Technologies
Best Clip-On Earbuds for 2025
Earbuds with a clip-on design that makes them look a little like clip-on earrings are the latest trend in the earbuds. Here are my favorite current models.
Our Experts
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What to consider
Budget
Know how much you want to spend before you start researching, because the high end is frequently above $150.
Sound quality
Some of the cheaper clip-on earbuds don’t sound all that good and tend to distort at higher volumes. You may have to pay a little more to get better sound quality.
Comfort
Clip-on earbuds tend to offer a secure fit but their comfort level varies. Having a flexible design to the clip (with some give to it) is important.
Durability
You want clip-on on buds that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality and a good water-resistance rating.
Return policy
Be careful where you buy from, so if you aren’t happy with your purchase you can try something else.
Wireless earbuds come in different shapes and sizes, with clip-on buds being the latest style to get some traction in the marketplace. Several affordable clip-on earbuds quietly appeared on Amazon a couple of years ago but Bose’s release of its Ultra Open Earbuds, which I called «daringly different» in my review, really brought a lot of attention to this style of earbuds, which do resemble clip-on earrings in some ways. Currently, all clip-on buds feature an open design, which means they don’t have silicone ear tips that you jam in your ears. Open earbuds let you hear your surroundings, which is great for runners and cyclists, and the clip-on design helps the buds stay securely attached to your ears. I’ve tested all the earbuds on this list and fully reviewed some of them.
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Best clip-on earbuds of 2025
Pros
- Innovative clip-on fit
- Comfortable to wear
- Very good sound for open earbuds
- Decent voice-calling performance
Cons
- Expensive
- Look may not appeal to everyone
- Not great for noisy environments
The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds have one of the most unusual designs of any earbuds I’ve tested in the past several years. They literally clip onto the side of your ears, kind of like earrings, and their open design has micro speakers that fire sound into your ears while still being able to hear what’s happening around you. At $299, they’re somewhat overpriced but otherwise there’s a lot to like about them, including a surprisingly comfortable, secure fit and very good sound quality for open buds.
Pros
- Good sound for clip-on open earbuds
- Comfortable, secure fit
- Good battery life
- Wireless charging
Cons
- Pricey
- Voice-calling performance could be a little better
The well-designed OpenDots One are among the best open earbuds out there right now. While they don’t sound quite as good as the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, they’re pretty close and fit my ears slightly better and have better battery life. Like the Ultra Open Earbuds, which list for $299 but are currently on sale for $249, they’re overpriced, but at least they cost less than the Bose and their case does have wireless charging. Read review.
Pros
- Good sound quality for clip-on earbuds
- Nicely-designed with comfortable, secure fit (flexible joint)
- Good voice-calling performance
Cons
- Somewhat pricey
The Soundcore by AeroClip are Anker’s current flagship clip-on earbuds. Not only do I like their design — they have a premium look and feel — but they’re comfortable to wear and feature very good sound for clip-on buds. Equipped with 12mm drivers, they serve up ample bass with good volume and decent clarity. The buds sound fuller and more open than many cheaper clip-on buds and are among the better sounding open earbuds I’ve tried (Android users should note that they have support for Sony’s high-quality LDAC audio codec). I also thought they worked well for making calls. For the most part, callers said they could hear me clearly — even in noisier environments like the streets of New York City (Anker says they have 4 beamforming mics, wind-blocking meshes and advanced AI). Battery life is rated at up to 8 hours at moderate volume levels and the buds are IPX4 sweat- and water-resistant (they’re splash-proof). Their only drawback is their somewhat high price tag.
Pros
- Affordable
- Comfortable, secure fit
- Decent sound
- Good battery life
Cons
- Somewhat generic design
Baseus is known for its value earbuds, power banks and charging products. While its Bowie MC1 aren’t in the same league as Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds, they cost around a sixth of the price and sound pretty decent for this style of clip-on earbuds, particularly with less demanding tracks that don’t feature heavy bass and a lot of instruments playing at the same time. On Amazon, you’ll find clip-on buds with a similar design, including the Tozo OpenEarRing ($30) and Amazfit Up ($50), so they’re a little generic. But I found the sound quality to be slightly better many competing clip-on value buds. I also liked that they have a single physical control button on each bud for controlling playback and adjusting volume levels.
