Ozlo Sleepbuds Review And Tests

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Overview

The Ozlo Sleepbuds are the most comfortable dedicated sleep headphones I’ve tried so far, but they aren’t without their quirks.

The tiny size and ergonomic design make them ideal to use in bed. And a key improvement on the Bose Sleepbuds II, which they evolved from, is that you can stream your own content as well as use the built-in sleep sounds.

Just be aware that the Bluetooth connectivity setup means you need both the Sleepbuds and your audio device to be within range of the case. That’s less of an issue in the bedroom, but it makes them impractical to use during the daytime when you’re moving around.

Pros

  • Very small and comfortable.
  • Four wing and tip sizes.
  • Stay in the ear well.
  • Mask external noise effectively.
  • Well produced sleep sounds on the app.
  • You can stream any audio or video.
  • Pleasant alarm tones.
  • Various sleep timer options.

Cons

  • Earbuds and your own audio device both need to be in range of the case.
  • Earbuds and case need to be regularly charged.
  • Volume can only be adjusted in the app.
  • They lack bass.
  • No active noise cancellation.
  • Expensive.

Price

They typically cost £299 in the UK, $299 in the US, €349 in Europe, and $499 in Australia. You can find them on the official Ozlo website and sometimes on Amazon. The last time I checked, they were more expensive on Amazon, so it’s worth comparing the two sites to get the best price.


Full review / video transcript

Ozlo Sleepbuds, carry case, and spare tip sizes

Introduction

When I bought the Ozlo Sleepbuds, I had high hopes that they would be comfortable to use in bed and block out noise well. There’s been a lot of fanfare about them being made by former Bose engineers. They’re significantly smaller than standard Bluetooth headphones. And as well as having noise masking sounds on the app, you can stream your own music or video. So in theory, all the stars seem to align.

Personally, when I spend £299 on headphones that I’ll only use in the bedroom, I feel it’s fair to have expectations of some serious quality. For twice the price of the Soundcore Sleep A20, which I also reviewed recently, they needed to be pretty special. And I will compare the two from time to time in this video.

In the photo below, you can see the Ozlo Sleepbuds and Soundcore Sleep A20. The Soundcore case is smaller and lighter than the Ozlo.

Ozlo Sleepbuds and Soundcore Sleep A20

After using the Ozlo on many nights in the last couple of months, I have been impressed by how comfortable they are. And as you’ll see later in some of the tests that I did, they’re also capable of blocking out a lot of noise. However, they’re also occasionally quite frustrating to use. But let’s start at the beginning and take a closer look at the earbuds.

Parts and Sleepbuds close up

The Ozlo Sleepbuds come in a sleek package with a carry case, earbuds, instruction manual, charging cable, and spare tips. My first impressions were that they looked quite stylish, which was a relief, as sleep headphones sometimes look and feel quite cheaply made.

I like the design and colors of the case, the satisfying slider lid, and the fact that there are magnetic pins to stop the earbuds falling out. The case is quite large though, so it’s less pocket-friendly than the AirPods Pro 2 or Soundcore Sleep A20, for example.

Below, you can see the lights on the case that indicate approximately how much battery life is remaining.

Ozlo Sleepbuds

The earbuds are very small and ergonomically designed to sit securely inside the ear canal. They have a small, solid body and a soft silicone outer layer. I really like how soft and flexible the material is, and I don’t notice the wing at all when I lie on my side.

In the photo below, you can see all the parts that came with the Ozlo Sleepbuds – the earbuds, carry case, charging cable, extra tips, user guide, and box.

Ozlo Sleepbuds, carry case, spare tips, manual, charging cable, and box

There are four tip and wing sizes, which is great as it makes it more likely you’ll get a tight seal and comfortable fit. I found it very easy to change the tips, even with my big sausage fingers, and there are sizes that have fit both me and my partner well.

Interestingly, the Philips Kokoon and A20s also have interchangeable wings and tips. The Kokoon have smaller tips, but the fixed cable makes them less comfortable for me. The A20s and Ozlo are similar in size, but the Ozlo have a slightly flatter profile. And as you can see here, the internal solid body of the Ozlo, which looks like a tiny teapot, is smaller than the A20s. And that means there’s a bit less pressure on my ear when I lie on my side.

Below, you can see the size difference of the solid internal body of the Ozlo Sleepbuds and Soundcore Sleep A20. No matter which wing and tip size you use, this section will always be present underneath.

