MIFE FRESH MUSIC Z710

The MIFE FRESH MUSIC Z710 is a solid budget option for swimmers who want music without their phone. The IPX8 waterproofing and 8GB MP3 storage are the real selling points, and sound quality is surprisingly decent for the price. Just don't expect great battery life or any fancy features, and definitely don't pay more than $80 for these.

The 11.2mm driver puts out surprisingly decent sound for a swimming bud. It's not going to blow your mind, but highs are crisp and lows have some punch. The SoundShield 3.0 tech claims to cut sound bleed by 50%, which matters when you're sharing a lane. Battery life is listed at 8 hours, but that lands in the 12th percentile for earbuds, so don't expect marathon sessions. The 8GB of onboard storage is the real star here. You can load up 3,000+ songs and leave your phone in the locker. Just remember Bluetooth dies underwater, so you'll need to switch to MP3 mode before you dive in.

Against the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro or Sony WF-C700N, the Z710 loses on sound quality, battery, and build. Those are better everyday earbuds, period. But they're not IPX8 rated for swimming, and they don't have onboard storage. The Soundcore P31i is a closer competitor with better battery life, but it's not built for full submersion. If swimming is your primary use case, the Z710's waterproofing and MP3 mode give it a niche advantage. For everything else, the big brands win easily.

Pricing is all over the place. We're seeing these listed anywhere from $50 to over $1,000 across vendors, which is frankly absurd for what you're getting. At the low end, this is a solid budget swimming companion. At the high end, you're getting fleeced. If you can snag these for under $80, they're a reasonable buy for lap swimmers who want music without their phone. Anything more and you should look at dedicated swimming headphones from brands with actual reputations.

The MIFE FRESH MUSIC Z710 is a weird little product. It calls itself bone conduction, but it's actually an in-ear design that seals your ear canal. That's not a bad thing, it just means you get actual noise isolation instead of the open-ear awareness most bone conduction buds offer. For swimmers, that watertight seal is the whole point. Water stays out, music stays in, and you don't have to fiddle with your phone mid-lap.

Skip these if you want a do-it-all earbud. The battery life is bottom-tier, the mic is nearly useless for calls, and the build quality feels budget. If you need something for commuting, workouts, and phone calls, grab the Sony WF-C700N or Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro instead. Also skip if you're a shuffle addict, because the MP3 mode plays tracks in order and that's your only option underwater.

This is a niche product for a niche audience. If you swim laps regularly and want music without dragging your phone poolside, the Z710 does the job. The IPX8 rating is legit, the onboard storage works, and the sound is good enough for underwater listening. But if you're looking for a daily driver earbud, keep walking. The battery life is rough, the build feels cheap, and the lack of random play in MP3 mode is a head-scratcher.