open-ear earbuds

At $79.99, Baseus’s new Bowie MC2 enters a crowded field of clip-on open-ear earbuds looking to challenge better-known names. Are they worth a try? My Baseus Bowie MC2 Open-Ear Earbuds review finds they might fit the bill for for users who hate having anything in their ears and for those who want an unobtrusive workout buddy. But they have some shortcomings to work out. Here’s what you actually need to know before buying.

First announced at CES 2026 in January and released Monday, EarFun Clip 2 open-ear earbuds arrive with an unusually ambitious spec sheet for $79.99 (or less with launch discount). EarFun says Clip 2 is the world’s first Hi-Res comfort ear-clip earbuds with built-in AI translation priced under $80 — a claim that would sound like marketing bluster if the hardware didn’t largely back it up. After spending time with them, here’s my EarFun Clip 2 earbuds review with an honest verdict.

New EarFun Clip 2 open-ear wireless earbuds pack an unusual combination of features for their price point — real-time AI translation, hi-res audio certification, Bluetooth 6.0 — the company said Monday. And you get it all for $79.99 (or $59.99 at launch). 

Mymanu Orb open-ear translating earbuds deliver real-time, AI-powered translation in more than 50 languages. They work for translating face-to-face conversations (movies and music, too), transcribing things like meetings and classes, and interpreting conversations going on around you.

And right now, you can grab a pair for just $139.99 — a $40 discount off the regular price.

The innovative new Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro earbuds mark a significant advancement in open-ear audio technology, the company said at CES 2026 Tuesday. The earbuds bridge the gap between situational awareness and immersive listening by offering both open-ear comfort and active noise cancellation in a single device — a first in the industry.

You can physically adjust the buds to be in the ear canal or just outside it. The buds sense the settings and adjust output accordingly.

EarFun Clip earbuds entered an increasingly crowded open-ear clip-on audio market Monday, promising premium features at a midrange $70 price point at launch (normally $89.99). In my EarFun Clip Open-Ear Wireless Earbuds review, I find they don’t fit me very well (I guess my big head means big ears, too). But they may suit many buyers, and the lightweight earbuds challenge the notion that you need to spend well over $100 for quality open-ear audio.

While brands like Sony and Soundcore are better known, EarFun has quietly developed open-ear wireless earbuds that deserve attention, particularly for active users who need awareness of their surroundings. For those they fit, EarFun Clip offers great sound at a great price.

JBL’s Soundgear Sense open-ear headphones are a solid match for anyone who’s juggling music, calls and workouts throughout the day. Unlike traditional in-ear buds, they sit comfortably outside the ear, meaning no more pressure points or ear fatigue after long listening sessions.

Whether you’re jumping on a call from your MacBook or tuning into a podcast on your iPhone during a morning jog, they stay in place, and the audio sounds crisp. And right now, you can grab a refurbished pair of these open-ear headphones for just $74.99 (regularly $149.95).

Treblab’s X-Open wireless earbuds prove you don’t need to pay a high price for premium wireless audio. These open earbuds deliver all-day comfort, crystal-clear sound and a surprisingly impressive feature set for just $39.99 (regularly $99.97) with free shipping.

In what could be a breakthrough for wearables and other electronics, xMEMS Labs unveiled Sycamore on Tuesday. It’s the world’s first full-range near-field MEMS micro speaker. Measuring just over one millimeter thick, the innovation promises to make some noise with compact gear you don’t put in your ears. Those would be items like open-fit earbuds, such as AirPods and sport earphones, smartwatches like Apple Watch, AR glasses and headsets like Vision Pro, and other consumer electronics.

Like other xMEMS micro speakers that bring solid-state sound to earbuds and headphones, the new technology uses a novel “sound from ultrasound” platform. It generates full-frequency audio from ultrasonic waves within a chip-sized form factor.

“With Sycamore, mobile electronics can now achieve thinner, more stylish form factors while maintaining big, rich sound,” said Mike Housholder, xMEMS VP of marketing and business development. “With better performance at both the low and high ends, Sycamore delivers powerful, full-range audio for smartwatches, smart glasses, and any other small, mobile form factor that engineers dream up.”

Some people just hate having anything in their ears, like earplugs or earbuds that insert in the ear canal. Others love having music during workouts, but despise sweating all over their earbuds or headphones. For them, Soundcore rolled out the bold-sounding AeroFit and AeroFit Pro open-ear, true-wireless earbuds Wednesday.

The new buds are good at what they do, but they’re not for everyone. I tried out both sets.