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
Kohler Wants to Put a Tiny Camera in Your Toilet and Analyze the Contents
The company’s new Dekoda toilet accessory is like a little bathroom detective.
Some smart litter boxes can monitor our pets’ habits and health, so having a camera in our human toilet bowls seems inevitable. That’s just what kitchen and bathroom fixture company Kohler has done for its new health and wellness brand, Kohler Health.
The $599 Dekoda clamps over the rim like a toilet bowl cleaner, pointing an optical sensor at your excretions and secretions. It then analyzes the images to detect any blood and reviews your gut health and hydration status. Depending on the plan you choose, the subscription fee is between $70 and $156 per year.
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At toilet time, you sign in via a fingerprint sensor so that the device knows who’s using the facilities. (Please wash your hands before signing out or tracking your progress.) Then, check in with the app for the day’s analysis and trends over time.
Wait until you’re off the pot, though, before you start doomscrolling your health. The device has a removable, rechargeable battery and uses a USB connection.
Kohler says it secures your data via the aforementioned fingerprint scanner and end-to-end encryption, and notes that the camera uses «discreet optics,» looking only at the results, not your body parts.
«Dekoda’s sensors see down into your toilet and nowhere else,» the company says.
Kohler warns that the technology doesn’t work very well with dark toilet colors, which makes sense. I’m sure there could be an upsell model with a light on it. Maybe the company could add an olfactory sensor, since smell reveals a lot about your gut health too. It could track «session» length or buildup under the rim to alert whoever has responsibility to clean it.
Kohler must have been straining to find appropriate lifestyle photos to include with the publicity materials. Many of the images are hilarious, featuring fit-looking men and women drinking water and staring off into space contemplatively — probably thinking about gas.
Technologies
Who’s Up to Fight Mega-Corporations in the Outer Worlds 2 on Xbox Game Pass?
Save the universe by fighting one CEO at a time in The Outer Worlds 2, plus play other great games coming to Xbox Game Pass in October.
Space is the final frontier, and it’s packed with some devious mega-corporations who are out to make a buck in The Outer Worlds 2. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can fight them in the highly anticipated sequel starting on Oct. 29.
Xbox Game Pass offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV and PC or mobile device, with prices starting at $10 a month. While all Game Pass tiers offer you a library of games, Game Pass Ultimate ($30 a month) gives you access to the most games, as well as Day 1 games, like Hollow Knight: Silksong, added monthly.
Here are all the games subscribers can play on Game Pass soon. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in October, including Ninja Gaiden 4.
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PowerWash Simulator 2
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 23.
If you’ve ever spent hours watching people on YouTube clean dirty rugs, cars and other grimy objects, you should check out PowerWash Simulator 2. As the name suggests, this sequel is all about blasting away dirt and filth from pools, homes and other objects around town. You have a furry kitty companion, and yes, you can pet them when you’ve finished cleaning.
Bounty Star
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 23.
The American Southwest has devolved into a lawless, post-apocalyptic desert called the Red Expanse in this game. You’re out to clean the place up in this game by taking down major bounties issued by the government, and the best way to do that is by piloting and customizing a giant mech, of course. When you want to nurse your wounds, head back to your run-down garage to rest, grow and cook food and raise animals. It’s like a cozy Armored Core game.
Super Fantasy Kingdom (game preview)
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 24.
After returning from a hunting trip, you find your 8-bit kingdom wrecked in this game. You must rebuild your domain in this roguelite, city builder. But as night falls, hordes of monsters emerge to tear everything back down. Build, mine, cook and grow your home, and prepare to defend it from all dangers.
Halls of Torment
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 28.
Get ready to descend into the deadly Halls of Torment in this retro, horde survival game. You can choose between 11 playable characters, each with their own playstyle, and equip various items and abilities to survive waves of enemies. This game is like Vampire Survivors, so if you like that game give this one a shot.
The Outer Worlds 2
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 29.
Clear your calendar for this sequel to the award-winning sci-fi adventure, The Outer Worlds. This time, you’re an Earth Directorate agent investigating the cause of devastating rifts that could destroy humanity. You have a new ship, new crew, new enemies and mega-corporation goons standing between you and the answers.
1000xResist
Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Nov. 4.
One thousand years in the future, humanity is hanging on by a thread after a disease spread by alien occupation forces people to live underground in this sci-fi adventure game. You play as Watcher, and you fulfill your duties well, until one day you make a shocking discovery. This game won a Peabody Award in 2024, and it was nominated for the Nebula Award for Best Game Writing that same year, so get ready for a story like no other.
Football Manager 26
Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can start playing on Oct. 29.
Get ready for a more immersive matchday experience in the latest installment of the Football Manager franchise. You can build a star-studded squad with new transfer tools, and this entry features official Premier League licenses and women’s football for the first time in the series’ history.
Game Pass subscribers can play the standard or Console edition of this game.
Games leaving Game Pass on Oct. 31
While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass, it’s also removing three others from the service on Oct. 31. So you still have some time to finish your campaign and any side quests before you have to buy these games separately.
