TOZO is still a relatively new and lesser known audio company, but they’ve come into prominence for having released a variety of well performing and feature rich pairs of wireless earbuds at very modest prices. In 2022 we saw a release of updated versions of many of their popular earbuds, including the NC9 and T12.
The new NC9 is quickly becoming one of the most popular active cancelling earbuds on the market, and the new T12 is looking like it will be a pretty big seller as well since it purportedly improves upon the already popular original T12.
The NC9 and T12 look and indeed are fairly similar, so it’s not surprising that many people are asking: how are the two different from each other? and is one better than the other? I have fully reviewed both of these products, and this comparison article intends to answer those questions.
TOZO NC9 vs T12 Side by Side at a Glance
What Are the Main Differences Between the TOZO NC9 and T12?
Active noise cancelling – the NC9 has active noise cancellation and transparency modes while the T12 does not.
Weatherproofing – both the T12 earbuds and case have IPX8 certification, meaning they are fully waterproof for up to 30 minutes of immersion. The NC9 earbuds have a lesser IPX6 certification, meaning they can resist water up to pressurized jets but not full immersion, and the NC9 case does not also have that same IP code.
LED charge indicators – the T12 case has neat lights that show the current battery percentage of both the case and each left/right earbud, whereas the NC9 case only has an indicator for the case’s battery percentage.
Battery life – the T12 has more battery life than the NC9, especially so if noise cancellation or transparency is turned on with the latter
TOZO EQ app compatibility – TOZO’s app allows you to customize some of the touch controls as well as extensively customize the sound profile. While the app supports the NC9 it apparently does not support the T12, not even the newer version.
Does the TOZO NC9 or T12 Have Better Fit and Comfort?
I was able to easily get a great fit with the NC9, and while I was eventually able to get a proper seal with the T12, they still ran into some weird issues with the tips deforming if I adjusted the earbuds with enough force. This resulted in the T12 running into some very odd sound issues before the tips momentarily “popped” back into place. I wrote about these issues fully in my T12 review which you can find linked below.
Does the TOZO NC9 or T12 Sound Better?
While the T12 sounds pretty decent, I think the NC9 sounds somewhat better out of the box – it’s a little more even with better clarity in the mids. Also important here is that you can customize and likely improve the NC9 sound profile with the TOZO app whereas the T12 is not supported by it.
Which Should You Choose Between the TOZO NC9 or T12?
With subsequent msrp discounts the NC9’s price has come very close to that of the T12, and for the money I think the NC9 is overall the better choice – it fits better, it has the noise cancellation and transparency options, and with support of TOZO’s EQ app it has the potential to sound significantly better, both objectively and/or to your personal liking.
The one major upside that the T12 has is that both the earbuds and the case are fully waterproof, whereas the NC9 earbuds (and not their case) are merely water resistant up to some splashing and jets.
Get the TOZO NC9 wireless earbuds on Amazon (affiliate link)
Get the TOZO T12 wireless earbuds on Amazon (affiliate link)
Relevant Articles
• Full NC9 review
• Full T12 review
• Is TOZO a good audio brand?
• Our current picks for the overall best budget true wireless earbuds
