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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 dedicated trucker-and-office headset with a fast mute button, on-ear media controls and a 3.5 mm jack as a backup wired option, choose ZIOCOM Open Ear Headphones; if you need a flexible boom mic, a USB-A and USB-C dongle for PC, PS4 and PS5, and a longer 2-year warranty, choose Smof Open Ear Headphones.
• ZIOCOM's biggest strength: a purpose-built communication tool — ENC noise cancelling, a one-touch mute button on the mic, and multifunction media controls for answer/reject/hang up, track switching and play/pause. It also carries the wider codec story (aptX-HD and aptX-LL) plus a 3.5 mm jack.
• ZIOCOM's biggest trade-off: the mic is built into the headset rather than mounted on a boom, so it is less adjustable than a flexible arm you can position near your mouth. Charging is also slower at around 2 hours.
• Smof's biggest strength: the flexible boom mic with ENC, the included USB-A and USB-C dongle for PS4/PS5/PC, and a quicker 1.5-hour charge — a strong fit for call centres, online meetings and gaming.
• Smof's biggest trade-off: controls are push-button only, there is no 3.5 mm jack and no app or voice control, so everything runs through the buttons. The dongle is for audio devices, not for Bluetooth mice or keyboards.
• Pick ZIOCOM if you split your day between a truck cab, the road and a desk, and you want an all-day lightweight headset you can hang around your neck.
• Pick Smof if your day lives on a PC, a console or a softphone, and you want a boom mic that stays put plus the extra year of warranty coverage.
The ZIOCOM Open Ear Headphones are built around one idea: keep your ears open and your calls under control. The open-ear design leaves your ear canal uncovered, so you hear traffic, cabin noise and colleagues while you are still on a call. In my opinion, that is the single most useful thing about this category, and ZIOCOM leans into it hard — the multifunction button handles answer, reject, hang up, track switching and play/pause without you reaching for your phone.
Buy it if you are a trucker, delivery driver, online teacher or home-office worker who takes a lot of voice calls and wants a mute button you can hit instantly when you cannot speak. Skip it if you need a microphone on a flexible arm you can physically aim, or if you plan to plug into a console — the dongle route is the other product's job. Also skip it if you want the fastest possible recharge, because 2 hours is the slower of the two here.
Smof Open Ear Headphones: Who It's For
Smof's open-ear headset is aimed at the desk rather than the road. The headline feature is the flexible boom mic with ENC noise cancellation and a mute button — a boom arm you can bend toward your mouth gives you more control over mic position than a fixed in-body microphone, and for call-centre or meeting-heavy work that is a real difference. The 250 mAh battery delivers the same 10 hours of music and calls, but it charges in about 1.5 hours, so a lunch-break top-up gets you back to full faster.
Where Smof separates itself is connectivity. Alongside Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX, aptX-LL and aptX-HD, it ships with a USB-A and USB-C dongle so you can transmit wirelessly to PS4, PS5 and PC. That makes it a genuinely dual-purpose headset: softphone calls during work hours, console or PC gaming afterwards. Note the dongle is meant for audio devices only — it will not drive a Bluetooth mouse or keyboard, so do not buy it as a general-purpose wireless adapter.
Buy it if you work from a laptop or desktop all day, run online meetings or a call-centre queue, or want one headset that also handles PS4/PS5 and PC audio. The ABS build and 2-year warranty description suggest a product pitched at daily office use. Skip it if you want physical media controls beyond push buttons, if you need a wired 3.5 mm option, or if you rely on app-based EQ and voice commands — none of those appear on the Smof sheet. And if your work happens behind the wheel rather than at a desk, the ZIOCOM's neck-hanging shape is the more natural fit.
• Best for truckers and drivers → ZIOCOM Open Ear Headphones. The 22 g frame, neck-hang design and open-ear awareness suit long hours on the road.
• Best for call centres and online meetings → Smof Open Ear Headphones. The flexible boom mic lets you position the microphone close to your mouth, with ENC and a mute button.
• Best for PC and console gaming → Smof Open Ear Headphones. The bundled USB-A and USB-C dongle covers PS4, PS5 and PC wirelessly.
• Best for fast top-ups → Smof Open Ear Headphones. Roughly 1.5 hours to full versus about 2 hours on the ZIOCOM.
• Best for wired backup → ZIOCOM Open Ear Headphones. It is the only one of the two with a 3.5 mm jack.
• Best for control options → ZIOCOM Open Ear Headphones. Multifunction media button plus App and voice control, versus push-button only on the Smof.
• Best for longest coverage → Smof Open Ear Headphones. A 2-year warranty description against ZIOCOM's 1 year.
• Best for audio-video sync on both fronts → a tie. Both list aptX, aptX-LL and aptX-HD, and both run Bluetooth 5.1 with a bone-conduction driver.
If I were buying for myself and my day revolved around a laptop, a softphone and the occasional console session, I would buy the Smof Open Ear Headphones. The boom mic is easier to position, the dongle covers PC and PlayStation without fuss, the 1.5-hour charge is quicker, and the 2-year warranty description gives me more confidence for daily office use.
If my day involved driving, walking a warehouse floor or moving between a cab and a desk, I would flip to the ZIOCOM Open Ear Headphones instead — lighter on the head, controllable with one button, and with a 3.5 mm jack when wireless is not an option.
Neither is universally better. Match the mic style and the connection method to your actual workday and you will be happy with either.
They are separate products from different brands, so pricing moves independently and I do not quote figures here. Use the price button on this page to check the current price on Amazon for each before you decide.
On paper they are identical: both use a 250 mAh lithium battery rated for up to 10 hours of music or talk time. The difference is charging — Smof lists about 1.5 hours to full, ZIOCOM about 2 hours.
Smof explicitly supports PS4, PS5 and PC through its USB-A/USB-C dongle. ZIOCOM lists wide compatibility with phones, PCs, laptops, tablets and watches over Bluetooth, plus a 3.5 mm jack — so console use is not its stated strength.
Both advertise ENC noise cancellation with a mute button. The practical difference is mic placement: Smof's flexible boom mic can be aimed at your mouth, while ZIOCOM's mic is integrated into the headset body. For a noisy call centre, I would lean Smof; for hands-free work on the move, ZIOCOM.
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