RW verdict: If you’re not fully sold on open-ear headphones, let the Soundcore AeroClip convince you. Swapping traditional ear hooks for a cuff-style, clip-on design, they’re a super lightweight, non-obtrusive audio option, whether you’re working up a sweat or sitting at your laptop. While the touch controls are far from perfect, at £129.99, these are a significantly cheaper option than the Bose Ultra Open, with a competitive battery life and impressive sound quality to boot.
Pros
- Comfortable, non-obtrusive fit
- Very lightweight
- Excellent sound quality
- Minimal sound leakage compared with most open-ear buds
- Excellent value
Cons
- Touch controls are tricky
- You want active noise cancellation
| Type | Open-ear, clip-on |
|---|---|
| Battery life | 8 hours (24 hours with charging case) |
| Noise cancelling | No |
| Weight | 4g (each bud), 32g case |
| Accessories included | Charging case, USB-C charging cable, 2x attachable ear grips |
When it comes to running headphones, people tend to fall into one of two camps: those who want to stay aware of their surroundings, and those who want to drown out the world around them with total noise cancellation. Despite having tested a number of the best open-ear headphones, I fall into the latter and will always reach for a pair of my favourite in-ear buds when I need music or a podcast for motivation. Don’t get me wrong, from a safety perspective I can understand the benefit of an open-ear bud, but I always find their over-ear designs a little too cumbersome for my larger ears, while sound leakage continues to be a pitfall.
That is until the Soundcore AeroClip landed on my desk just over a month ago. I thought that these would be buds I tested out for a couple of weeks before reverting to my beloved Jabra Elite 8 Active’s (RIP) or the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 (yes, I know I said I don’t like ear hooks, but these are an exception, okay?), but I might just have found my new favourite headphones. That’s because the AeroClip are a cuff-style pair of headphones that clip onto your ear, rather than hooking over them.
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So far, there’s not been a huge amount of competition in this space, bar the brilliant Bose Ultra Open (for a cool £299.95) and the Huawei FreeClip (£179.99). Even Shokz is yet to officially announce a cuff-style earbud, although we have spotted these OpenDot Ones on the brand’s Japanese website which suggests that they might soon be launching in the UK.
Still, for now, the market for on-ear buds remains relatively sparse. So, let’s talk about the Soundcore AeroClip and unpack why these relatively affordable newcomers have me converted to the open-ear life.
Set-up and design
The AeroClip come in three colours: midnight (black), champagne mist (champagne/white) and rosy brown (brown and rose gold). I got the champagne/white. The buds arrive in their charging case, with an accompanying USB-C charging cable in the box.
Pairing them to your phone for the first time is simple: take each earbud out of the charging case, remove the insulating film, then pop them back in. They will then automatically enter pairing mode and appear in your Bluetooth settings.
The earbuds also have Multipoint Connection, so you can connect them to a second device such as your laptop if you need to jump into a meeting. Honestly, dual-connectivity is a non-negotiable for me nowadays, so kudos to Soundcore for this one. To enable Multipoint Connection, return the earbuds to their case and press the case button for three seconds.
As I’ve mentioned, the AeroClip are open-ear style buds, which means that they leave your ear canal exposed in order for you to stay aware of your surroundings. This is a huge benefit if you’re running along busy roads or, indeed, quieter trails, and want to stay alert to potential dangers. However, unlike most open-ear and bone conduction headphones that hook around the tops of your ears, the AeroClip have a clip-on, ‘open ring’ design. This is essentially two chambers connected by a 0.5mm memory titanium wire with a soft TPU coating. It’s designed to be worn on the thinnest point of your ear’s outer edge, with the acoustic chamber nestling comfortably in the concha (the hollow part of your ear, close to the opening).
If the ring fit feels a bit loose, you can choose from one of the two attachable ear grips provided in the box. This goes round the largest chamber to essentially shorten the space between the two chambers. As someone with slightly larger ears, I’ve found that adding the medium attachment grip makes the difference between a secure and a really secure fit.
I really do love the feel of these earbuds – it’s so freeing not having to hook something around the tops of my ears and, despite being dubious that the earbuds would slip off when I headed out on my first run, they really don’t budge. In fact, at just 4g per bud, you hardly notice that they’re there. The charging case also slips easily into a hydration vest if you’re taking these on a run and meeting a friend for coffee after, and it weighs in lighter than the Bose Ultra Open (32g versus 57g). The buds are also lighter than their premium competitor (4g versus 7g).
The Soundcore AeroClip have an IPX4 rating, which means that they’re protected from spills, splashes and light rain – but they aren’t quite a match for torrential downpours.
Controls
Here’s where the AeroClip lose marks from me. Soundcore says that you can ‘effortlessly manage music and calls, and activate voice assistant with a few taps’ anywhere on the outer edge of the ring. In reality, the touch controls are far from user friendly. You really have to touch quite intentionally to get them to register and, from my experience, it’s in a specific spot. Sitting stationary at my desk was hard enough, let alone toward the end of a 28km long run when I was starting to fatigue. I’ve had to resort to getting my phone out to skip or pause a track mid-run, which isn’t ideal. If Soundcore decides to make a second iteration of these buds, the controls need some work.
Sound quality
On the more positive side, I’ve been super impressed by the buds’ audio quality. It’s up there with the likes of the Shokz OpenFit – maybe even taking the edge. Sound is natural across all frequencies and the brand’s virtual bass technology helps to create some punchy lows and vibrant highs.
Onto that aforementioned sound leakage: this is the primary reason I opt for in-ear buds over open-ear styles. When I raced the New York City Marathon in 2023, I wore the Suunto Wing. Granted, the NYC crowds were next level, but I could hardly hear my music over the roar of the supporters. Sound leakage definitely proves to be less of a problem with the AeroClip. Don’t get me wrong, there is some compared with true wireless buds, but it’s significantly less than other open-audio options in noisy environments. Plus, when I’m wearing these on public transport, I don’t have that intense fear that other passengers can hear my playlists.
The buds also have four microphones that contain an advanced AI algorithm to ensure that your voice is three times clearer in calls, according to Soundcore. In practice, I’ve been really impressed by the call quality. Even in noisy environments, such as walking besides a main road with rushing traffic, people are still able to hear me clearly with no complaints.
Naturally, since these aren’t in-ear buds, there’s no active noise cancellation. However, if you download the Soundcore app (available on iOS and Android), you can choose from six pre-set sound effects (or EQs): Soundcore Signature (default), Bass Booster, Volume Booster (great for tempo runs), Classical, Podcast and Treble Booster. There’s also a Custom EQ option where you can create your own.
Battery life
On a single charge, you actually get slightly more battery life from the AeroClip than the Bose Ultra Open (8 hours versus 7.5 hours), but with the charging case, it’s 24 hours (versus Bose’s 27 hours). Still, though, that’s very competitive by earbud standards and is more than enough to last you for an entire day of running.
RW verdict
It’s safe to say that I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the Soundcore AeroClips. I really didn’t expect to love a pair of open earbuds so much, but my usual gripes around fit and sound leakage have finally been resolved here. Sure, the on-bud controls need some work, but for £129.99, these earbuds pack exceptional value, bringing decent battery life, impressive sound quality (albeit minus active noise cancellation) and secure, bounce-free comfort for runners. If you’ve previously been put off open-ear designs, I’d encourage you to give these a go.
