Headphone review for toddlers and teens BuddyPhones POP Fun

BuddyPhones POP Fun are perfect all-around headphones for kids, providing safe volume levels, surprisingly balanced sound, and a flexible, albeit plastic, build. They’re only missing water resistance to protect them against juice spillage.

BuddyPhones volume-limiting headphones are made specifically for toddlers and young teens to protect their hearing. Noise-induced hearing loss is widespread among headphone users, children included.

However, most previously tested headphones for toddlers didn’t meet our criteria for a safe listening experience. But it feels like BuddyPhones paid attention since the POP Fun are pretty much perfect.

Not only do they never play above the loudness target, but they also have a surprisingly balanced sound signature. More on that later.

The full review below will also discuss the headphone’s durability and comfort, so let us dive right into it.

Sound

Star Rating 4.5 Almost Perfect

BuddyPhones POP Fun are the most natural-sounding headphones for kids. But there’s still some bass boost to make the sound more appealing.

I don’t know what kind of sound signature is the most popular among kids. But you can teach them how good music should sound from their very young years.

That’s where BuddyPhones POP Fun step in. They produce a natural sound that is only partially veiled by the boosted bass. But who doesn’t like a little bit of rumble?

Bass: Boosted and slightly muddy, but fun nonetheless

If kids today are anything like they were 20 years ago, they love listening to powerful bass.

BuddyPhones POP Fun strike a fine balance between punchiness and muddiness. You get both, but in a quantity that doesn’t ruin the listening experience.

That means your kids can enjoy punchy tunes (like “Baby Shark”) and something a bit more relaxed for school or instrument lessons.

Midrange: Very natural

BuddyPhones POP Fun truly shine in the midrange, presenting most instruments and vocals naturally.

Only the electric guitars sometimes get a bit muddy, but most kids don’t listen to metal, so it’s irrelevant.

Treble: Smooth as baby’s buttocks

Making higher frequencies smooth and balanced is another excellent decision from BuddyPhones.

That ensures headphones never become sibilant or harsh.

Overall, these headphones are tuned perfectly for the young audience. Their sound is still fun without being too boosted in any area.

Hopefully, BuddyPhones POP Fun can become a benchmark for kids as to what good headphones should sound like and be a starting point for young audiophiles.

Or at least to start appreciating the natural tuning, which I never got to experience when I was a kid.

Volume Limiter Performance

Effective volume limiter in both modes that keeps the volume under 85 dB.

Children’s ears are more sensitive to loudness, so you shouldn’t expose them to constant loud noises.

That’s why the best headphones for toddlers use volume limiters to keep the volume under specific loudness.

I tested BuddyPhones POP Fun using different audio sources and amplification. I made all tests on my loudness-calibrated MiniDSP H.E.A.R.S.

White Noise Test (with Bluetooth at 85dB & 94dB)

White noise is a group of all audible frequencies (to humans) playing simultaneously.

That reveals if headphones play specific frequencies louder than the others, resulting in noisier output.

Comfort & Fit

Star Rating 4.0 Great

BuddyPhone POP Fun have a relatively light clamping force, resulting in a gentle and comfortable fit. But they aren’t the most stable for energetic kids.

Overall plasticky construction leaves a questionable first-test experience.

The headband is slightly dampened, with foam (I assume) hidden behind the silicone cover. And the fabric earpads are rather stiff and small.

However, when you put them on your head, you realize you have been worried for nothing. BuddyPhones POP Fun are actually pretty comfy, even for adults.

Moving back to the headband, it has a minimal amount of cushioning. But since the headphones are so light, they don’t cause any pressure to the top of your head.

Furthermore, due to gentle clamping force, the stiff earpads are also a non-issue. Especially for kids, whose smaller ears will surely find the on-ear design comfier.

Also, the pads are dressed in a breathable fabric that should prevent you from getting sweaty ears, especially during more physical activities.

Speaking of which, the POP Fun don’t feel as stable as some other headphones in the BuddyPhones lineup, like the Explore+ model.

Their stability should suffice for everyday activities like home listening or commuting, but not for running and jumping around.

Durability

Star Rating 3.5 Almost Great

BuddyPhones POP Fun have a flexible design that can survive some beating, with washable earpads to ensure their freshness. Just don’t spill liquid over them.

Much like most headphones under $50, these, too, are overwhelmingly plastic. However, they have a smooth, gentle finish and don’t rattle much when shaken.

Furthermore, POP Fun meet many kids’ health and environmental standards (RoHS, REACH, and PROP65) by using the safest materials. So you don’t have to worry about allergic reactions or anything like that.

Flexibility is also a large part of these headphones. You can stretch and bend them, and they should also endure drops. Of course, any plastic can crack, so don’t test your luck.

