In-ear or half-in-ear earbuds

What is the difference between In-ear or half-in-ear earbuds?

Earphones are a must-have these days! It doesn’t matter whether you are a kid or an adult, you do use them.

Now, if you are someone who loves earphones and like buying and trying new earphones every now and then, then chances are that you would have already come across earbuds!

They are creating all the right buzz in the market and more and more brands are coming up with different designs of earbuds! It can be really mind-boggling to find the right ones for you. You might be wondering what is going to be so different about tws earbuds? Well.. not all of them are the same. While they definitely vary on many parameters like sound drivers, battery, features and so on, there is also a difference when it comes to their built design.

They come in two different types – in-ear earbuds and half in-ear earbuds.


Let’s begin with what are in-ear and half-in ear earbuds. This will clarify the difference between the two.
In-ear earbuds

As the name suggests, they are designed to go inside your ears. They have a silicone ear tip that goes into your ear canal. These ear tips of the in ear earbuds are bendable & flexible.

Half in-ear earbuds

They are also known as semi-in ear earbuds. They are built in a certain way that they fit in your ears. Half-in earbuds lie in your ear close to your ear canal but don’t go completely inside. They are therefore harder (almost always plastic) and do not have any extra silicone attachment that fits in your ear.

Now. let’s try to find the pros and cons of both. This will further help you in making a buying decision. 

Pros & cons of in-ear earbuds

1. Sound quality

If you are a sound freak, then it makes more sense to go for in-ear earbuds. As they tend to go deeper into your ear canal, they are better for listening to the low tones.

2. Noise cancellation

In-ear earbuds’ silicone tip seals your ears and restricts the ambient sounds to reach your ears. This gives you the advantage of being able to concentrate better and not let the ambient noises get in your way.

But this can also be dangerous in certain situations like if you are walking or cycling on the road with your earbuds on. The airtightness can also create pressure and make your head hurt eventually.

3. Comfort & fit
The silicone tip is soft and does not hurt your ears. They are good & suitable for all-day usage. They sit inside your ears and do not get out easily. They offer a comfortable snug fit.

Pros and cons of half in-ear earbuds

1. Sound quality
As already mentioned, they are made of mostly plastic and there is no silicone tip that is directly plumbing the music to your ear canal, chances are that you the sound quality might get a little compromised. In particular, the low tones seem to disappear. 

2. Noise cancellation
The half en-ear earbuds come with a hard housing that sits in your ear cup. Hence, there is still room for the ambient noise to reach your ears. While ambient noise is quite useful in certain situations like when you are on the road, it can also be a distraction. If you have a lifestyle that requires you to be aware of your surroundings all the time, then these are are earbuds for you. But if you want to enjoy pin drop silence, even without going for a earbuds with cVc, then you should go for in-ear earbuds. 

3. Build and comfort
They are build of hard plastic which can become a little uncomfortable after some time. It is advisable to not use them for long durations to avoid any damage to your beautiful ears.

How do you decide which one to buy

Now that you have gone through the list of pros and cons of both the types of earbuds, you have some idea about them.  

While picking between the two is completely up to your choice & preference, it’s important to factor in things like price, brand, battery and IP resistance of the earbuds. As already mentioned above, the market is already flooded with so many best half-in earbuds and in-ear earbuds, you need to find the ones that offer quality at decent a price. 

Take boAt earbuds for example. They are going viral for all the right reasons. They are known for their superior build and superb sound. They are stylish and support a good battery. They are lightweight but deliver some heavy quality music. They also support many interesting features like touch/button controls that make it easier for them to be used.

Now, if you are wondering that all this means that they must be very expensive then you couldn’t be any more wrong. Not only they are the best, but they are also priced decently. The price range varied from 2k to 10k and you definitely won’t regret spending a single penny!

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