TOZO NC9 Pro Review: Surprisingly Good. Not Perfect.

TOZO sent me the NC9 Pro earbuds to review, and I’ll admit it: I didn’t expect much.

I’d barely heard of the company until recently.

Then the box showed up, my fiancée saw the TOZO name, and immediately started raving about the brand.

That got my attention.

After spending some time with the NC9 Pro, I get some of the enthusiasm. These sound considerably better than I expected, the active noise cancellation works well, and the touchscreen charging case went from something I assumed would be a gimmick to one of my favorite parts of the package.

They’re not perfect, though.

For me, comfort is the biggest problem, and the initial pairing experience with my iPhone was more complicated than it needed to be.

So yeah, “surprisingly good, not perfect” sums these up pretty well.

TOZO provided the NC9 Pro earbuds for this review. They did not review or approve this article before publication, and the opinions here are my own.

If you buy through links on Tony Reviews Things, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The Touchscreen Case Immediately Steals the Show

Before we even talk about the earbuds, we need to talk about this case.

There’s a small touchscreen built directly into the front of it, complete with what feels like a miniature operating system.

I was skeptical.

Tiny screens have a way of getting slapped onto products because somebody in marketing decided a screen would look good on the box.

That isn’t what’s happening here.

I can control volume from the case. I can change noise-cancellation modes. There are EQ controls, playback controls, settings, and a Find My Earbuds function.

And because those controls are available directly on the case, I don’t have to dig into the TOZO app every time I want to change something.

That matters.

Volume control in particular is something I can see myself using regularly when I’m out and about. The noise-control picker is also handy because I can jump between modes without grabbing my phone.

The display also seems intentionally resistant to accidental activation. In my testing, slower random taps didn’t wake it, while a deliberate double tap did.

I’m still a little nervous about durability.

A normal charging case can get knocked around without much thought. Once you stick an exposed touchscreen on the front, I immediately start thinking about scratches and cracked glass.

I’d personally want some kind of protective case for it.

Still, the screen surprised me. It isn’t just there to look cool.

It’s actually useful.

Pairing Was More Annoying Than It Should Have Been

My first real complaint showed up before I listened to a single song.

Pairing the NC9 Pro with my iPhone 16 Pro Max wasn’t nearly as straightforward as I’m accustomed to with Bluetooth earbuds.

I eventually got everything connected and installed the TOZO app, but there was more fiddling involved than the usual open-the-case-and-go experience.

Once I had them configured, things were much better.

But first impressions count, and setup shouldn’t feel like a troubleshooting exercise.

That’s especially noticeable coming from AirPods, where Apple has made the pairing experience practically invisible.

The Sound Is Seriously Good

This was the first big surprise.

These things sound good.

Really good, actually.

The bass immediately stood out to me. There’s plenty of it, but during my listening it didn’t overwhelm everything else.

Vocals remained clear, and the overall presentation was much better than I expected based on my initial assumptions about the brand.

I also didn’t notice any annoying hiss, harshness, or strange pressure sensation while using the active noise cancellation.

The NC9 Pro packaging advertises Hi-Res Audio Wireless and LDAC support. My primary testing has been with an iPhone, so I’m evaluating these based on the listening experience I actually had rather than pretending a codec logo automatically makes something sound better.

And what I actually heard was impressive.

The Noise Cancellation Works

You don’t need to spend five minutes wondering whether ANC is enabled on these.

I could tell almost immediately after putting them in.

Before I even started playing music, the reduction in surrounding noise was obvious.

TOZO gives you several noise-control modes, including normal, adaptive, transparency, wind-focused options, and full noise cancellation.

Switching between them produced an obvious difference.

With noise cancellation enabled, outside voices became much less prominent.

Normal mode sat somewhere in the middle.

Transparency mode brought the room right back in.

My dog barking in the background certainly had no trouble making it through transparency mode.

That’s about as scientific as Great Dane testing gets.

More importantly, transparency didn’t introduce an obvious hiss during my testing. Voices remained usable and the mode did what I wanted it to do.

ANC is one of the NC9 Pro’s stronger features.

Call Quality Is Fine, Not Fantastic

My first microphone test actually worried me.

Listening back to a Voice Memos recording made the microphones sound noticeably cheap. My voice came across more like what I’d expect from an inexpensive headset than something premium.

Then I made an actual phone call.

That went better.

The person on the other end could understand me without trouble, and the earbuds were absolutely usable for a normal conversation.

I still wouldn’t buy the NC9 Pro specifically because I wanted the greatest headset microphone on Earth.

But I also wouldn’t avoid taking a call with them.

That puts microphone performance squarely in the “good enough” category for me.

Comfort Is Where They Lose Me

This is the biggest weakness of the NC9 Pro for me personally.

I’m used to AirPods, and lately I’ve spent a lot of time using bone-conduction headphones.

