TOZO O2

The TOZO O2 nails open-ear comfort, battery life, and durability for around $50. You get 12 hours per bud and a rugged, adjustable fit that's perfect for all-day wear and calls. Music quality suffers from the open design, and call noise cancellation is just average. If staying aware of your environment matters more than thumping bass, these are a fantastic budget pick; otherwise, look at closed earbuds.

Open-ear earbuds are having a moment, and the TOZO O2 dives in with a design that leaves your ear canal completely free. These aren't the kind of earbuds you'll use for a critical music session, but they're built for people who need to stay aware of the world around them. Think drivers, cyclists, office workers who can't afford to miss a conversation, or anyone who finds in-ear tips uncomfortable after an hour. TOZO also threw in a dual-axis adjustment system so you can tweak the fit horizontally and vertically, which is a nice touch on something this affordable.

What makes the O2 interesting is how much it crams into a budget open-ear package. You're getting a large 14.2mm dynamic driver, IPX6 water resistance, Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint, and a frankly impressive 42 hours of total battery life. The charging case is slim and pocketable, and each earbud can run for up to 12 hours on its own. That kind of endurance puts most closed-back competitors to shame, never mind other open-ear options.

But open-ear designs come with trade-offs, and audio quality is where they usually trip. TOZO claims its ORIGX acoustic technology and that big driver work magic to fill in the bass and clarity you lose when sound isn't sealed into your ear canal. Our test scores show it's a partial success. The O2 scores well for build, battery, and connectivity, and it's a solid pick for calls and background listening. Just don't expect it to replace your favorite wired set for music immersion.

We ran the O2 through our standard battery of tests, and the numbers tell an interesting story. On the connectivity side, Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint worked reliably, and we never experienced a dropout walking two rooms away from the source. Pairing was instant, and switching between phone and laptop was smooth. Battery life landed in the 81st percentile across all true wireless earbuds we've tested, which is impressive. Real-world, you'll easily get through a full workday on a single charge, and the case will keep you going for a couple of days without hunting for a USB cable.

Sound performance is where the open-ear design bites. Our measurements put the O2 in the 62nd percentile for sound quality, and its music score of 47.3 out of 100 is the weakest spot on the whole spec sheet. In practice, that means there's decent bass presence relative to other open-ear sets, but it lacks the impact and texture you'd get from a sealed in-ear. Mids and highs are clear enough for podcasts and calls, and the sound doesn't distort even at higher volumes. The DSP call noise cancellation does a decent job filtering out steady background hum, though your voice can still sound a bit processed to the person on the other end. For calls in a car or a quiet office, it's more than fine.

Pricing for the TOZO O2 is a bit of a wild west situation. In our database, the cheapest vendor is offering them for $50, while some listings reach as high as $1,212, which is frankly ridiculous and likely a third-party seller error. For the real price around $50 to $60, these are a steal if you want an open-ear experience without the premium price tag of Sony LinkBuds or Shokz. You get excellent build, category-leading battery life, and a comfortable, adjustable fit that's rare at this price. If you need something for all-day calls and background audio and don't want to spend triple digits, the O2's value proposition is tough to beat.

Just be smart about where you buy. Stick with Amazon directly or a reputable seller, and you'll get a great deal. Paying more than $80 for these would push them into territory where you can get better-sounding closed earbuds with ANC, so don't fall for the overpriced listings.

The TOZO O2's most direct competition comes from the Sony LinkBuds, which also use an open-ear ring design but cost north of $150. Sony's buds deliver more refined sound and a sleeker companion app, but they can't match the O2's battery life or its rugged build. If situational awareness is your top priority and you're on a tight budget, the O2 wins on price alone. The JBL Endurance Peak 4 is another rival with a sporty focus and IP68 rating, but those are sealed in-ear buds with much better music reproduction. You'll give up the open-ear benefits, though.

The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and EarFun Air Pro 4+ both crush the O2 on sound quality and bring ANC to the table, but they're fully closed designs and cost more. The Soundcore P31i is a similar price and sounds better, but again, you're back to silicone tips lodged in your ears. So the O2 exists in a niche: it's for anyone who refuses to plug their ears and wants all-day battery plus a fit that won't fatigue. No other budget open-ear earbud right now offers this combination.

Skip the TOZO O2 if music quality is high on your priority list. The open-ear design simply can't deliver the bass depth and overall richness of a sealed in-ear even with the big 14.2mm driver. If you want to block out the world with ANC and get lost in your playlist, look at the EarFun Air Pro 4+ or the Soundcore P31i for similar money. These are also a bad fit if you need the smallest possible earbuds, the O2's body and case are larger than typical in-ears. And if you wear thick-rimmed glasses, the over-ear hooks might press uncomfortably after a while, though the dual-axis adjustment helps. In those cases, consider true open-ear buds like the Sony LinkBuds that don't wrap around the ear, but be prepared to pay more.

If you're a driver who needs to take calls safely, an office worker who can't block out the room, or someone who simply hates the pressure of in-ear tips, the TOZO O2 is a gem. They're comfortable enough to forget you're wearing them, the battery goes on for days, and the adjustable arms actually work to keep them secure during light exercise. For podcast binging and long phone calls, it's an easy recommendation at $50.

But if you care at all about music quality or want to get lost in a playlist, these are not your earbuds. The open design neuters bass impact and overall richness in a way that even clever tuning can't fully fix. In that case, spend the same money on a decent pair of sealed earbuds like the EarFun Air Pro 4+ and accept that you'll be pulling one out to hear a coworker. The O2 is a specialist, and it excels at its job, but know what job you're hiring it for.