Disclosure: I’d like to thank EarFun for providing me with the Clip 2 for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and EarFun had no say or input on the contents of this review.

Open-ear earbuds have become a much more interesting category over the last couple of years. While traditional in-ear earbuds still offer the best isolation, ANC, and bass response, open-ear designs have a very different purpose. They are meant for users who want to hear their music, podcasts, or calls while still being fully aware of their surroundings.

That makes them useful for walking, commuting, running, working at a desk, or even just for those who do not like the feeling of silicone ear tips sitting inside their ears.

The EarFun Clip 2 follows up on the original EarFun Clip, but brings a number of upgrades, including a new 12mm dual-magnetic titanium composite driver, IP55 water resistance, AI translation features, additional microphones for better call quality, and up to 40 hours of total battery life. The earbuds themselves are also rated for up to 11 hours of playback per charge (not using the LDAC codec), which is excellent for this style of product.

My goal in this review is to help you decide if the EarFun Clip 2 fits your needs, particularly if you’re curious about open-ear audio but hesitant to spend big on this type of design. So, let’s get into it.

• EarFun Clip 2
• USB-A to USB-C cable
• Charging Case
• Manual

Inside the box, you get the EarFun Clip 2 earbuds, the charging case, a USB-C charging cable, and the usual documentation.

There is not a lot to talk about here, but that is expected for this type of product. Since these are open-ear clip-style earbuds, there are no silicone ear tips or fit accessories to deal with. In some ways, that makes the experience much simpler. You take them out of the case, clip them onto your ears, and you are ready to go.

The EarFun Clip 2 uses a clip-on design, where one section sits behind the ear, and the driver section rests just outside the ear canal. A flexible band connects the two sections and helps keep the earbud in place.

I liked the design of the original EarFun Clip, and the Clip 2 continues to make a strong case for this form factor. Compared to ear-hook-style open earbuds, the clip-on design is more compact, less intrusive, and easier to wear with glasses. It also avoids the feeling of having a hook wrapped around the top of your ear, which can become uncomfortable over longer listening sessions.

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Each earbud weighs only 5.5g, and that low weight makes a big difference. Once positioned properly, the Clip 2 is easy to forget about. There is no pressure inside the ear canal, no ear tip seal to maintain, and no feeling of isolation. For casual use, walking, chores, or working at a desk, they are extremely comfortable.

Fit will still depend on your ear shape. That is true of all open-ear earbuds, but especially clip-style models. For me, the Clip 2 fit securely enough for day-to-day use and light activity. I would still choose a more traditional sport earbud or ear-hook design for very intense workouts, but for most people, the Clip 2 should be secure enough.

The build quality is decent, though not especially premium. The earbuds are lightweight and practical, but they do not feel as expensive as higher-end open-ear models from Bose or Shokz. That said, at this price, I do not think that is a major issue, and the result feels well-engineered for such an affordable product.

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The IP55 rating handles sweat, rain, and splashes effectively. You shouldn’t submerge them, but they’re designed for workout conditions and light rain exposure. The rating provides good reassurance for outdoor training, though I’d still avoid deliberate water exposure.

EarFun chose physical buttons over touch-sensitive panels, which makes perfect sense for exercise use. Touch controls and sweaty fingers create a frustrating combination, and accidentally triggering playback while adjusting earbuds mid-workout interrupts your flow. The physical button sits on the back of each earbud, where it’s easy to locate by feel during movement. You can customize single, double, triple, and long-press actions through the app.

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The charging case is also functional, though a little plain. It is pocketable enough and supports both USB-C and wireless charging, which is a great feature at this price. Maybe it could be a bit smaller, but I would say it’s almost perfect in terms of its size, quality, and practicality.

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The EarFun Clip 2 is very easy to use. Pairing was quick, and the earbuds connected reliably to my devices. Google Fast Pair is supported for Android users, and multipoint connectivity makes it easy to move between two devices.

For example, I could keep them connected to my phone and laptop at the same time, which is useful for switching between music, videos, and calls. This is one of those features that still feels surprisingly generous on affordable earbuds, and I’m glad EarFun continues to include it.