Ozlo Sleepbuds and Soundcore Sleep A20 internal body compared

Testing the battery life

The earbuds charge in the case, with a USB-C cable to connect the case to a USB outlet. Ozlo says they take up to three hours to charge, with a whole charge lasting up to 10 hours, and I have found this to be accurate.

I also tested them by playing piano music on Spotify for two hours at 50% volume on my iPhone, and I ended up with 78% charge in one earbud, 76% in the other, and 89% in the case. In another test, after two hours of BBC Earth on YouTube, the earbuds had 76% battery remaining and the case 95%.

However, I’ve also found that the battery of the earbuds drains faster than the A20s when not plugged in. To test that, I didn’t use them for a week and recorded the remaining battery life every 24 hours.

After 48 hours, the case was down to 77%, and after a week, 22%. At least the earbuds still had 100% charge after a week. I then extended the test, and after two weeks, the earbuds also started to lose battery life. So even though the case holds a decent amount of extra charge, you need to remember to charge both the earbuds and case regularly.

In the table below, you can see the battery life remaining in the case and earbuds during the two weeks I left the case unplugged and did not use the earbuds.

Time unpluggedCase
battery life
Earbuds
battery life
Time unpluggedCaseEarbuds
48 Hours77%100%
3 Days64%100%
4 Days52%100%
5 Days47%100%
6 Days44%100%
7 Days22%100%
2 Weeks14%96% / 97%

One point I do like is that there are various light patterns on the case, so you know you’ve put the earbuds in correctly to charge and roughly how much battery life is left in the case.

Connecting, app, and features

Okay, let’s take a look at the Ozlo app now. It’s very easy to use, and there are some fantastic built-in sleep sounds. However, I do have one or two gripes.

One of my biggest criticisms of the Ozlo is that the Sleepbuds have to be in the case to connect to your device. Even after three months, I still sometimes forget to connect before putting them in my ears. On top of that, it can take several seconds to connect. Compared to the A20s, and most decent headphones, this feels slow and clunky.

Below, you can see the message in the app telling you to connect with the Sleepbuds in the case. You’ll see this screen a lot when using them!

Ozlo Sleepbuds app screen showing the connection

Once you do connect, I think the app is smooth and user-friendly. I really like how prominently the battery life and current sleep sound are displayed.

Sleep sounds or stream your own audio

At the time of filming, there are 10 sleep sounds to choose from, which are stored in the case and earbuds. So once you’ve chosen a sleep sound, you can turn your phone off if you want to. My personal favorites are Crimson Cloak and Soar, but the water-themed tracks are also really good.

If you prefer to stream your own content, you just need to connect and hit play on your chosen music or video player. So compared to the discontinued Bose Sleepbuds, which the Ozlo have evolved from, they’re much more flexible.

Below, you can see four of the ten sleep sounds available on the app at the time of doing this review.

Ozlo Sleepbuds app sleep sounds

Volume controls

Another criticism is that you can only adjust the volume in the app. There are no controls on the earbuds, and you can’t use your phone’s volume buttons. Even though the volume tap controls of the A20s are fiddly, it’s still more convenient than using my phone in the night.

Sleep timer options

There’s a useful sleep timer feature which stops your content or sleep sound after a set time. And then there’s the autoplay sleep sound feature.

You can either have the built-in sleep sound play when you remove them from the case, which I like using, or you can have it replace your streaming content when the earbuds detect that you’ve fallen asleep.

This feature is currently in beta testing, and it depends on the earbuds knowing that you’re actually asleep and not just in bed lying still. And I’ve found it to be a bit hit or miss. It was also a problem I had with the A20s. Maybe it’ll improve over time, but I personally don’t have a lot of faith in the accuracy of headphones as sleep trackers.

(Note: there is a third option I didn’t talk about in the video, which is to manually set a time after which your content will switch to a sleep sound)

Alarms

There is a useful alarm function on the app, with the flexibility to select alarms for individual or multiple days of the week. There are currently only three alarm tones, which is a bit limited, but the Bubble Bells is really good—far better than any of the A20 tones and very pleasant to wake up to.

Conveniently, if you’re listening to a sleep sound, the alarm will work with your phone off, as there’s a clock in the case. Just be aware that if you use your phone alarm, it plays through the phone and not the earbuds.

