Open earphones are certainly an evolving and growing space, and in 2025, they’ve arguably never been more popular. For someone into fitness looking to be aware of their surroundings when out and about, or simply needing to keep an ear out for something or someone around the house, they’re a must-have.
Anker has had a crack at open earphones in the past, but their newest option, the Soundcore AeroClip, feels like a refined version of their previous AeroFit open earphones, with better audio quality and a unique, comfortable fit.
At A$199, they are a surprisingly decent option for a few important reasons, but I have to commend the audio quality and comfort, even if it suffers from sound leakage at louder volumes.
Design
From a design perspective, the Aeroclip earphones look great. Available in Midnight, Champagne Mist and Rosy Brown, the latter two options mix it up with a two-tone colourway, perfectly accenting the clip-based design of the earphones around the outer edge. We’re reviewing the Champagne Mist option here, and I have to say, it might just be my favourite of the bunch.
The earphones themselves essentially clip onto the lower outer portion of your ear and fit rather comfortably. There are even additional ear grip add-ons if it feels a little large or loose. But out of the box, I had no issues keeping the standard fit in my ear, even during lighter workouts and walks. Crafted with 0.5mm memory titanium wire and soft TPU, the driver side that fits within the ear is small enough that it’s rarely going to bother you even for longer listening periods, which is a nice touch for those with smaller or sensitive ears.
And weighing in at just 6g per bud and 42g in the charging case, they’re incredibly light. Finally, in the box, you’ll also get the charging case that they come in, which feels relatively standard if a little bulky, and a USB-C charging cable.
The overall package is stylish, minimal, clean and comfortable in the ears, making them an enticing option when compared to something like the AeroFit earphones, which wrap around the back of the entire ear.
Sound & Performance
I feel like most open earphones are relatively hit and miss when it comes to audio quality. That being said, the AeroClip earphones are a hit. With titanium-coated 12mm customised drivers in each earphone, there’s a decent soundstage here that delivers crisp mids and highs, with a surprising amount of bass that carries through in most situations. The only issue here is that the highs can get a little crackly when at full volume, which feels like a trade-off at times, because that’s when the bass is at its best.
But even at around 75% listening volume when taking my dogs for a walk at night, I’m able to keep track of my surroundings while getting some pretty crisp and balanced audio.
At louder volumes, there’s also a fair amount of sound leakage, and honestly, more than I was expecting. While that’s far from a dealbreaker, just keep that in mind when you’re in a quieter space. I can’t mention ANC here either, as it’s not a prominent or necessarily available feature for open earphones. But I will say that more premium open earphones like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, for example, practically eradicate sound leakage.
The IPX4 water-resistance comes in handy when exposed to spills, splashes, and light rain. It’s fine in most situations, but I feel like the spills are a little tricky to navigate, as these can not be submerged in water at all, and don’t like water with any sort of high dirctional pressure, so I would keep these out of heavy rain, where water can build up in the ears.
There are also touch controls on both the left and right earbuds, which are easily accessible by tapping the outer ring of the earphones. You can either double or triple tap to access a range of commands, from answering calls to pausing and skipping audio.
The microphone quality on these is also quite good. With 4 beamforming mics, most calls are free from background noises, and even common problems like strong wind are rarely an issue for phone calls here. Finally, there’s even multipoint connectivity to connect to two devices at once, meaning you can watch a movie on your tablet or laptop and answer a call from your phone without having to switch every time.
Battery life is decent enough, with 8 hours of listening time from the earphones themselves and 24 hours provided from the charging case. It’s unfortunately not the best in class, as you can get 11 hours from the earphones and a total of 48 hours from the charging case from something like the Shokz OpenFit 2 earphones. But if 24 hours wasn’t enough, you can get an extra 3 hours with just a 10-minute charge via USB-C.
Software
The Soundcore app is easy enough to navigate thanks to its clean design. The buds were pretty much ready to go out of the case, and after a quick firmware update, you’re good to go in just a couple of minutes.
Here, you can adjust the EQ settings, touch controls, current connected devices and even find your lost earphones.
EQ settings are basic enough, with six presets to choose from. You can also customise your own EQ and adjust bass and treble settings to your liking, but I ended up sticking with one of the six preset options in the end anyway.
Customising touch controls is easy enough, and while there are default controls ready to go, you can swap and change commands depending on your preference.
Managing connections is relatively straightforward, and you can choose to immediately disconnect from one device here or turn the feature off altogether.
Finally, the Find Device feature can ping each of the earphones with a loud beep. While you’re unfortunately not going to hear that beep outside of a few metres, it’s a decent feature if they’re lost between the couch cushions or in the next room. The app does tell you to make sure that either of the earbuds is out of your ear, as the beep is not intended to ring directly into your ear canal.
Overall, the app, while minimal, is clean and direct, with enough features to amplify and enhance the experience without feeling overbearing or intrusive.
Verdict & Value
Anker’s Soundcore AeroClip open earphones feel like an absolute win, especially at this price point. Sure, they’re stylish enough to want to wear them in any situation, but I think that’s further from the most important selling points.
From the solid audio quality to the comfortable fit, they’re simply packing a punch where it counts.
While the battery life won’t blow you away, their quick charge feature will always keep you listening for more, as one of the better overall packages, where value for money is concerned.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Fantastic sound; Comfortable and lightweight design; Decent battery life; App is clean and easy to navigate
Lowlights: Can leak quite a bit of sound at louder volumes
Manufacturer: Anker
Price: A$199
Available: Now
Review based on unit supplied by Anker.
