The greatest open-ear headphones 2026?

Huawei FreeClip 2: 5.1 gram open-ear headphones with Adaptive Audio, IP57 and 9 hours of battery life within the take a look at. With the primary version of the FreeClip, Huawei revolutionized the sphere of open-ear headphones on the finish of 2023. In our take a look at, the earphones impressed with their glorious carrying consolation, elegant design and wealthy sound, which continues to be superior to most rivals at the moment. With over three million items bought, the FreeClip earphones have grow to be an actual bestseller. Now, with the Huawei FreeClip 2, we lastly have a successor that goals to impress with much more consolation, longer battery life and highly effective sound. Our take a look at reveals extra.

Technical knowledge

Huawei FreeClip 2 Review: New design for much more consolation

• solely 5.1 grams per earbud
• elegant clip-on design
• glorious workmanship

With their modern clip-on design, the FreeClip triggered a real revolution round two years in the past, which was subsequently tailored by many different producers comparable to QCY with the Crossky C50 (our take a look at). The new Huawei FreeClip 2 builds on the design trio of the primary mannequin and improves it considerably.

The new open-ear headphones as soon as once more include a mix of Comfort Bean and Acoustic Ball, that are answerable for the sound and are modeled on the human ear to make sure the very best carrying consolation. However, each elements have been noticeably improved within the re-creation, are a lot lighter and make higher use of the house within the ear to supply an excellent fuller sound.

What designs can be found for open-ear headphones? Open-ear headphones are an modern various to standard in-ear or over-ear fashions. Two of the most typical designs are the scarf design and clip-on. With the scarf design, a sturdy headband runs behind the ear or across the head. Clip-on fashions connect on to the earlobe or ear rim and are mounted there.

Both elements are linked through the newly designed “Airy C-bridge”, which is manufactured from notably skin-friendly liquid silicone. One of the Huawei FreeClip 2 earphones weighs simply 5.1 grams, making the brand new mannequin one of many lightest open-ear headphones in the marketplace. This naturally has a optimistic impact on carrying consolation, which leaves nothing to be desired. The FreeClip 2 sit extremely comfortably on the ear even after a number of hours of use. You hardly discover that you’re carrying the earbuds.

The match is agency sufficient to stop the FreeClip 2 from slipping or falling out of the ear, even when shifting shortly. The new open-ear headphones are an absolute visible deal with, particularly within the new blue shade scheme, but additionally in rose gold, black or white, and are impeccably completed.

Features of the Huawei FreeClip 2

• Bluetooth 5.3 with Multipoint
• Spatial audio; head monitoring; 10.8 mm driver
• IP57 certification

When it involves options, the Huawei FreeClip 2 goes all out. Bluetooth 5.3 together with Multipoint for connecting two gadgets concurrently can be included. If desired, playback can be potential within the high-resolution L2HC codec, which has a optimistic impact on the sound high quality.

Spatial audio encompass sound together with head monitoring can be included, as is a brand new “Adaptive Audio” characteristic that mechanically adjusts the playback quantity to the ambient noise. So if it is extremely loud round you, the FreeClip 2 will flip up the quantity and scale back the quantity in quiet environments.

Responsible for the acoustics are revised dual-diaphragm drivers with a diameter of 10.8 mm, which, in accordance with the producer, needs to be 100% louder than the corresponding counterpart within the first version and produce even fuller, richer bass.

The new mannequin has notably improved by way of water resistance. IP57 certification guarantees dependable safety in opposition to water splashes and sweat and means that you can merely wipe the open-ears with a humid fabric with out damaging them. The sensible Smart War Detection expertise can be included, because of which it doesn’t matter which earphones you place wherein ear. The FreeClip 2 mechanically acknowledge their place and modify the sound accordingly.

Huawei FreeClip 2 with dependable gesture management

• Reliable gesture management
• new swipe gesture for quantity

The contact and gesture management of the Huawei FreeClip 2 is carried out through the Comfort Bean and works extraordinarily reliably. Fortunately, now you can use double or triple faucet gestures in all places – whether or not on the bean, the C-bridge or the Acoutic Ball.

An thrilling new characteristic is the swipe gesture, which can be utilized to regulate the playback quantity or skip to the subsequent or earlier track. This is an actual benefit over the primary version, the place it was not potential to regulate the quantity instantly on the machine.

In addition, the FreeClip 2 now options head gesture management. Nodding means that you can settle for calls or reply to bulletins, whereas shaking your head rejects calls. Everything works splendidly shortly and reliably.