Battery life is rated for up to 9 hours at moderate volume levels, which is good, but expect to get les than that because you do tend to have to listen to open earbuds at higher volumes, especially in noisier environments. With an IP57 certification, the buds are splash-proof and dust-proof, making them suitable for runners and bikers. Voice-calling capabilities are also decent but don’t expect business-class performance.
Pros
- Comfortable, secure fit
- Very good sound for clip-on open earbuds
- Active noise canceling
- Spatial audio with head tracking
- Heart-rate and blood oxygen detection
Cons
- Noise canceling isn’t all that effective
- Touch controls are a little finicky
Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds may be the best-sounding and most comfortable clip-on earbuds. But they list for $299. In contrast, Edifier’s new LolliClip buds cost $130 and their sound is pretty close to what you get with the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds — and they’re almost as comfortable to wear while fitting my ears securely. They also have some features the Bose buds don’t have, including active noise canceling (it’s not all that effective but you do sense it muffling some noise in the lower frequencies), a heart-rate monitor, blood oxygen sensor and spatial audio with head-tracking. There’s also a low-latency mode for gaming and they support the LDAC audio codec for Android users.
The buds have a battery life rating of up to 6 hours with noise canceling on and 9 hours with it off at moderate volume levels. As for water-resistance, their IP56 rating means they can withstand a sustained spray of water and they’re also dust-resistant. Overall, I was impressed with the sound quality. It’s not going to be quite as good as what you get with noise-isolating earbuds with silicone ear tips that you jam in your ears, but for open buds it’s quite good. With these type of buds, which allow you to hear the outside world for safety reasons, the bass tends to be a little weak. But the LolliClip buds output ample bass (you have a few EQ settings to choose from, including a bass boost mode) and offer decent clarity. Note that you will have to play around with the fit of the buds on your ears to optimize the sound quality — a little adjustment can make a significant difference. Voice-calling performance was good but not exceptionally so.
My only gripe is with the touch controls. They’re a little finicky (you have to figure out just what is the touch zone), but you do get several customization options in the Edifier ConneX companion app.
Pros
- Improved sound quality with better bass and clarity
- More comfortable fit (flexible joint)
- Physical control buttons
Cons
- Battery life could be a little better
In early 2024, Anker released its Soundcore C30i clip-on buds. Not only didn’t they sound all that good (they distorted at higher volumes and were a little bass shy), but they weren’t all that comfortable to wear. The C40i, which came out in October of 2024, are a different story. Equipped with a flexible joint (the C30i didn’t have that), they’re significantly better in terms of fit and sound quality, though the step-up Soundcore AeroClip sounds fuller and more open. They also come with attachable ear grips, although I didn’t use them because they fit my ears securely without adding them.
I liked the C40i’s design and appreciated that they’re equipped with physical control buttons, which makes skipping tracks forward or taking calls easier when you’re running with the buds (they’re suitable for running and biking). While they’re not waterproof or dust-resistant, they’re IPX4 splash-proof and their charging case is reasonably compact. While they don’t sound as good or offer as good voice-calling performance as Anker’s step-up Soundcore AeroClip buds, they’re among the best-sounding clip-on earbuds that cost less than $100. Their voice-calling performance is pretty decent but not exceptionally good.
Factors to consider when buying clip-on earbuds
Budget
Before anything else, you’ll want to figure out how much you’re willing to spend on new clip-on buds. The quality of value-priced earbuds and headphones continues to improve, so you can find decent clip-on buds for less than $50. The premium models, which offer better build quality and performance, tend to cost more than $100 and sometimes more than $150.
Sound quality
All the clip-on earbuds I’ve tried have an open design with the part of the bud that contains the speaker driver resting over your ear canals, firing sound into them. How you attach the buds to your ears will impact sound quality so you’ll have to play around with their placement to optimize comfort and sound quality. Some of the cheaper models don’t sound all that good and tend to distort at higher volumes. You may have to pay a little more to get better sound quality.
Fit and comfort
Clip-on earbuds tend to offer a secure fit but their comfort level varies. Having a flexible joint (with some give to it) is important. Also, note that you typically have to make some adjustments when clipping the bud to your ear, placing it higher or lower on the side of your ear to optimize comfort levels as well as sound quality.
Durability
You want clip-on on buds that hold up well over time, so look for models that we note have sturdy build quality and a good water-resistance rating.