Another neat feature are removable earpads, which you can wash to clean off any sweat or dirt that gets stuck on them. Learn more on how to clean headphones in our in-depth guide.

As for the replaceability of the earpads, BuddyPhones don’t sell replacement pads. Maybe in the future?

Strangely, this time BuddyPhones didn’t include any carrying pouch like with their other headphones.

The lack of an IP rating is the only potential weakness of these headphones. That makes them vulnerable to spilled liquids. And you know kids can be a bit clumsy sometimes.

Battery

Star Rating 4.0 Great

BuddyPhones POP Fun offer a USB-C charging port and manage to play music for almost 23.5 hours on a single charge. Although you might get less battery than that. More on that later.

At our battery life testing (using 85dB mode at 50%), we got:

23 hours and 25 minutes of battery life on a single charge.

That’s pretty much in line with the 24 hours claimed by the manufacturer.

However, since headphones aren’t very loud at the settings mentioned above, your kid will probably want to raise the volume, resulting in lower battery life.

Nonetheless, even if you get a few hours less out of BuddyPhones POP Fun, they’ll still last for a few days before needing a refill.

Headphones charge using a USB-C port, which is strangely hidden on top of the right ear cup under the yolk. The placement seems impractical, so only BuddyPhones knows why they made this design decision.

Regarding fast charging, there’s no mention of it on the box or in the documentation. However, you should expect between 1.5-2 hours to charge them from 0-100%.

Features

Star Rating 4.0 Great

BuddyPhones POP Fun have everything a kid can ask for, from a wireless connection, onboard controls, 2 volumes modes, wired mode, decorative stickers, and a foldable design. However, the mic quality is below-average.

Regarding headphones for kids, it’s all about durability and practical features. That’s why you don’t get mobile apps since no kid will ever use them.

Instead, you get helpful features like a foldable design to take less space in a backpack and an AUX port (and included cable) if the battery runs empty.

Furthermore, as with all BuddyPhones, these also come with four different stickers to put on the earcups. You get a cool surfer, polar bears, abstract waves, and mermaid designs.

Lastly, there are 3 big physical buttons behind the right earcup to give you complete control over your headphones.

BuddyPhones POP Fun controls:

Play/pause – one press on the Power button

Repeat/previous track – long press on the “-” button

Next track – long press on the “+” button

Answer call – one press on the Power button

Reject call – long press on the Power button

Change volume mode – press “+” and “-” buttons simultaneously

Noise Isolation

Star Rating 2.5 Average

BuddyPhones POP Fun don’t do much to block outside noise due to insufficient seal. You might hear ambient sounds even during music playback.

The outdoor noise can be pretty apparent depending on where you’re listening. The reason is an insufficient seal due to small earcups and breathable earpads.

The latter is great for preventing heat build-up but poor at keeping ambient noise away from your music.

Therefore, you will hear sounds like passing cars even when listening to music. However, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Hearing more things around you makes you more alert to potential dangers. That’s why mediocre passive isolation is actually desirable in headphones for kids.

One thing that isn’t as desirable is sound leakage. While BuddyPhones POP Fun do suffer from it, it isn’t as noticeable. If your kid listens to “Baby Shark,” you won’t be forced to listen to it too. You can only hear it if you’re close and trying to figure out the song.

Bluetooth

Star Rating 4.0 Great

BuddyPhones POP Fun have a very stable Bluetooth connection up to 60 feet of indoor range. While they don’t support multipoint or only have SBC, that will hardly matter to kids.

Headphones use Bluetooth 5.0 to ensure a stable connection. And stable it truly is, with no random stutters when having a phone in the pocket.

Long-range indoor connection is also excellent, indicating headphones use stronger antennas than the competition.

In my indoor Bluetooth test:

BuddyPhones POP Fun started stuttering after passing the second brick wall at around 50 feet (15.2 meters) away from the source. However, they continued playing until 60 feet (18.2 meters), when they stopped playing altogether.

That’s an above-average result among all Bluetooth headphones I’ve tested. Although, there are better ones out there.

How to pair BuddyPhones POP Fun?

Headphones search for a device to pair as soon as you turn them on.

To connect them to another device, you must turn them off and back on while holding the power button. Headphones go into pairing mode when you see the small LED light flashing red and blue.

What Bluetooth Codecs Do They Use?

BuddyPhones POP Fun only use SBC, much like the Play+ model. That said, that will hardly matter to anyone, as the SBC Bluetooth codec is more than good enough for most users.

Is There Any Audio Lag in POP Fun?

There is minimal delay when watching videos on YouTube and social media. But after a few minutes, you don’t really notice it anymore.

On the other hand, you get almost half a second delay when playing mobile games. So if your kid is into mobile gaming, the wired mode is the best way to ensure zero latency.