EarFun Clip 2 Review: An Affordable Open-Ear Alternative to AirPods

What are open-ear wireless earbuds?

AirPods Pro and other noise-cancelling earbuds have silicone ear-tips that wedge into your ear canals, which is a feeling not everyone enjoys. And because those tips effectively function as earplugs, even if you disable active noise-cancelling (ANC), passive cancelling remains.

That’s not always desirable — or safe. If you’re running or biking, for example, it’s important to be able to hear your surroundings, like the sounds of oncoming cars or a verbal warning from a biker about to pass you. And let’s not forget the low groaning of a zombie attack.

Hence the growing popularity of the open-ear design, which affords more transparency to the outside world while still delivering high-quality audio. Of course, because there’s no noise-canceling here at all, these aren’t the earbuds to bring on a flight or to try to drown out office noise when you’re working. (Hot take: Sometimes you need different earbuds for different occasions!)

What it’s like to use the EarFun Clip 2

True to its name, the Clip 2 is a cuff-style earbud that sort of “clips” on. There’s a little orb that goes in your ear (but not really in it) and a slightly larger pod that sits behind it; a rounded plastic arm connects the two. If you’re new to this kind of earbud, it takes a little practice to get the right fit — but once you do, they’re barely noticeable and comfortable enough to wear all day. I’ve never been able to make the same claim about regular earbuds.

The byproduct of this design, however, is that it looks like you’re wearing little black hoop earrings. Whether or not that’ll bug you, I can’t say. When I catch my own reflection, I do feel a little dorky. Of course, we all felt that way when we first starting wearing AirPods, right?

I don’t especially love touch-controls on earbuds, so I was glad to find a small mechanical button protruding from the top of each one. It’s easy to find by touch, though the arms of my eyeglasses did get in the way just a bit. And the default control scheme is pretty logical: press the right button to increase volume, the left to decrease. Double-press either one to pause or resume playback. Triple-press the right one to skip to the next track, and so on. Don’t like this arrangement? You can easily change it in the EarFun app.

That’s also where you can set up multipoint pairing, which lets you keep the earbuds paired to a second device — your laptop or tablet, for example — and easily switch between them. And with their IP55 rating, the Clip 2s are effectively waterproof, able to withstand sweat, splashes, and so on.

The only feature I really miss is wear-detection, which automatically pauses audio if you remove an earbud and resumes it when you replace it. It’s not essential, but I do really like it in other earbuds. These being the second-generation product in the Clip line, I’m wondering why EarFun didn’t add the feature.

EarFun promises up to 11 hours of listening before the earbuds need to return to their charging case. That’s very solid battery life, above average in this product class. And the case can give you up to three full recharges.

How do the EarFun Clip 2 earbuds sound?

Good. Really, really good. Early-generation open-ears leaned more toward AM radio, but here you’re getting warm, full-bodied sound that’s very pleasant for everyday listening. And there’s plenty of volume, too, which is helpful if you’re in a noisy environment and need to compensate. (That said, try to avoid this; long-term exposure to loud noise can permanently damage your hearing.)

If there’s a downside to an open-ear design, it’s a reduction of bass: Because you’re not getting the same inner-ear seal afforded by silicone-tip earbuds, you can’t get the same deep thump. Even with the Bass Boost equalizer setting enabled in the EarFun app (which has lots of other presets as well as a custom option), there’s just not a ton of presence on the low end. Is it good enough? I think so, but if you’re serious about your bass, you might find the Clip 2 a little wanting.

I’ll also note that when I watched TikTok videos, the audio was way out of sync. That’s not uncommon with earbuds, and there were no sync problems with the likes of Netflix and YouTube. Thankfully there’s a fix: toggle on Game Mode in the EarFun app. This completely solves the problem, though I wish EarFun would make it clearer this isn’t just for reducing audio latency in games.

Should you buy the EarFun Clip 2?

With a list price of $80 but frequent discounts dropping it to $60, the EarFun Clip 2 definitely belongs on your short-list. As open-ear wireless earbuds go, they’re among the most comfortable and best-sounding I’ve tested, with a battery that can last you literally an entire workday. If you don’t like the intrusiveness of other earbuds, these are a great alternative.

EarFun Clip 2

PROS:

• Light and comfortable to wear
• Warm, well-balanced sound
• Battery good for up to 11 hours
• Simple button-based controls
• Affordable, and frequently discounted

CONS:

• Earring-style design may be a turnoff to some
• Doesn’t support wear-detection
• Some videos require the use of Game Mode for proper audio sync

💡 VERDICT: Offering full transparency to the outside world and great sound to boot, these are a splendid option for anyone who doesn’t like sticking earbuds way inside their ear canals.