After using them both a lot, I’ve found that the app for the Ozlo is much easier to use than the app for the A20s. However, the main reason for that is because there are far less features and sounds with the Ozlo. I’d really like to see a much wider range of sounds in the future and maybe the option to mix them like you can with the A20s.

Comfort

Let’s talk now about how comfortable the Ozlo Sleepbuds are. This is the crucial factor that can make or break sleep headphones. On this point, I’m happy to say I have good news; the Ozlo are the most comfortable dedicated sleep headphones that I’ve tried so far.

I know I was saying the same about the A20s not long ago, but it is just what I found. The minuscule body and silicone exterior make them much more practical to use in bed than standard headphones. For example, here you can see the Ozlo and the A20s compared to my Apple AirPods Pro 2.

photo of the same ear wearing the Apple AirPods Pro 2, Soundcore sleep a20 and Ozlo sleep buds

When I lie on my back, I hardly feel them in my ear. They also stay in place and never seem to fall out. Most importantly, I’m also able to wear them for hours when lying on my side or front. With a soft pillow, I barely notice them on my side. I did feel them more when using a firmer memory foam pillow, though. However, it’s less than with the A20s, and with a small adjustment to my position, I can still lie very comfortably.

It’s not just the small size that makes them so good for side sleepers though, but also the flatter design.

You can see here that the Sleepbud sits flush inside my ear. This is the ideal design as it means there’s less pressure on my ear when lying on my side.

man lying in bed wearing the ozlo sleep buds

Even though I find the Ozlo very comfortable, at the end of the day, there’s still an object in your ears. So if you have tiny or sensitive ears, you might feel them more than I do. If that is you, there’s always the option of a pillow with a hole. But on balance, I do think the Ozlo have raised the bar in terms of how comfortable sleep headphones can be.

Noise masking tests

For me, the second key point when choosing sleep headphones is how well they block out external noise—be it snoring, noisy neighbors or housemates, or traffic.

It’s important to understand that one of the reasons the Ozlo are so small and comfortable is because they don’t have active noise cancellation. To my knowledge, there are no dedicated sleep headphones with ANC. With current tech, the necessary increase in size would make them too uncomfortable for side sleepers.

As with the A20s then, the Ozlo work with noise masking, either with the built-in sleep sounds or your own audio. So let’s look at some tests I did to see how effectively they do that.

Test 1: moderate snoring (Max 50 dBA)

Okay, it’s time for the snoring test. I’ve got a recording of snoring on my phone, which I’m going to play through the Bluetooth speaker here next to my head. I’ve been using my decibel meter to set the volume to peak at around 50 dBA, which would be considered moderate snoring.

I’m going to listen with the Ozlo Sleepbuds, the Soundcore Sleep A20, the Apple AirPods Pro 2, the Kokoon, and the AcousticSheep SleepPhones. I’ll also test them with my favorite earplugs—the Mack’s UltraSoft.

What I’m particularly interested in is finding out which of the app sounds from the Ozlo block out the snoring best and how that compares to the others. So, let’s have a listen and see how it does with the moderate snoring, and then we’ll try with severe snoring.

In this table, you can see the volume level, my own score out of 10 for how well they blocked the snoring, and whether I thought the sound was tolerable. I was able to completely block out the moderate snoring with different app sounds, such as Crimson Cloak and Soar. However, only some would be tolerable for me for an hour or longer. I could also block it completely with the A20s, AirPods Pro 2, and SleepPhones.

DEVICE + SOUNDVOLUMEBLOCKS/10TOLERABLE?
Ozlo Sleepbuds, no audio/4Yes
Ozlo + rainfall80%10Maybe
Ozlo + crimson cloak70%10Yes
Ozlo + soar80%10Maybe
Ozlo + stratus70%10Yes
Ozlo + fireglow90%10Maybe
Soundcore Sleep A20, no audio/4Yes
A20 + pink + brown noise70%10Yes
Airpods Pro 2 with ANC, no audio/9Yes
Airpods Pro 2 + pink noise50%10Yes
Sleepphones + brown noise90%10maybe
Philips Kokoon + brown noise100%5Yes
Foam earplugs (Mack’s Ultra Soft)/9Yes

Test 2: severe snoring (Max 65 dBA)

Unsurprisingly, it was much harder to block out the severe snoring. I was able to block it completely with the Ozlo and the Crimson Cloak or Stratus sound, but I had to play it so loudly that it would be hard to listen to for long. The A20s also blocked it out completely, but the volume needed was again too much.