Jusant
Metal Slug Tactics
Return to Monkey Island
For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now and check out our hands-on review of the gaming service. You can also learn about recent changes to the Game Pass service.
Technologies
Does Charging Your Phone Overnight Damage the Battery? We Asked the Experts
Modern smartphones are protected against overcharging, but heat and use habits can still degrade your battery over time.
Plugging your phone in before you head to bed might seem like second nature. That way by the time your alarms go off in the morning, your phone has a full charge and is ready to help you conquer your day. However, over time, your battery will start to degrade. So is keeping your phone plugged in overnight doing damage to the battery?
The short answer is no. Keeping your phone plugged in all the time won’t ruin your battery. Modern smartphones are built with smart charging systems that cut off or taper power once they’re full, preventing the kind of «overcharging damage» that was common in older devices. So if you’re leaving your iPhone or Android on the charger overnight, you can relax.
That said, «won’t ruin your battery» doesn’t mean it has no effect. Batteries naturally degrade with age and use, and how you charge plays a role in how fast that happens. Keeping a phone perpetually at 100% can add extra stress on the battery, especially when paired with heat, which is the real enemy of longevity.
Understanding when this matters (and when it doesn’t) can help you make small changes to extend your phone’s lifespan.
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The science behind battery wear
Battery health isn’t just about how many times you charge your phone. It’s about how it manages voltage, temperature and maintenance. Lithium-ion batteries age fastest when they’re exposed to extreme levels: 0% and 100%.
Keeping them near full charge for long stretches puts additional voltage stress on the cathode and electrolyte. That’s why many devices use «trickle charging» or temporarily pause at 100%, topping up only when needed.
Still, the biggest threat isn’t overcharging — it’s heat. When your phone is plugged in and running demanding apps, it produces heat that accelerates chemical wear inside the battery. If you’re gaming, streaming or charging on a hot day, that extra warmth does far more harm than leaving the cable plugged in overnight.
Apple’s take
Apple’s battery guide describes lithium-ion batteries as «consumable components» that naturally lose capacity over time. To slow that decline, iPhones use Optimized Battery Charging, which learns your daily routine and pauses charging at about 80% until just before you typically unplug, reducing time spent at high voltage.
Apple also advises keeping devices between 0 to 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) and removing certain cases while charging to improve heat dissipation. You can read more on Apple’s official battery support page.
What Samsung (and other Android makers) do
Samsung offers a similar feature called Battery Protect, found in One UI’s battery and device care settings. When enabled, it caps charging at 85%, which helps reduce stress during long charging sessions.
Other Android makers like Google, OnePlus and Xiaomi include comparable options — often called Adaptive Charging, Optimized Charging or Battery Care — that dynamically slow power delivery or limit charge based on your habits. These systems make it safe to leave your phone plugged in for extended periods without fear of overcharging.
When constant charging can hurt
Even with these safeguards, some conditions can accelerate battery wear. As mentioned before, the most common culprit is high temperature. Even for a short period of time, leaving your phone charging in direct sunlight, in a car or under a pillow can push temperatures into unsafe zones.
Heavy use while charging, like gaming or 4K video editing, can also cause temperature spikes that degrade the battery faster. And cheap, uncertified cables or adapters may deliver unstable current that stresses cells. If your battery is already several years old, it’s naturally more sensitive to this kind of strain.
How to charge smarter
You don’t need to overhaul your habits but a few tweaks can help your battery age gracefully.
Start by turning on your phone’s built-in optimization tools: Optimized Battery Charging on iPhones, Battery Protect on Samsung devices and Adaptive Charging on Google Pixels. These systems learn your routine and adjust charging speed so your phone isn’t sitting at 100% all night.
Keep your phone cool while charging. According to Apple, phone batteries perform best between 62 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 22 degrees Celsius). If your phone feels hot, remove its case or move it to a better-ventilated or shaded spot. Avoid tossing it under a pillow or too close to other electronics, like your laptop, and skip wireless chargers that trap heat overnight.
Use quality chargers and cables from your phone’s manufacturer or trusted brands. Those cheap «fast-charge» kits you find online often deliver inconsistent current, which can cause long-term issues.
Finally, don’t obsess over topping off. It’s perfectly fine to plug in your phone during the day for short bursts. Lithium-ion batteries actually prefer frequent, shallow charges rather than deep, full cycles. You don’t need to keep it between 20% and 80% all the time, but just avoid extremes when possible.
The bottom line
Keeping your phone plugged in overnight or on your desk all day won’t destroy its battery. That’s a leftover myth from a different era of tech. Modern phones are smart enough to protect themselves, and features like Optimized Battery Charging or Battery Protect do most of the heavy lifting for you.
Still, no battery lasts forever. The best way to slow the inevitable is to manage heat, use quality chargers and let your phone’s software do its job. Think of it less as «babying» your battery and more as charging with intention. A few mindful habits today can keep your phone running strong for years.
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