Return policy
It’s critical to buy your clip-on buds at a retailer that has a good return policy in case you have buyer’s remorse. Some people who are having trouble deciding between two models sometimes buy both, try them out for a few days and then return one.
How we test clip-on earbuds
We test true-wireless earbuds based on five key criteria, comparing similarly styled and priced models. These criteria are design, sound quality, features, voice-calling performance and value.
- Design: We assess not only how comfortable the earbuds fit (ergonomics) but their build quality and how well the controls are implemented. We also look at water- and dust-resistance ratings.
- Sound quality: We evaluate sound quality by listening to a set playlist of music tracks and comparing the earbuds to top competing products in their price range. Sonic traits such as bass definition, clarity, dynamic range and how natural the headphones sound are key factors in our assessment.
- Features: Some great-sounding earbuds aren’t loaded with features but we do take into account extra features. These include everything from noise-canceling and transparency modes (ambient sound mode) to special sound modes to ear-detection sensors that automatically pause your music when you take the headphones off your ears.
- Voice-calling: When we test voice-calling performance, we make calls on the noisy streets of New York and evaluate how well the earbuds reduce background noise and how clearly callers can hear your voice.
- Overall value: We determine value after evaluating the strength of the earbuds against all these criteria and what the buds are able to deliver compared to other models in their price class.
Other sports wireless earbuds we tested
Baseus Eli Sport 1: The Eli Sport 1 can be had for about $80 (currently $41 on a discount). While they may not sound quite as good as some of the premium open earbuds out there — there can be a touch of distortion at higher volumes with bass-heavy tracks — they sound quite decent for their modest price and I found them comfortable to wear. They look more premium than their price would indicate. They have 16.2mm drivers, are IPX4 splash-proof and are rated for up to 7.5 hours of battery life at moderate volume levels.
Samsung Galaxy Buds FE: Carrying a list price of about $100, Samsung’s 2023 Galaxy Buds FE feature a single driver (Samsung isn’t saying what size it is), three mics on each earbud and active noise canceling. They charge in a case that’s the same size and shape as what you currently get with all of Samsung’s latest Galaxy Buds, including the Galaxy Buds 2 and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. And they look a lot like an updated version of Samsung’s discontinued Galaxy Buds Plus earbuds, which also came with a set of swappable fins that helped create a secure, comfortable fit. Like those buds, the Galaxy Buds FE are sweat-resistant with an IPX2 water-resistance rating that protects against splashes.
Bose Frames (Tempo) (Out of Stock): The Bose Frames are one of those products you have to try to fully appreciate — or dismiss. The concept is that you’re getting a decent pair of sunglasses with a pair of headphones that don’t actually go in your ears. Rather, integrated micro speakers in each arm direct a beam of sound to your ears. That design could be appealing to people who don’t like having headphones in or on their ears and also offers a degree of safety for runners and bikers who want their ears open to the world.
Jabra Elite 8 Active: Equipped with six microphones instead of four, slightly improved adaptive noise canceling and wind-reduction technology along with a higher durability rating, the Elite 8 Active looks, feels and performs like a modestly upgraded version of the Elite 7 Pro and Elite 7 Active. Jabra is billing them as the «world’s toughest earbuds» and based on our tests (they survived several drops without a scratch), that may very well be true.
Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS: What makes these Soundpeats Air3 Deluxe HS buds special is that they sound surprisingly good for open earbuds — they’re pretty close to what you get from Apple’s AirPods 3 for sound. On top of that, they support Sony’s LDAC audio codec for devices that offer it. Not too many cheap open earbuds have good sound, but these Soundpeats have good bass response and clarity. They’re also good for making calls and have a low-latency gaming mode. Battery life is rated at 5 hours at moderate volume levels, and these are IPX4 splash-proof.
Clip-on earbuds FAQ
Technologies
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, May 7
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 7.
Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.
Today’s NYT Mini Crossword was a tough one for me. I really didn’t know 5-Down, the Spanish term of endearment, and I wasn’t so great on 6-A, the industry for marketing professionals, either. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.
The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.
Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword
Let’s get at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Ovechkin who broke Wayne Gretzky’s N.H.L. goals record
Answer: ALEX
5A clue: Stand-in
Answer: PROXY
6A clue: Industry for marketing professionals, informally
Answer: ADBIZ
7A clue: Poe, Pope or Pound
Answer: POET
8A clue: Org. that really ought to give you a break?