The touch controls are customizable through the EarFun Audio app, and the app itself remains one of EarFun’s strengths. It is clean, easy to understand, and gives you access to the main features without feeling overly complicated.

Since these are open-ear earbuds, there is no ANC or transparency mode. That is not a weakness of the Clip 2 specifically, it’s just the nature of the product. The whole point is that you are always in a “transparency” state because your ear canal is not blocked.

For outdoor use, that is a major benefit. I could listen to music while still hearing traffic, people around me, and general environmental sounds. For commuting or walking around the city, that sense of awareness is exactly why this category exists.

The tradeoff is that you get very little isolation. If you are on a loud subway, bus, plane, or beside heavy traffic, you will need to raise the volume, and even then, the music can be overpowered by your surroundings.

The EarFun Audio app continues to be one of the better companion apps in the budget earbud space. It gives you access to EQ settings, control customization, firmware updates, game mode, audio modes, and additional features like AI translation. The 10-band EQ is especially useful here. Open-ear earbuds often need some tuning help because fit, ear shape, and positioning can noticeably affect the sound. With the Clip 2, I found the EQ helpful for adding a little more body and warmth to the sound.

There are presets available, but I preferred making manual adjustments. Boosting the lower frequencies slightly can help compensate for the natural bass limitations of the open-ear design, while reducing the upper treble a bit can make louder listening more comfortable. Back on the main screen, you’ll notice there’s also a link to a cleaning guide, which is a nice touch by EarFun to help you keep the Clip 2 in optimal condition.

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EarFun includes a few extra audio features with the Clip 2, including Spatial Stage, Theater Mode, and a low-latency mode.

Spatial Stage adds a wider, more spacious effect to the sound. I would not use it for critical music listening, but for movies, YouTube, casual video content, or games, it can make the presentation feel a little more open and immersive.

Theater Mode is similar in that it is more useful for video content than music. It gives the sound a larger presentation, though it can also make the tuning feel less natural.

Low-latency mode is useful for gaming and video watching, especially if you notice any delay between audio and video. I used this when watching videos, and it performed exceptionally well, even with LDAC enabled.

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The Clip 2 also includes AI translation through the EarFun app, with support for over 100 languages. This is not something I would consider an essential earbud feature, but it is interesting to see it included at this price. For travel or casual conversations, it could be useful, and it gives the Clip 2 another feature that helps separate it from basic budget earbuds. My wife speaks several languages, so I was able to test both the “Face-to-face” option, as well as the Real-Time translation (this option is free for a limited time only). I see this as something that is useful when travelling to another country where you don’t speak the native language. Again, it could be useful for the right person, but not an essential feature.

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Bluetooth performance was solid during my testing. The EarFun Clip 2 uses Bluetooth 6.0 and supports LDAC, which is still not something I expect to see on every affordable pair of wireless earbuds. With my Android devices (Samsung Galaxy Fold 7 and Google Pixel 6), LDAC worked well and provided the best possible wireless audio quality from the Clip 2. With my iPhone, the earbuds defaulted to AAC, which is expected.

Connection stability was good overall. I did not have any dropouts during normal listening, walking, or desk use. Multipoint also worked as expected, allowing me to switch between devices without needing to manually disconnect and reconnect each time.

LDAC support is nice to have, though expectations should be realistic. These are still open-ear earbuds, and the design itself limits how much resolution, bass impact, and fine detail you can get. LDAC does not magically turn them into audiophile earbuds, but it is still a welcome addition and another example of EarFun offering more features than expected for the price.

Battery life is one of the strongest parts of the EarFun Clip 2. EarFun rates them for up to 11 hours of playback on a single charge and up to 40 hours total with the charging case. That is excellent for open-ear earbuds, and it makes the Clip 2 very easy to live with. In regular use, I never felt like I had to constantly think about charging them. They can easily get through a full workday of intermittent listening, and the case provides enough additional battery life that most users will only need to charge it on a weekly basis.

Enable LDAC, though, and those numbers drop to 6 hours per charge with 22 hours total, a significant reduction but still competitive for Hi-Res Audio streaming.

