There is a certain joy in a headphone that costs as little as a meal and still sounds like it was designed by people who care. The Sony MDR-ZX110 is that headphone. For years it has been the on-ear pair people buy when they need something cheap that works, and its folding build and punchy sound have made it a fixture of gym bags, office drawers, and student desks. I wore a ZX110 pair for a month of commuting, desk work, and evening listening, and this review tests whether the budget classic still deserves its reputation.
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Design and Build
The ZX110 is remarkably light. Sony lists it at a fraction of the weight of most on-ear cans, and the moment you pick them up you understand the design brief: make it cheap, make it light, make it fold. The headband is a thin metal arc under a slim plastic pad, and each earcup swivels inward so the whole pair folds flat into a surprisingly small package.
The build is basic but honest. The cups are hard plastic with a thin band of foam over the ears, the headband adjusts by sliding, and the whole thing is wired with a fixed cable that ends in a standard 3.5mm plug. Nothing about it feels premium, and nothing about it feels fragile in a way that should scare you off. It is a headphone built to be carried, dropped in a bag, and forgotten until you need it.
Key Features
Under the plastic sit 30mm neodymium drivers, the same type of magnet used in far more expensive Sony models, and they run across a frequency response of 12Hz to 22kHz with a sensitivity around 98dB. That makes them easy to drive from a phone, a laptop, or a handheld console, and they need no Battery and no amplifier. The impedance is a low 24 ohms, so even a modest headphone jack gets them loud.
The defining feature is the folding design. Each cup folds flat against the headband, and the headband itself folds in the middle, so the whole pair collapses to a shape that slides into a coat pocket or the side pocket of a backpack. That portability is the reason so many people buy these as their second pair. The note on the box is honest: this is the basic ZX110 model, so there is no microphone and no inline remote.
Real-World Performance
Put the ZX110 on and the first impression is the sound. Sony tunes these to be lively and fun, with a bass boost that makes music feel energetic and a treble lift that keeps vocals clear. On pop, hip hop, and rock they are genuinely enjoyable, the kind of signature that makes a cheap headphone feel like a bargain rather than a compromise. They are not neutral, and they will not satisfy a studio engineer, but for everyday listening they are a lot of fun.
Comfort is a mixed bag that depends on your head. At 196 grams they are so light you forget them, which is a big plus, but the foam pads are thin and the clamping force is modest, so on long sessions they sit more on the ear than over it. I managed about two hours before I wanted a rest, which is fine for commuting and short focus sessions. For a six hour flight you will want something plusher.
The portability held up through a month of bags and pockets. Folding them flat took seconds, the swivel hinges never loosened, and the cable never tangled badly thanks to its modest length. The sound signature stayed consistent through the month, and the only honest criticisms are the ones the price predicts: the pads are not replaceable easily, the cable is fixed, and there is no carry pouch in the box. For the money, those are easy to forgive.
The more I used them the more I appreciated the choices Sony made to hit the price. The Bass forward tuning makes music feel energetic right away, the folding hinge is what gets these carried rather than left at home, and the low weight means a long session never turns into weight on my head. The slim pads are the one clear compromise, and on shorter stretches they were easy to ignore. For the money this is a rare thing, a budget headphone that still manages to be pleasant to live with.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Punchy, lively sound that is fun for everyday music
- Extremely light at under 200 grams
- Folds flat for easy travel and storage
- Easy to drive from any device with a jack
- Honest price that undercuts most rivals
Cons:
- Thin foam pads get uncomfortable on long wears
- Sound is tuned for fun, not accuracy
- No microphone or inline remote on this model
- Fixed cable and slim pads are not serviceable
- No pouch or case included
How It Compares
The ZX110 faces a familiar trio. The ZX110AP version of the same headphone adds a single button remote and a microphone for calls, so if those matter, spend the few extra dollars. A pair like the Audio-Technica ATH-M20x costs several times as much and sounds more balanced, but it is heavier and far less portable. And against a cheap in-ear pair at a similar price, the ZX110 trades the pocket fit for a fuller, more comfortable over ear experience. For the money and the fold, the Sony is the value pick.
| Feature | Sony MDR-ZX110 | ZX110AP | ATH-M20x |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drivers | 30mm neodymium | 30mm neodymium | 40mm dynamic |
| Mic and remote | No | Yes | No |
| Foldable | Yes | Yes | No |
| Weight | About 196 grams | About 196 grams | Heavier |
| Sound tuning | Fun and punchy | Fun and punchy | More neutral |
Who Should Buy It
Buy the Sony MDR-ZX110 if you want a cheap pair you can throw in a bag without worry, if you listen mostly to pop, hip hop, and podcasts on a phone or laptop, or if you need a spare pair for guests, a desk drawer, or a kid who will not treat it gently. For travel and everyday listening on a budget, it is the sensible pick.
Skip it if you need a microphone for calls, if you plan to wear headphones for hours on end, or if you want a neutral sound for mixing and monitoring. In those cases spend more or add the ZX110AP. You can check the current price of the Sony MDR-ZX110 on Amazon to see the everyday deal.
If you are moving up from earbuds you will notice the fuller sound immediately, and if you are used to flatter studio headphones you will notice the boost. Keep expectations neutral and these earn their keep, they are built for music, podcasts, and movies rather than precise monitoring, and the fold and the low weight make them the natural travel pair. At the price, they reward a casual listener far more than they risk disappointment, which is all anyone can ask of a budget classic.
How We Test
I used the MDR-ZX110 for a month as my travel and desk pair, on commutes, in a home office, and on a short flight. I judged sound across music and speech, comfort over long sessions, and how the folding build survived being packed and unpacked.
I compared them with a pair of in-ear buds and a larger monitor headphone on the same player, so the verdict reflects real listening rather than a spec sheet. The wider picture on cheap wired headphones, and where these sit in it, is well covered in TechRadar's roundup of budget wired headphones.
The Sony MDR-ZX110 listing on Amazon shows the current price and the color options available.
Questions People Ask
Do the Sony MDR-ZX110 have a microphone?
The base MDR-ZX110 model does not include a microphone or remote. Look for the ZX110AP version if you need a built in mic and play pause controls.
How do the MDR-ZX110 sound?
The 30mm drivers give a warm, lively sound with plenty of bass and treble for the money; they are fun for music and travel rather than neutral studio work.
Are the Sony MDR-ZX110 comfortable and portable?
They are very light, and the swiveling earcups fold flat for a bag, so they are easy to carry, though the foam pads are slim after long wears.
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