We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-09-22 · 8 min read · Independent comparison
The Flecom USB C Earbuds are my top pick for most people, because the M60 covers the widest spread of current phones — iPhone 15 through 17, Galaxy S26 down to A-series, Pixel, and iPad Pro — with a plain in-ear fit and a 1-year warranty.
• Flecom USB C Earbuds — best for iPhone and Galaxy owners who want one cable that just works; pick this if your phone list includes an iPhone 15/16/17, any recent Galaxy S or A model, or an iPad Pro.
• MAS CARNEY USB C Earbuds — best for households splitting one purchase across several devices; pick this if you want two pairs of USB-C earphones in black and white with a 120-ohm dynamic driver.
• ACANDYA USB C Earbuds — best for running, cycling and gym work; pick this if you want an open-ear hook design that leaves your ears uncovered and adds a DAC chip plus inline volume buttons.
• Hidizs ST2 — best for critical listening and low-latency gaming; pick this if you want a built-in ESS DAC, a 10mm dynamic driver, and a 20Hz–40kHz range in an IEM shell.
The Flecom M60 is the definition of a straightforward wired USB-C earphone. Dynamic driver, in-ear fit, TPE cable, white shell, sound-isolation style noise control — no dongle, no charging case, no pairing. Plug it into the port and it plays. That simplicity is the whole point for anyone whose phone no longer has a headphone jack.
What makes it my number-one pick is breadth. The compatibility list runs from iPhone 15 and 15 Pro Max up through the iPhone 16 and 17 families, across the iPad Pro years 2018–2024, iPad Air 4 and 5, iPad mini, and then Samsung from Galaxy S20 all the way forward to S26, S25, S24 and S23, plus A-series models like A16, A17, A23, A25, A26, A27 and A36. Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and 10A are named too. In practice, that means one product page covers a mixed-device household: a partner on an iPhone 16, a kid on a Galaxy A16, and an iPad Pro in the drawer.
There is one caveat worth reading carefully before you buy. The manufacturer notes that only the iPhone 15 and 16-era phones use USB-C — older iPhones with Lightning will not work with these at all. If you are still on an iPhone 14 or earlier, this is not your product. If you are on iPhone 15 or newer, it is.
The TPE cable is flexible and light rather than armored, so I would treat these as a desk, commute and call earphone rather than something to stuff loose into a gym bag. The built-in microphone handles voice calls and voice notes, and the sound-isolation fit does most of the noise-blocking work passively. In my opinion, this is the pair to buy when you want zero fuss and maximum device coverage.
MAS CARNEY USB C Earbuds
The MAS CARNEY TH9 is a two-pack. That single fact reshapes who it is for. You get a black pair and a white pair of in-ear USB-C earphones with rounded silicone tips, a plastic-and-silicone body, and an integrated microphone. Keep one at your desk, one in your bag, or hand one to someone else in the house.
Compatibility is the other headline. The list spans iPhone 15, 16 and 17 including the Air and Pro Max, iPad, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, a long run of Galaxy S and A models from S20 through S25 FE plus foldables and flips, and it explicitly names Google Pixel, Xiaomi Redmi, Huawei Honor, OPPO and Vivo. If your household is genuinely mixed-brand, that breadth matters more than any single audio number.
The trade-offs are honest ones. There is no active noise cancellation — noise control is listed as none — so isolation comes only from how well the tips seal. The control method is voice rather than a button array, which is fine for calls and assistants but means you are not getting a full inline remote with track skipping and volume on the cable. And "built-in media: NO" means there is no charging case or player inside. For a two-pack you share around the house, none of that is a dealbreaker. I would pick this if you want a spare pair, not a single flagship.
The ACANDYA is the odd one out here, and deliberately so. It is listed as over-ear with a hook-shaped earpiece — an open-ear sport headset with flexible earhooks that wrap around the ear instead of plugging into the canal. White body, plastic shell, sound isolation listed for noise control, adult and youth sizing.
