Are open-ear earbuds the next big thing? Regular earbuds are as close to perfection as they can get, where a new release isn’t quite as exciting as it once was. But their open-ear siblings are getting some new buzz lately. With even big-name companies like Samsung joining in the fun, we may be entering a new zeitgeist in the open-ear space. Yet it is Anker that has fired the first shot with their newest soundcore AeroClip 2 earbuds, which Anker let us try for this review.

These newly released open-ear earbuds are the successor to the original AeroClip buds launched in 2025, with Anker opting to tackle one of the biggest pain points users have with open-ear buds: calls. The soundcore AeroClip 2 now boasts dual voice pickup units that capture your vocal cord vibrations, combined with a new THUS AI chip that helps it deliver arguably the clearest call quality you can get on the market.

It’s no surprise that Anker has gone this route with its latest open-ear earbuds, especially since the company has presented this innovation through the relatively new Liberty Buds and Liberty Buds 2. But calls aren’t the only thing to consider for earbuds. How exactly does the Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 fare as a whole package?

Design

First-time wearers of open-ear buds may take some getting used to fitting on the AeroClip 2, but it is undeniably comfortable

Admittedly, I am new to open-ear earbuds, so the open fit took some getting used to—not having that seal felt a little unfamiliar—but once I did, I found the earbuds to be very comfortable to wear. Clipped at the thinnest part of the ears, the earbuds were incredibly lightweight and easy to wear even for long hours due to their loose fit. Because of the lack of clamping pressure, they never felt fatiguing to my ears, and I honestly have even forgotten that I’m wearing them when I wasn’t paying attention.

It’s extra comforting to also know that the soundcore AeroClip 2 stays in place even with the ‘barely there’ fit. I’ve taken the earbuds out on walks, short runs, and bike rides to see if they dislodge themselves from vigorous motion, and the buds have passed the test every single time. Even violently shaking my head doesn’t so much as muster a centimetre of movement.

While all of this sounds like the perfect recipe for earbuds to use while sleeping, unfortunately I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for everyone. Since the earbuds clip to the sides of the ears, side and stomach sleepers will feel the earbuds pressed onto their ears—I’ve tried it, and while not painful, it ain’t comfortable. Back sleepers may have better luck.

So the soundcore AeroClip 2 gets a thumbs up in terms of comfort, but Anker has also given the earbuds’ design a canny addition for this iteration by including physical buttons. That’s right, both buds come with their own dedicated buttons, and you can even customise the controls for each side through the Anker soundcore app. Physical buttons are a dying breed for wireless earbuds, and while touch controls have gotten better, having buttons included is a massive plus for me. They simply feel better, are easier to use, and I never have to worry about fiddling around to get the correct action.

Anker has also upgraded the earbuds to an IP57 rating, so they’re now able to survive being submerged in water, though only for a limited time.

Meanwhile, the charging case for the AeroClip 2 is nice and compact; akin to the AirPods case, but slightly thicker. Its small size makes it very pocketable, and it feels sturdy and robust too, which gives me some sense of comfort when it shares pocket space with other items like keys or coins.

Just like the earbuds, though, it does take some getting used to—at least when it comes to putting the buds back in. I still take a few seconds to process how to place the earbuds back correctly given its unique orientation.

Likewise, putting back the earbuds into the case isn’t as easy initially

Performance

Since call quality is the AeroClip 2’s big selling point, it is only right that I start with that.

When you boast a Guinness World Record for clear calls as part of your advertising, there are certainly going to be very high expectations, but Anker backs it up with the performance—these are really, really good. I don’t know what black magic the THUS AI chip is doing, but it is remarkable how much clarity it can output for calls.

No matter the situation, the AeroClip 2 always seems to handle calls effortlessly. TV playing in the background? No problem. Crowded shopping mall? All good. Train ride? Easy. It even works for noise that is especially egregious. I took a call near a stage with loud music blasting from the speaker system, and the earbuds completely muted the background noise whilst delivering my voice loud and clear, to the point where the person on the other side thought I was still at home! Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test it to its limits over at The Weeknd’s recent concert, but I suspect it will also perform pretty well.

Outdoors or otherwise, the AeroClip 2 is a master at calls

I’ve gushed enough about the call quality on the earbuds, but I have to say that I’m also surprised by how good the AeroClip 2’s sound performance is too.

The earbuds deliver decently crisp audio on the whole, particularly in the midrange, sounding pleasantly clear. Specifically, it delivers a balanced sound signature, so instrumental tracks suit it very well—the Persona 5 soundtrack (particularly Idea and the Real) made for delightful listening when testing out the buds.

But instrumentals aren’t the only music you can enjoy with the earbuds. I also wanted to give a special mention to how it performs with separation, with a song like Philip Bailey and Phil Collins’ Easy Lover showing equal love to the guitar riffs, hard-hitting drums, and smooth vocals from both singers.