Answer: IRS
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Intense passion
Answer: ARDOR
2D clue: Parts of ears and brains
Answer: LOBES
3D clue: Glowing sign in a movie theater
Answer: EXIT
4D clue: End of the alphabet
Answer: XYZ
5D clue: Spanish term of endearment
Answer: PAPI
How to play more Mini Crosswords
The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.
Technologies
Apple Released iOS 18.5 RC, and It Includes a Few Small iPhone Changes
Apple could release the update to the public as early as next week.
Apple debuted the iOS 18.5 release candidate on May 6, more than a month after the company released iOS 18.4 to the general public. While that update brought more emoji to all iPhones, the RC brings a few small changes and a new Pride wallpaper. Because the latest release is the RC, Apple could release the update to the general public as early as next week.
Read more: An Expert’s Guide to iOS 18
Since the RC isn’t necessarily the final version of iOS 18.5, I recommend downloading it on something other than your primary device. The update might be buggy, and battery life may be affected, so it’s best to keep those troubles on a secondary phone.
Also, since the RC is not the final version, adjustments could land on your iPhone when the update is released. There’s no word on when Apple will release the iOS 18.5update to the general public, but it’s usually a week after the RC comes out.
Here’s what could appear on your iPhone with iOS 18.5. (Just a reminder: Only developers and beta testers with an iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max or the iPhone 16 lineup can access Apple Intelligence for now. If you have any other iPhone, you won’t have access to those features.)
New Pride wallpaper
Every year, Apple comes out with a new Pride wallpaper ahead of Pride Month, and this year is no different. The iOS 18.5 RC includes the latest iteration of the wallpaper, called «Pride Harmony,» which features bold stripes that shift and change position as you move.
iOS 18.5 tweaks Mail options
Apple introduced a few Mail app updates in the iOS 18.5 RC. One of those updates makes it easier to adjust the app’s settings by showing or hiding contact photos in Mail. Contact photos are the images to the left of emails that help identify senders.
Mail will show Contact Posters by default, but you can turn them off from within the app with the iOS 18.5 RC. To do so, open Mail, tap the three dots (…) in the top-right corner of your screen and tap Show Contact Photos. Now, all your emails will just show the subject line and a preview of the message, similar to how Mail looked before iOS 18.
This option is in iOS 18.4, but it’s buried in Settings and not easy to locate.
Another update concerns Categories. If the mode is enabled, you can see a small tab on the right side of your screen near the other categories. Swipe the categories bar near the top of Mail to the left, and this small tab will expand to reveal the category All Mail.
This category isn’t new; you can find it in iOS 18.4. But, there was no small tab on the right side of your screen to signal it was present off-screen. Therefore, All Mail flew under the radar — I didn’t even know the option was there until this beta.
This category appears to be a way to simultaneously enable Categories and List View — the pre-Categories view of Mail. By tapping All Mail, you’re viewing your messages without any categorization, like in List View.
Back Tap banner
The iOS 18.5 RC also introduces the option to display a banner using the Back Tap function. Back Tap turns the Apple logo on the back of your iPhone into a usable button that can open your camera, take a screenshot and more when you double or triple tap it. And with the iOS 18.5 RC, you can make your iPhone display a banner whenever you use Back Tap.
To enable the banner, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap and tap the toggle next to Show Banner. If you enable the banner and use Back Tap, the banner will appear across the top of your screen and read, «Back Tap Double/Triple Tap detected.»
iOS 18.5 RC release notes
Here are the full release notes for the iOS 18.5 RC.
This update also includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
- A new Pride Harmony wallpaper.
- Parents now receive a notification when the Screen Time passcode is used on a child’s device.
- Buy with iPhone is available when purchasing content within the Apple TV app on a third-party device.
- Fixes an issue where the Apple Vision Pro app may display a black screen.
- Support for carrier-provided satellite features is available on iPhone 13 (all models). For more information visit: https://support.apple.com/122339.
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit:
https://support.apple.com/100100
Anything else in the beta?
Not that I can tell, and I’m not surprised. Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference is set to happen in June, so iOS 18.5 will likely remain sparse on features so Apple can focus on iOS 19.