DEVICE + SOUNDVOLUMEBLOCKS/10TOLERABLE?
Ozlo Sleepbuds, no audio/3yes
Ozlo + rainfall100%9.5no
Ozlo + crimson cloak100%10maybe
Ozlo + stratus90%10maybe
Ozlo + tumbling waters100%8no
Soundcore Sleep A20, no audio/2yes
A20 + pink + brown noise100%10no
Airpods Pro 2 with ANC, no audio/6yes
Airpods Pro 2 + pink noise50%8yes
Sleepphones + brown noise100%7no
Philips Kokoon + brown noise100%5yes
Foam earplugs (Mack’s Ultra Soft)/7yes

Test 3: music in an adjacent room

The next thing I want to test them with is some music. So let’s take the speaker, put it on the other side of this wall, and play some music loudly.

You can probably hear that coming through the wall, unless you’ve got the volume turned down on your device or aren’t using headphones. It’s the kind of volume that there’s no way I could sleep with unless I had something blocking it or masking it. So let’s go through each of these again and see if I can get rid of that noise.

I was able to totally block out the music with various Ozlo Sleep sounds. Again, Crimson Cloak and Soar did well, and I could tolerate the volume level needed. The A20s, AirPods, and SleepPhones could also block it out, with the earplugs coming close.

Please keep in mind that these are subjective scores based on one person. There’s no guarantee that you’d have the same results.

DEVICE + SOUNDVOLUMEBLOCKS/10TOLERABLE?
Ozlo Sleepbuds, no audio/4yes
Ozlo + soar75%10yes
Ozlo + jade static80%9maybe
Ozlo + crimson cloak80%10yes
Ozlo + rainfall100%10maybe
Airpods Pro 2 with ANC, no audio/9yes
Airpods Pro 2 + pink noise30%10yes
Soundcore Sleep A20, no audio/3yes
A20 + pink + brown noise70%10yes
Sleepphones + brown noise80%10maybe
Philips Kokoon + brown noise100%5yes
Foam earplugs (Mack’s Ultra Soft)/9yes

Audio quality

The Ozlo clearly do a really good job of blocking out external noise. But how do they actually sound? Well, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed at first in the lack of bass. It’s very noticeable when I listen to music, listen to pink or brown noise, or watch videos. And that’s one of the two main reasons I don’t think the Ozlo Sleepbuds are a good choice for daytime use.

However, it’s not all bad news. The mids and highs are very clear, and I found that podcasts and meditations, as well as the built-in sleep sounds, sound really good through them. Interestingly, the reduced bass makes the sleep sounds more tolerable at higher volume levels than the A20s or many normal headphones.

Even though the A20s have more bass, I personally think the Ozlo Sleepbuds have a higher quality sound overall. The water-themed sleep sounds, for example, are more realistic and much more soothing and pleasant to listen to, especially at louder volume levels.

So for gentle noise masking, sleep sounds, relaxation apps, or podcasts, I think they’re great. But for watching or listening to anything where bass is a big part of the experience—not so great.

Noise isolation

As for the noise isolation, they’re similar to the A20s. Even with the volume turned up, my partner can’t hear anything, so they do work well for private listening.

Bluetooth connectivity

As well as the lack of bass, the other main reason I wouldn’t use the Ozlo Sleepbuds outside of the bedroom is the way that the dual Bluetooth connection works. As I understand it, your device connects to the case via Bluetooth, and then the case connects to the Sleepbuds via Bluetooth Low Energy.

I believe the main reason for this is because it allows a smaller battery that will still last all night, and because modern phones don’t typically support low-energy audio.

The practical reality is that if you’re streaming your own content, the Sleepbuds and audio device both need to be within a few meters of the case. That means that every time I use the bathroom or go to the kitchen to get a drink, the earbuds cut out when I’m listening to my own content unless I carry both the phone and case with me.

I wouldn’t mind so much if they instantly reconnected when I come back if I forget to take the case. Weirdly, they sometimes do and sometimes don’t. If they don’t, I have to take the earbuds out, reconnect in the case, and put them back in again. And that is simply annoying.

