Open-ear, the bet of earphones: the moves of Huawei and Sony

Open-ear earphones, which do not seal the ear canal and allow part of external sounds to pass through, are gaining space alongside classic in-ears with rubber tips. The idea is respond to a specific need: listen to music or manage calls without “detaching” from the environment, useful for those who move around the city and work in shared offices

Two brands such as Huawei and Sony have presented new clip-on proposals that focus precisely on this approach.

Huawei FreeClip 2: open-ear clip and battery life of up to 38 hours

Huawei has announced the FreeClip 2, true wireless earphones with a clip structure based on the “C-bridge” architecture, designed for stay hooked to your ear without entering the ear canal. The declared weight is 5.1 grams per earphone and the certification is IP57 (resistance to dust and temporary immersions: useful for rain and sweat, with the necessary precautions).

On the features front, Huawei indicates the use of a processor with NPU for features such as adaptive volume and voice improvementas well as a call noise cancellation system based on three microphones and processing algorithms.

The earphones are also interchangeable (they can be worn on the right or leftwith self-adaptive audio channels) and the declared battery life reaches 9 hours on a charge and up to 38 hours with the case.

Sony LinkBuds Clip: three modes and bone conduction sensor for calls

Sony presented the LinkBuds Clip, also in this case an open-ear “clip” model designed for daily listening without isolating yourself from the outside. The company emphasizes the possibility of hearing music and ambient sounds together and indicates three modes (Standard, Voice Boost and a mode to reduce sound leakage).

For customization, Sony cites DSEE upscaling technology and a 10-band equalizer via the Sound Connect app. For calls, the package includes a combination of AI and bone conduction sensor to improve voice capture in noisy environments.

Why companies focus on open-ear

Regardless of the individual models, the direction is clear: open-ears seek a balance between comfort (no pressure in the duct and greater ventilation) and environmental awareness, an important aspect when walking, cycling or having to interact often with other people.

On the other hand, precisely because they do not seal the ear, in general they offer less insulation from external noise and they may be more exposed to the issue of sound dispersion, which manufacturers try to contain with dedicated audio profiles and modes.

For those who are evaluating this category, the practical question is: in what moments of use is really needed hear what’s going on around you? If the answer is “often”, open-ear models become a concrete alternative to classic in-ear earphones, especially in daily listening and mobile calls.