However, if your playlist is geared towards bass, you may not appreciate the Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 as much. Simply put, the earbuds don’t produce enough of a kick. Listening to Dracula by Tame Impala isn’t quite as enjoyable without the punchy low-end beats since they aren’t as present here.

The listening experience for podcasts also isn’t as good as I would like it to be. When at home with minimal background noise, it is completely fine. But move to an exponentially louder setting, and it gets a little hard to hear what’s happening. Even at the max volume, the earbuds aren’t quite loud enough for me. Sad to say, but I’ve had to switch to listening to music instead of my usual podcast during my train commutes. First world problems, am I right?

And given that these are open-ear earbuds, expect some audio bleed as well. Thankfully, the buds aren’t as noisy or obvious even on higher volume levels, which is a good thing if you’re more private about what you’re listening to in public.

Audiophiles will be glad to know that the AeroClip 2 does support the high-res LDAC codec alongside AAC and SBC. And if you’re into it, there’s also 3D spatial audio available; personally, that isn’t my thing.

One notable exclusion is the absence of wear detection, meaning that media does not pause when taking off the earbuds. It’s not necessarily a big hassle to manually pause whatever I’m playing, but given how prevalent it is on a majority of earbuds and even on open-ear products from Huawei and Shokz, I’m disappointed that they are missing here.

The dedicated Anker soundcore app adds even more functionality to the earbuds

The earlier-mentioned Anker soundcore app allows for tweaking beyond the physical button controls. Within the app, there’s a feature called HearID, which is just Anker’s fancy name for EQ profiles, but intriguingly, you can create your own custom profile. After going through a quick test that had me choosing between two sound options while listening to a sample song, it generated my personalised HearID profile. If you’re familiar with Sony’s Find Your Equalizer function, it’s similar.

And it works pretty well. The feature did a decent job of recognising my preferences, and the output did give a marked improvement to the listening experience. That being said, I am slightly annoyed that I can’t make multiple custom HearID profiles. You see, the process actually begins with asking your favoured genre (a choice between Pop, Rock, or Classical), and the ensuing test seems to be based on what you chose. But for me, as someone with multiple genres in my playlist, that custom may not fit certain songs that I want to listen to. At the very least, the app does offer a more traditional 8-band equaliser to tweak, and they generously allow several profiles to be made.

Both HearID and a custom 8-band EQ are available to enhance the listening experience

Beyond the EQ profiles, there is a Nap Mode feature that you can toggle in the app settings. It’s a rather unique feature, I must say. If it is enabled, you can activate it via a triple tap on either side of the earbuds, where it’ll play white noise tracks. It can be volume adjusted as well, though somewhat confusingly, pressing the right earbud lowers the volume while the left earbud increases it. I should also note that Nap Mode completely takes over whatever you are currently listening to, and you can’t play anything else until you deactivate it.

Wrapping up the feature list from the app is something rather amusing: an AI chatbot called ANKA. It’s actually more useful than it appears. There’s the obvious adjustment of settings for the earbuds and a reasonably good two-way translation feature, but you can also just ask random stuff and it’ll give the appropriate answers—like a regular AI chatbot. I straight up asked ANKA to make me a 9-day holiday itinerary, and it crafted one in a matter of seconds. Is it better than ChatGPT or Gemini? That remains to be seen, but it seems to be a good alternative, I guess?

Battery

Battery life on the Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 is rated at 8 hours, which is par for the course compared to regular earbuds. Combined with the charging case, that brings it up to a total of 32 hours overall. Without wear detection, however, I found that the earbuds eat up slightly more battery than I intended since I occasionally forget to pause whenever I take off the buds.

Fast charging is supported, with a quick 10-minute charge giving a generous four hours’ worth of playback. The case also works with wireless charging pads if you have one in your home setup.

Verdict

Does the Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 begin the open-ear revolution?

I’ve never paid much attention previously to open-fit earbuds because of the perceived drawbacks they have. But using the Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 has changed my opinion.

Open-fit earbuds still have their obvious advantages for specific users, but the gap in features between them and regular earbuds isn’t as big as it perhaps once was. You can make calls almost anywhere with no worry, and listening to music isn’t half-bad. Combined with the exceptionally comfortable fit, these are earbuds that can be recommended not just to people who exercise, but also to working professionals and everyday users.

It’s not going to compete with regular earbuds (particularly the notable high-end names) in terms of pure audio performance—and I doubt any open-fit earbuds ever will—but the overall feature set from the AeroClip 2 is a compelling consideration for those who struggle with switching out their earbuds for different use scenarios.

The Anker soundcore AeroClip 2 is available to pre-order in Singapore on Anker soundcore’s official Shopee store, at S$224.90 after voucher at the time of writing.

Photos by Russell Matthew Loh of The DANAMIC Team.