soundcore AeroClip: Their Best Open-Ear Earbuds Yet!

Open-ear earbuds are becoming increasingly more popular as they offer a unique blend of comfort, awareness, and sound quality. So soundcore are back with their third iteration of clip-on style earbuds: the soundcore AeroClip. These promise improved comfort, better touch controls, and enhanced sound performance. Whether they do though remains to be seen.

A refined design

One of the standout features of the soundcore AeroClip is it’s comfort. Gone is the rigid design of their previous clip-on earbuds, and instead we have a flexible and lightweight design with the AeroClips. This makes attaching them to your ears effortless: just loop them around, and they stay securely in place. The flexible ear loop also ensures a snug fit without applying too much pressure. This makes them especially comfortable for extended use.

Additionally, soundcore includes two extra ear grips (medium and large), so you can fine-tune them for a tighter fit. This is a welcome addition for those with smaller ears who may struggle with standard clip-on designs. Having said that, I didn’t find the need to use these as I found them comfortable enough out-of-the-box.

The charging case is a solid and compact design, with a USB-C charging port at the back. The earbuds magnetically snap into place smoothly in the case, ensuring they stay securely in place when not in use. Overall, the soundcore AeroClip earbuds feel more premium than their previous clip-on earbuds and are the more comfortable for it too.

Easy-to-use controls

The soundcore AeroClip has addressed two of my biggest issues with controlling clip-on earbuds. Overly complex touch controls, and accidental touches causing my music to stop or skip tracks.

They’ve done this by limiting the touch controls on the AeroClip’s to only a double or triple tap. This stops any accidental touches of the earbuds triggering actions. It also makes commands easy to remember, and the AeroClips simple to operate. You can even customise these actions in the Soundcore mobile app to suit your preferences.

Another smart design choice is the ability to tap anywhere on the loop that goes around your ear to trigger commands, rather than trying to pinpoint a specific spot on the front or rear of the earbuds. This makes controlling your music feel much more intuitive and easy to use.

For those who prefer a button-free experience, Soundcore allows you to disable touch controls entirely in the mobile app—a great option for those who frequently adjust their earbuds.

Workout-ready and ready for work

The soundcore AeroClip is IPX4 water-resistant so they can easily handle sweat and light splashes. This makes them a solid choice for workouts, jogging, or even getting caught in the rain. Just don’t wear them in you’re going for a swim!

These also come equipped with Bluetooth 5.4, giving the AeroClip’s a stable connection with minimal latency. The inclusion of multipoint connectivity also allows you to pair them with two devices simultaneously, making it easy to switch between your phone and laptop without hassle. This is a must-have feature for those who juggle multiple devices throughout the day.

image: soundcore

Another handy feature is the Auto Power Off function, which lets you set a timer in the mobile app to conserve battery when the earbuds are idle if you forget to put them in the case. This is a small but thoughtful addition that ensures you’re not wasting power when they’re not in use.

Impressive battery life

Not that power is really an issue with these earbuds as battery performance is one of the AeroClip’s strong suits. On a single charge, you’ll get up to 8 hours of playback, and when factoring in the charging case, that extends to 32 hours—more than enough for a full day of use. Even better, the fast charging feature provides three hours of playback from just a 10-minute charge, making them a great option for those who need a quick boost before heading out.

AI-powered mics for clear calls

The soundcore AeroClip features four built-in microphones, enhanced with AI noise reduction which soundcore claims can effectively filter out wind noise and background chatter, ensuring clearer voice pickup.

In real-world tests, the call quality holds up surprisingly well, even in windy conditions. My voice remained clear to the person on the other end, and any background noise was kept to a minimum. It did struggle when the noise or wind levels got high, but they faired far better than other earbuds I have tried, whether they were open-ear earbuds or not.

A leap in sound quality

The biggest challenge for open-ear earbuds is achieving rich, immersive sound without a traditional seal. Fortunately, soundcore has made significant strides in this area with the AeroClip’s delivering an impressive bass response that doesn’t overpower the mids and treble.

The default sound signature on the soundcore AeroClip definitely leans towards a V-shaped profile, meaning boosted bass and treble, with slightly recessed mids. At higher volumes, this works well as the bass remains punchy without distorting, and the treble stays crisp. Something that other open-ear earbuds often fail to do.

If you prefer a different sound balance, you can jump into the soundcore mobile app where you can choose from one of six different preset EQ’s, or use the custom 8-band equalizer to tweak the sound to your liking.

For the most part I found the default soundcore signature EQ setting performed well for most genres of music at high volumes. I did find myself lowering the bass and boosting the treble when listening at lower volumes though for a more balanced sound.

So whilst I thought these sounded great, it is important to set expectations. These are open-ear earbuds, meaning they won’t provide the same level of depth or isolation as traditional in-ear models. Instead, they are designed for situational awareness, allowing you to hear your surroundings while enjoying your music. For this category, the AeroClip delivers one of the best audio experiences available.

Verdict

Soundcore has clearly refined its open-ear lineup with the AeroClip. These earbuds offer fantastic comfort, improved touch controls, solid battery life, and surprisingly good sound quality for an open-ear design.

The soundcore AeroClip’s are available in three colors: Black, Rosy Brown, and Champagne Mist, and retail for $130 -which makes them substantially cheaper than main-stream alternatives such as the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds.

So if you’re looking for the best-sounding, best value, clip-on earbuds yet—you don’t need to look much further than the soundcore AeroClips.