Maxell OWS Pro

The Maxell OWS Pro is a budget open-ear earbud that prioritizes situational awareness over sound quality. Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity is solid, but the 6-hour battery life and average sound hold it back. At USD 31 to USD 60, it's a niche buy that makes sense for runners and office workers who need to hear their surroundings. If you want immersive sound or long battery life, look elsewhere.

Let's talk about what these numbers actually mean. The 13mm driver is bigger than what you'd find in most budget earbuds, which usually hover around 10-11mm. Bigger drivers can move more air, which helps with bass presence. But here's the catch: open-ear designs leak sound by nature. There's no seal, so low frequencies don't get trapped in your ear canal the way they do with in-ear buds. The 20Hz-20kHz frequency response looks fine on paper, but in practice, you're fighting physics. Our database puts the sound quality at the 56th percentile, which is about average for this category. Not bad, not great.

Battery life is where things get rough. Six hours per charge puts these at the 23rd percentile for battery performance. That's below most competitors in this price range. The case adds two more full charges, bringing you to 18 hours total, but you'll be reaching for that case more often than you'd like. The USB-C fast charging helps soften the blow, but it doesn't change the fact that a six-hour earbud battery in 2024 feels dated. Connectivity is a bright spot though. Bluetooth 5.3 puts these at the 79th percentile, which means solid range and stable connections. The 32.8 foot range is standard, but the newer BT version helps with latency and connection stability.

The Nothing Buds 2 is the obvious comparison point here. Nothing has been making waves with their design-forward approach, and the Buds 2 offer better sound quality and a more premium feel. But they're also in-ear buds, which means you lose the situational awareness that's the entire point of the OWS Pro. If you want to block out the world, the Nothing Buds 2 is the better pick. If you want to stay connected to your environment, the Maxell's open-ear design wins by default.

The Soundcore P31i and JLab Jbuds Pods are both budget in-ear options that beat the Maxell on battery life and sound isolation. The JLab Jbuds Pods in particular are known for being cheap and cheerful, with better battery numbers than the OWS Pro. The EarFun Air Pro 4 and Anker Space A40 both offer active noise cancellation, which the Maxell completely lacks. The Space A40 is especially strong on battery life and ANC performance. But again, none of these competitors offer the open-ear form factor. That's the trade-off in a nutshell: you're giving up sound quality, battery life, and build quality to get a design that lets you hear the world around you.

Here's where things get interesting. The USD price spread is significant: USD 31 to USD 60 across three listings. That's nearly double the price depending on where you shop. If you can snag these at the lower end, around USD 31, the value proposition shifts dramatically. At that price, you're getting a niche form factor with decent connectivity and acceptable sound for less than a tank of gas. At USD 60, you're competing with earbuds that offer better battery life, better mics, and better build quality.

For European buyers, the EUR spread is tighter: EUR 56 to EUR 62 across three listings. Not much room to shop around there. The CAD pricing runs CAD 76 to CAD 82, and UK buyers are looking at GBP 43. The best deal in the US appears to be at the lower end of that USD 31 to USD 60 range, so it's worth checking multiple store listings before you commit. For what these are, a sub-USD 40 price makes them an easy impulse buy. At the top of the range, you should think harder about whether the open-ear design is worth the compromises.

The Maxell OWS Pro is one of those products that makes you do a double take. Maxell, the brand your dad's cassette tapes came from, is now making open-ear true wireless earbuds. And honestly, the concept here is solid. These earhooks sit on your outer ear instead of jamming into your ear canal, so you can hear traffic, coworkers, or your kid yelling from the other room while your music plays. That's the whole pitch, and for the right person, it's a genuinely useful one.

Who's this for? Runners, cyclists, office workers who need to hear their name called, parents who can't fully check out. The open-ear design means zero ear fatigue from silicone tips and no weird pressure buildup. You get a 13mm driver, Bluetooth 5.3, and a charging case that brings total playtime to 18 hours. The specs are modest but the use case is clear.

What makes it interesting is the price. At USD 31 to USD 60 depending on where you look, this is a budget play in a category that's been dominated by pricier options from Bose and Shokz. Maxell is betting that people want situational awareness without spending triple digits. Whether that bet pays off depends on how much you value the open-ear form factor over raw sound quality.

If you're buying earbuds primarily for music, skip these. The open-ear design means bass response suffers, and the 56th percentile sound score confirms that these won't satisfy anyone who cares about audio quality. You'd be better served by the Nothing Buds 2 or even the budget Soundcore P31i, both of which deliver better sound for similar money. The lack of a seal also means you'll need to crank the volume in noisy environments, which isn't great for your ears long-term.

Battery-conscious buyers should also look elsewhere. Six hours per charge is below average, and if you're the type who forgets to charge their case, you'll find yourself with dead earbuds more often than you'd like. The Anker Space A40 offers significantly better battery life with ANC included. And if you need reliable call quality for work, the weak mic performance here is a dealbreaker. Look at the EarFun Air Pro 4 or JLab Jbuds Pods for better voice pickup at a similar price.

If you're a runner or cyclist who needs to hear traffic, the OWS Pro makes a compelling case at the lower end of its price range. The open-ear design is genuinely useful for safety, and the Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity means your music won't cut out mid-stride. The 13mm driver delivers acceptable sound for podcasts and casual listening, though bass-heavy music will sound thin compared to sealed earbuds. At USD 31, this is a solid buy for the right use case.

For office workers who want to hear their name called during meetings, these also work well. The comfort is above average for the category, and the lack of ear canal pressure means you can wear them for hours without fatigue. But if you're buying these as your primary music earbuds, you'll be disappointed. The sound quality is average, the battery life is below par, and the mic quality makes calls a chore. These are a situational tool, not a daily driver for most people.