To find out if it might change in the future, I emailed Ozlo customer support. They told me that they can’t make any promises but are working to make it a seamless experience. For now, though, it remains a trade-off that allowed them to make the Sleepbuds so small.

Whether you’re willing to accept that or not is up to you. Thankfully, the sleep sounds on the app don’t cut out if you move around the house, so there is that at least.

No sleep tracking yet?

At some point, Ozlo is supposed to be enabling sleep tracking along with some sensors in the case, such as for light and noise. I was actually initially holding off on doing this review because I’d heard it was going to be released in early 2025. In their email, they told me that they’re still working on it, with no ETA though, so I thought I’d just get on with the video.

This might sound odd, but I’m kind of hoping they don’t release the sleep tracking, partly because I was so disappointed by the tracking of the A20s.

Obvious issues for me are the lack of a heart rate monitor and the fact that, unless you wear your headphones all night every night, there’s always going to be gaps in trends over time, which, for me, is one of the most fascinating things about sleep tracking.

Given a choice, I would much prefer it if headphones stuck to the audio and left the sleep tracking to other devices.


Pros

Okay, before I give you my final verdict, let’s recap with the main pros and cons as I see them. To start with the pros, they’re very small and comfortable. They have different wing and tip sizes and stay in well. They mask external noise effectively. The app sleep sounds are well produced. You can stream any audio or video. There are pleasant alarm tones. There are various sleep timer options.

Cons

As for the cons, the earbuds and your own audio device both need to be in range of the case. The earbuds and case need to be regularly charged. You can only adjust the volume in the app. They lack bass. There’s no active noise cancellation, like all sleep headphones. They’re expensive.

Verdict

My final verdict is that the Ozlo Sleepbuds did live up to my expectations on the two main points I judge sleep headphones by: their comfort and noise-masking effectiveness. However, there are some practical points when using them that frustrated me, so I think it’s important to understand exactly how they work to avoid any disappointment.

Below, you can see how the wing of the Ozlo sits neatly inside my ear.

man wearing the Ozlo Sleepbuds in bed

Most importantly, I loved how comfortable they are. As a predominantly side sleeper myself, it’s rare that I can wear headphones in bed for as long as I can with the Ozlo. In my tests, they masked both snoring and music really well, which I was very happy about. I’ve also found that they can mask traffic, talking, and television effectively too.

They do lack bass, though, even compared to the Soundcore Sleep A20. However, that also makes the sleep sounds easier on the ear with the volume turned up, which I needed to do to block out loud snoring.

The main issues for me revolve around the connectivity. It’s annoying when you forget that the earbuds needed to be in the case to connect. And inconvenient that you often need to carry your phone and case with you if you go to another room while streaming your own content.

Personally, I wouldn’t recommend getting the Ozlo Sleepbuds if you were hoping to use them during the daytime or outside as well. But for sleep headphones, which is what they’re intended for, I think they’re very, very good despite all of my criticisms. I definitely prefer the audio quality compared to the A20s, SleepPhones, Kokoon, and the many budget headbands I’ve tried.

Having said that, if you’re on a very tight budget, I’m not sure I’d recommend saving hard just to get the Ozlo. For half the price, the A20s are also good and don’t have the same connectivity quirks.

2 Comments

  1. Thank goodness you’re here. Having read it, now I doubt even more about the effectiveness of earbuds like this comparing to just grabbing a pack of Mack’s – let alone such an investment just to be able to sleep next to your partner who shares the same snoring of 50dB as I do.

    I’m not a bass fan so that can pass, but asking me to micro-change my habits of using Bluetooth earbuds like connectivity is frankly too clunky, especially for a low-tech like my partner who simply wants to put something on that is less intrusive (into his ears) and more efficient in bringing a more quiet night.

    Having said that, a detailed report of test and quality as always. Thank you so much and I hope soon the industry will look at this case and bring innovations like this to a larger scale – even if it means they might go the HTC way and end up being too far ahead of time.

    • Hi James

      Thanks for your comment and kind words.

      I think you highlight a point I often think about: whether it’s needed to spend money on expensive tech if you already have something that does the job perfectly well. If you use earplugs and they do a good enough job, I don’t see any reason to buy headphones just because they are the latest in the sleep category.

      If, however, the earplugs don’t do enough to block out noise for you, then the question is whether to try different earplugs or noise masking sounds. And that, as always, is a personal choice with pros and cons to both.

      Regards
      Ethan

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