There might be another RC before iOS 18.5 is released to the public, but I wouldn’t expect to see any other new features in the upcoming update. Apple has not announced when it will release iOS 18.5 to the general public, but it could be as early as next week.
For more on iOS 18, here’s what you need to know about iOS 18.4.1 and all the latest features in iOS 18.4. You can also check out our iOS 18 cheat sheet.
Technologies
How to Follow the Real Papal Conclave Beginning Wednesday
The Vatican is streaming live views of St. Peter’s Square on its YouTube channel, NBC offers a «smoke cam,» and CNN created a 3D visualization.
Pope Francis, who died on April 21 at age 88, has been laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome. Now, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church begin voting Wednesday for a successor in an assembly known as a conclave. Only cardinals younger than 80 years old are allowed to vote in a papal election. While 135 cardinals come in under the age requirement of 80 and thus are eligible to vote, two withdrew from the voting for health reasons, so 133 will vote.
The word «conclave» is familiar to many non-Catholics now thanks to the Hollywood feature film Conclave, which was released in 2024 and is available to watch on streaming services.
Read more: Where to Watch Conclave, the Vatican Thriller About Electing a New Pope
How to follow the conclave
There’s no way to watch the real papal conclave, as it’s conducted inside the walls of the Sistine Chapel and is private. The movie, while entertaining and well-reviewed, is a fictional version. But the major news networks will be covering any news about the event.
Perhaps the most interesting way to follow along is to tune in to the Vatican’s own YouTube channel, which is streaming a live webcam from St. Peter’s Square in Rome, the large public square outside the Vatican buildings.
The news networks are also creating innovative ways for people to follow the conclave. NBC News is offering a smoke cam, a webcam focused on the Sistine Chapel chimney where white smoke will eventually reveal when a pope has been chosen.
CNN has created a 3D visualization of what the conclave will look like.
USA Today has set up a YouTube channel to stream coverage of the conclave, beginning from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET (3 a.m. to 6 a.m. PT) on Wednesday.
CBS will broadcast a special report on the conclave anchored by Norah O’Donnell and Tony Dokoupil, beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
Who are the contenders?
Several cardinals are considered potential strong candidates for the papacy. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi of Italy is noted for his diplomatic efforts and alignment with Pope Francis’ vision. Cardinal Luis Tagle from the Philippines is also a prominent figure, recognized for his advocacy for social justice and poverty alleviation. And Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana is being discussed as a possible first African pope in the modern era.
Look for the white smoke
After the cardinals vote and their ballots are counted, the ballots are burned, and chemicals are added to the flames to produce black smoke if there’s no majority. When a new pope has been selected, chemicals will be added to the flames to produce white smoke. Crowds gather in St. Peter’s Square to watch for the results.
In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who spearheads the election of the next pope while investigating rumors about potential candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is fictional — though it does represent some of the events of how actual papal conclaves take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.
The voting takes as long as it takes
Two-thirds of the cardinals’ votes are required to elect the next pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors, and the vote tally is never made public.
The conclave can take days or even weeks to conclude. Although in the 13th century, it reportedly took three years to choose a pope, modern conclaves have been much shorter. Pope Francis was elected in 2013 on the fifth ballot on the second day of the conclave.
There can only be two rounds of voting per day, and a candidate needs two-thirds of the votes, plus one to be elected. If that majority isn’t reached after three days of voting, the process pauses so the cardinals can pray and discuss their options, CBS News reports.
No, Trump will not be pope
Any man who is a baptized Catholic can technically be elected pope, but in reality, the next pope is chosen from the College of Cardinals. Cardinals are senior members of the clergy and are selected by the pope to serve as advisors to him.
Days before Pope Francis’ funeral, US President Donald Trump told reporters, apparently jokingly, «I’d like to be pope.» But as a non-Catholic, Trump is not eligible to be pope.
Trump also shared an AI-generated image of himself as pope on his Truth Social social media site last week. The official White House account reposted the image on X. Many did not find the image funny.
«We just buried our beloved Pope Francis and the cardinals are about to enter a solemn conclave to elect a new successor of St. Peter,» the New York State Catholic Conference wrote on X. «Do not mock us.»
Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, wrote on X that he was OK with the image of Trump as pope. Vance was not raised Catholic but was baptized into the faith in 2019. «As a general rule, I’m fine with people telling jokes,» Vance wrote.
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