The open-ear design is the entire argument. Because nothing seals your ear canal, you stay aware of traffic, a treadmill, a colleague walking up behind you, or a dog pulling on the leash. Earhooks hold the buds in place during movement in a way that loose in-ear tips often do not. If you have ever had a bud pop out mid-run, this shape is aimed squarely at you.
It also brings the most control of the group. Inline push buttons handle play/pause, volume up and down, track skip and replay, and voice-assistant activation without touching your phone. There is a built-in microphone for calls, so you can answer and end without digging the handset out of a pocket. A carrying case and an earphone clip are included — worth noting, because open-ear buds are easy to misplace when they are not in your ears.
The technical angle is a built-in DAC chip doing digital decoding inside the cable, which the maker says preserves high-resolution audio from the source and reduces loss in transfer. Impedance is 16 ohms, so it is easy to drive. Compatibility stretches across iPhone 17/16/15 families, Galaxy S26 down to S21 and Note 20, OnePlus, Pixel, iPad and Motorola — any USB-C device with no 3.5mm jack.
The trade-off is physics: an open-ear bud will never isolate like an in-ear one. On a plane or a noisy train, you will hear the world. For sport, commuting by bike, and office awareness, that is the feature, not the flaw.
The Hidizs ST2 Pro is the enthusiast option, and the only one here that is honestly an in-ear monitor rather than a phone accessory. It uses dual 10mm dynamic drivers with a PU+PEEK composite diaphragm and a dual magnetic circuit, a sensitivity of 118dB, 32-ohm impedance, and a frequency range of 20Hz to 40kHz — wider than the 20–20kHz of the others, with content above the audible band that matters for high-resolution decoding.
The real differentiator is the ESS ES9218AC Pro DAC built into the cable. That chip is doing the digital-to-analog conversion instead of your phone, and the manufacturer cites 32-bit/384kHz PCM plus DSD128 and MQA support, 122dB dynamic range and 0.0012% THD. What that buys you in daily use is a cleaner, more precise signal path than a phone's internal output, which is why the same company advertises low latency for gaming and a sample-rate indicator light so you can see what the source is actually feeding you.
Build-wise you get an oxygen-free copper braided cable, resin housings, silicone ear tips, a USB-C to USB-A adapter for laptops and desktops, a pouch, and extra tips. Touch controls on the shell handle volume, and there is an HD mic that converts voice to 24-bit/48kHz for calls. It is a plug-and-play device across Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and HarmonyOS.
Trade-offs: at 32 ohms and 118dB it is still easy to drive, but this is a heavier, more expensive-feeling product than a basic earphone, and a 0.12kg package with a DAC in the cable is not something you treat as disposable. Also, because the DAC lives in the cable, the earphones are effectively a sealed system — you are not swapping the cable for a 3.5mm one later. In my opinion, this is the pair for someone who listens to albums, plays FPS games, or does long coding sessions and wants studio-style detail from a phone port.
We compared the published spec sheets only: driver type and size, impedance, frequency range, DAC hardware, microphone, control layout, build materials, included accessories, and the exact device compatibility lists. Every ranking here is our independent editorial opinion, weighted toward how each design behaves in real everyday use — commuting, calls, sport, gaming, listening. No brand paid for placement, and no manufacturer saw this article before publication.
Only if your iPhone has a USB-C port — the iPhone 15, 16 and 17 families. Any iPhone with a Lightning port will not work with any of these wired USB-C earbuds, and you would need a Lightning-to-USB-C adapter instead.
No. All four are wired and draw power from the device they are plugged into, so there is no battery to charge and no pairing step. The Hidizs ST2 also includes a USB-C to USB-A adapter for laptops and desktops that lack a USB-C port.
Yes, all four include a microphone for calls. The ACANDYA gives you the fullest inline control set with push buttons for volume, play/pause, track skip and voice assistant. The Hidizs ST2 uses touch controls on the housing with volume control, and the MAS CARNEY uses voice control.
The ACANDYA, because its open-ear earhooks hold the buds in place during movement and keep you aware of your surroundings. The trade-off is that open-ear designs let outside noise in, so they are a poor choice for blocking out a noisy flight.
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See also: wired earbuds usb c, usb c headphones wired, earbuds usb