The charging case supports both wireless charging and USB-C, with full recharging taking about an hour. The 10-minute quick charge feature delivers 2.5 hours of playback. For context, the Bose Ultra Open manages 7.5 hours with 27 total, while the Shokz OpenDots One offers a similar 10-hour per charge performance with 40 total. The Clip 2 matches the best battery performers in the category for a much lower price.

The EarFun Clip 2 uses a 12mm dual-magnetic titanium composite driver, and for an open-ear earbud at this price, the sound quality is quite good. As always with open-ear earbuds, expectations matter. These are not going to sound like a good pair of sealed in-ear earbuds, and they are not meant for critical listening. The lack of a seal means bass impact, isolation, and low-level detail are naturally limited.

That said, the Clip 2 sounds better than I expected and is an overall improvement over the original Clip.

The bass has decent punch for an open-ear design. It does not have the physical slam or sub-bass rumble of traditional in-ear earbuds, but there is enough mid-bass presence to keep music from sounding thin. The “BassSurge” technology (enabled via the Bass Boost EQ preset)  helps add a bit more weight, and I think many users will want to keep it enabled.

The midrange is the strongest part of the tuning. Vocals are clear, present, and easy to follow, which makes the Clip 2 a great option for podcasts, audiobooks, YouTube, and vocal-focused music. Male and female vocals both come through with good clarity, and the open design gives the presentation a naturally airy feel.

The treble is reasonably detailed, though it can become a little sharp at higher volumes. This is not unusual for open-ear earbuds, as you often need to raise the volume in noisy environments, and that can push the upper frequencies forward (enabling the Bass Boost preset does help clean this up a bit, though). At moderate volume levels, I found the treble to be clean enough and not overly fatiguing.

Technical performance is decent, but not exceptional. Detail retrieval, imaging, and dynamics are all limited compared to traditional IEMs or higher-end wireless earbuds. However, that is not really the point of the Clip 2. These are designed for convenient, aware, casual listening, and in that context, they perform well.

I think the Clip 2 works best with pop, acoustic, jazz, podcasts, and lighter rock. Heavier genres or tracks with dense layering can sound a little congested, especially at higher volumes as the midrange elements get pushed back slightly.

Sound leakage is not as prominent as you would expect. Yes, sound does leak out when listening at higher volumes, but it’s subtle and will get easily drowned out by ambient noise if you’re in anything but a quiet room.

Overall, the sound quality is enjoyable, practical, and better than I would expect for the price and form factor.

The EarFun Clip 2 uses four microphones with AI environmental noise cancellation for calls. In quieter environments, the microphone quality is solid. Voices come through clearly enough for phone calls, video meetings, and casual voice chats.

In moderately noisy environments, the noise reduction helps, though it can make the voice sound a little processed. That is fairly typical for earbuds in this price range.

In very loud environments, such as busy streets or areas with lots of background noise, the microphone system starts to struggle. The person on the other end can still usually understand you, but your voice loses some clarity and can get partially masked by the noise around you.

For everyday calls, the Clip 2 is perfectly usable. For important work calls in loud environments, I would still use something with stronger microphone processing or a dedicated headset.

The EarFun Clip 2 is a strong follow-up to the original EarFun Clip. It keeps the same general appeal (a lightweight, comfortable, open-ear design that lets you stay aware of your surroundings) but improves the overall package with better battery life, wireless charging, a better driver, and more app-based features.

These are not earbuds for critical listening, and they are not trying to replace a good pair of ANC earbuds. The open-ear design naturally limits bass impact, isolation, and overall detail. But for walking, working, commuting, exercising, or casual background listening, the Clip 2 makes a lot of sense.

I also think EarFun has priced these very well. At $79.99 USD, they undercut many of the bigger names in the clip-style open-ear category while still offering a very complete feature set.

The build could feel a little more premium, the treble can get slightly sharp at higher volumes, and the microphone quality is only average in louder environments. But those are reasonable trade-offs considering the price.

If you are curious about open-ear earbuds and want to try a clip-style design without spending Bose or Shokz money, the EarFun Clip 2 is an easy recommendation.

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