cable resists tangling and kinking, and the oval on-ear cups use a 32-ohm impedance with a 20–20000 Hz frequency range — easy enough for a phone or laptop to drive without any extra amp.
SUBSONIC: Who It's For
The SUBSONIC Brawl Stars headset is the opposite kind of product: a gaming-first headset with an identity. The 40mm dynamic drivers are the headline spec, paired with 20-ohm impedance and the same 20–20000 Hz range, but the lower impedance and larger drivers point at a punchier, bass-forward presentation — which matches how the brand describes it for immersive gaming and team communication. A 40 ms audio latency figure is also quoted, which matters for anyone who cares about keeping audio in step with gameplay.
Flexibility is the other selling point. It runs a 3.5mm jack plus a USB-C adapter, so the same headset covers consoles, PC, smartphones and tablets. There's a detachable microphone for chat, integrated volume control and a mute function, and the over-ear pads are built for long sessions with passive sound isolation. The styling is unmistakably Brawl Stars — black and yellow with the skull logo — and it's officially licensed, so if the game is the reason you're buying, that's the appeal. There's also a quoted Bluetooth range of 33 feet and a 2-hour charge time, and the age guidance starts at 6 years and up. It carries a 2-year warranty.
The trade-offs are real, though. It's 350 g — substantially heavier than the UKELALA U2 — and over-ear gaming headsets of this type get warm over long stretches. The noise control field is listed as none, so any isolation is purely from the physical fit, not from processing. And while the sheet lists touch as a control method alongside volume control, there's no touch surface described in the features, so I wouldn't buy it expecting gesture controls. In my opinion this is a headset for a young gamer who wants the Brawl Stars look and needs a mic, not for a student who wants something to tuck in a pencil case.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for school and classroom use → UKELALA U2. Wired 3.5mm, light, foldable, no charging to manage.
• Best for long-wear comfort at low weight → UKELALA U2. 0.22 kg versus 350 g is a big gap in how a headphone feels after an hour.
• Best for gaming and streaming → SUBSONIC. 40mm drivers, a quoted 40 ms latency and gaming-tuned tuning point one way.
• Best for travel and storage → UKELALA U2. The folding hinge and tangle-resistant braided cable are built for bags.
• Best for multiple platforms in one headset → SUBSONIC. 3.5mm plus a USB-C adapter covers consoles, PC, phones and tablets.
• Best for a younger child → UKELALA U2. Simpler to use and less to break; the SUBSONIC is aimed at ages 6+ with a gaming setup in mind.
• Best for brand-driven gifting → SUBSONIC. If the recipient is a Brawl Stars fan, the licensed design is the whole gift.
For most people asking me this question, it comes down to one thing: is a microphone and gaming tuning part of the job? If yes, I'd buy the SUBSONIC — the detachable mic, the volume and mute controls, the 40mm drivers and the platform flexibility make it the more capable headset, and the two-year warranty adds peace of mind. If the job is school, study, travel and everyday 3.5mm listening for a kid or teen, I'd buy the UKELALA U2 instead. It's lighter, folds down, and there's nothing to charge or configure. In my opinion those two use cases barely overlap, which is why the choice is cleaner than it looks.
The style is listed as wired 3.5mm, and that's how I'd treat it — plug it into a 3.5mm jack and go. The product information does list Bluetooth under connectivity, but the design and cable details all describe a corded headphone, so don't buy it expecting wireless use.
Does the SUBSONIC headset have a microphone?
Yes. It ships with a detachable microphone, plus volume control and a mute function, which is what makes it usable for team chat and online play. The UKELALA U2 has no microphone at all.
The UKELALA U2, in my opinion. It's far lighter at 0.22 kg, folds for storage, and has no battery or pairing to manage. The SUBSONIC is aimed at ages 6 and up but is really designed around a gaming setup with a console or PC.
I can't claim to have measured either, but the specs point in different directions. The SUBSONIC's 40mm drivers and 20-ohm impedance suggest a fuller, bassier presentation for games. The UKELALA U2's 32-ohm impedance and 20–20000 Hz range are typical of an easy-to-drive everyday headphone. Different jobs, different tuning. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit to either.
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