Huawei FreeClip 2 battery life: An actual endurance runner

• 9 hours of battery life for earphones
• 38 hours with charging case
• Fast Charge: 10 min. for 3 hours of use

With eight hours of steady use, the primary iteration was already extraordinarily long-lasting. But Huawei goes one higher and will increase the battery lifetime of the Huawei FreeClip 2 to a whopping 9 hours of use earlier than the open-ears run out of juice. In mixture with the charging case, the mixture achieves a utilization time of 38 hours – completely spectacular.

There can be a quick-charging operate that makes the earbuds prepared for a full three hours of use in simply 10 minutes within the case. A full cost, alternatively, takes round one and a half hours. Charging could be executed both through USB-C or wirelessly.

Audio high quality and microphones

• Airy, full of life sound
• Impressive quantity; good bass response
• Treble a little bit too shrill; degree of element could possibly be higher

The sound of the Huawei FreeClip 2 is convincing nearly throughout the board. While the predecessor already provided a full, full of life and wealthy sound that generally clearly outperformed different open-ear headphones, the brand new era goes one higher. The enhancements to the drivers promised by the producer are instantly audible.

The FreeClip 2 impresses with a full of life and full sound that’s impressively loud. So loud, in truth, that it may possibly grow to be considerably disagreeable at most quantity. However, for those who flip it down a little bit, you may benefit from the music to the total. The bass response has additionally been noticeably improved. Although it nonetheless doesn’t attain the extent of basic in-ear headphones, the low frequencies are fairly dynamic and detailed, so followers of digital music or hip-hop will even get their cash’s price.

However, the open-ears reveal weaknesses within the excessive frequencies and higher mids are considerably shrill and sharp. This makes the sound (particularly voices) appear a little bit strained. Especially at greater volumes. As the equalizer presets solely supply a further enhance to the treble, you need to modify the equalizer your self to compensate for this sharpness. However, this may be executed with none issues.

Thanks to the open design, the Huawei FreeClip 2 ship a pleasantly ethereal sound that may unfold very properly. However, the sound isn’t fairly as detailed as you’ll count on from superb in-ear headphones. Let’s see if the producer can treatment this with a possible firmware replace.

Strong microphone high quality of the FreeClip 2

• Good intelligibility
• Ambient noise is lowered very properly

The microphones of the Huawei FreeClip 2 have additionally improved noticeably. For instance, the brand new open-ear headphones now have three microphones with a noise-cancellation operate and a revised algorithm that ought to be capable of block out ambient noise even higher.

Both your personal voice and that of the individual you’re listening to are reproduced clearly and intimately.

Microphone take a look at recording Huawei FreeClip 2:

Microphone take a look at recording Huawei FreeClip:

Microphone take a look at recording Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd gen):

Although the FreeClip 2 recordings will not be fairly as detailed because the microphones of one of the best (and considerably costlier) in-ear headphones, the voice intelligibility continues to be pleasantly clear and convincing. Ambient noise is filtered out very properly so to be heard clearly even in noisy environments.

App connection: Huawei Audio Connect

• Clearly organized app
• Own equalizer

The companion app is Huawei Audio Connect, which instantly acknowledges the FreeClip 2 and has a clear design. Here you may, for instance, modify the gesture management, affect the sound utilizing an equalizer preset or your personal settings and rather more.

Additional settings may also be activated or deactivated within the app. These embody, for instance, adaptive quantity, a low latency mode (notably attention-grabbing for video games) or the choice for the FreeClip 2 to play a sound in the event that they fall out of your ear.

Huawei FreeClip 2 Review: Conclusion

Are the brand new Huawei FreeClip 2 one of the best open-ear headphones in 2026? In my opinion, sure. The producer has constructed on the profitable fundamental construction of its predecessor and considerably improved the sound, battery life and carrying consolation.

Above all, the elevated quantity and lowered weight symbolize actual added worth and with a runtime of as much as 9 hours, the brand new version is properly forward. In phrases of sound, the FreeCip 2 outperform nearly all different open-ear headphones, however require some fine-tuning, particularly at excessive volumes because of the considerably sharp mids and highs. However, this will simply be executed with the assistance of the companion app.

PRO

• Elegant design
• Convincing sound
• Strong bass response
• Excellent carrying consolation
• Very good battery life
• Good microphone high quality

CONTRA

• Shrill mids and highs
• Sound could possibly be a little bit extra detailed

Workmanship

Wearing consolation

Sound high quality

Recording high quality

Features

Value For Money

90/100

Rich sound, lengthy battery life, elegant design and nice consolation: the Huawei FreeClip 2 are nearly utterly convincing open-ear headphones