Going back to a traditional sealed earbud already requires some adjustment.

With the stock tips installed on the NC9 Pro, my ears started itching after a relatively short listening session.

I took them out, gave them another try later, and ran into another issue: they simply didn’t feel like they wanted to stay securely seated in my ears.

TOZO does provide alternate ear tips, and changing sizes could absolutely improve the experience.

I chose not to spend the review cycling through every tip trying to manufacture a fit that wasn’t there for me out of the box.

That distinction matters.

I’m not saying these earbuds will be uncomfortable for everybody.

Earbud fit is incredibly personal.

What I can say is that the stock configuration didn’t work particularly well for my ears, and comfort would stop me from choosing these over the headphones I normally use.

The App Is Powerful, But the Case Makes It Less Important

TOZO gives you plenty to play with in its app.

There are different listening modes, EQ controls, and other settings available, and anyone who likes tweaking audio should have plenty to explore.

But ironically, one of the best things about the touchscreen case is that I don’t need the app nearly as often.

That’s exactly why the screen works.

Instead of adding another interface I have to manage, it can actually remove friction from everyday use.

Once everything was paired and configured, I found myself liking the overall control system considerably more than I expected after that rocky setup.

Build Quality: Decent, With One Big Question Mark

The case has a smooth matte-black finish that feels good in the hand. It doesn’t feel premium in the same way a high-end aluminum accessory does, and the plastic does remind you that this isn’t ultra-luxury gear, but it also doesn’t feel terrible or flimsy.

The obvious question mark is that front display.

The touchscreen is one of the best features of the NC9 Pro, but it’s also the part I’d worry about most after months of pocket and bag use. That’s the trade-off. The thing that makes the case interesting is also the thing that makes me want to protect it.

What I Didn’t Fully Test

There are a few things I’m deliberately not going to pretend I thoroughly tested.

I didn’t perform an exhaustive battery rundown.

I didn’t try every included ear-tip size.

And because most of my listening was done from an iPhone, this isn’t an LDAC-focused sound-quality evaluation.

Those are limitations worth mentioning because reviews get stupid when writers start converting spec sheets into personal experience.

I’d rather tell you what I actually tested.

Who Should Buy the TOZO NC9 Pro

The NC9 Pro makes the most sense for someone who wants a feature-heavy pair of earbuds without jumping straight to flagship pricing.

They’re especially interesting if you care about:

• Strong bass and clear vocals
• Effective ANC
• A genuinely useful transparency mode
• A charging case that can handle volume, ANC, EQ, and playback controls without opening an app
• A more feature-packed experience than you’d expect from a lesser-known brand

Check price and availability on Amazon

Who Should Skip Them

I’d be more cautious if:

• Traditional silicone-tip earbuds are already uncomfortable for you
• You want AirPods-level pairing simplicity on iPhone
• Microphone quality is one of your top priorities
• You’re rough on charging cases and don’t like the idea of protecting a touchscreen

TOZO NC9 Pro: The Verdict

The TOZO NC9 Pro ended up being a much more interesting product than I expected.

Sound quality is easily one of its strengths. Bass is strong, vocals are clear, and the active noise cancellation makes an immediate difference.

The touchscreen charging case is even better.

I expected it to be the kind of feature I’d show someone once, say “look at this,” and then completely ignore.

Instead, I found myself genuinely liking it.

Having volume, ANC, EQ, and other controls available without reaching for the TOZO app is legitimately convenient.

Call quality is usable rather than exceptional, setup was unnecessarily fiddly on my iPhone, and comfort was the dealbreaker for me personally.

That last point will vary enormously from person to person.

If traditional silicone-tip earbuds fit you well, my comfort complaints may not matter much at all.

And if that’s the case, there’s quite a lot to like here.

I went into this review barely knowing TOZO existed.

I came out understanding why my fiancée recognized the brand before I did.

Pros

• Very good sound quality
• Strong bass without burying vocals
• Effective ANC
• Useful transparency mode with no obvious hiss in my testing
• Excellent touchscreen case
• Convenient case-based volume, ANC, EQ, and playback controls
• Phone-call quality is perfectly usable

Cons

• Initial iPhone pairing was unnecessarily fiddly
• Stock ear tips weren’t comfortable for me
• Earbuds didn’t feel particularly secure in my ears
• Voice Memo microphone quality sounded noticeably budget
• Touchscreen adds a durability concern to the charging case

Bottom Line

The TOZO NC9 Pro sounds better than I expected and has one of the most useful charging-case gimmicks I’ve tested in a while. If the fit works for your ears, these are genuinely interesting earbuds.

Unfortunately, the fit just didn’t work particularly well for mine.

Reviewed & Written By

Tony Simons

Independent tech reviewer and creator of Tony Reviews Things. 14 years of hands-on testing, software auditing, and workflow automation. I test the gear so you don't waste your money on junk.

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