Full transcript of “The BEST Clip-On Earbuds of 2026 | Best under $100, mid-tier, and premium!”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:00 I bet you didn't see this coming. Clip-on earbuds to my surprise have become a big hit in the audio industry. And after using them myself, I can understand why. A lot of people really find clip-ons comfortable to wear, especially when you compare them to in-ears. With clip-on earbuds, you don't have to jam them in your ear cuz they just sit right here, and they also don't get in the way of your glasses, that is if you have glasses. Now, because there's so much demand for clip-ons, everyone's making them from budget brands like Basis and Anker to premium brands like Sony and Bose. But you don't need to spend $300 for a good pair of clip-ons. In fact, in this video, I'm going to go over three of the best clip-on earbuds you can buy right now in 2026, all at different price points. To kick off our list, we've got the EarFun Clip 2, which is our pick for the best
0:46 budget option under $100. They're built with an ultra-thin nickel-titanium frame wrapped in soft silicone, making the buds both lightweight and comfortable to wear. They also sport an IP55 water and dust resistance rating, making them a good outdoor or companion. The Clip 2 connects to devices via Bluetooth 6.0 and supports the LDAC codec. It offers really good battery life when using the SBC codec, around 10 hours and 46 minutes from our testing. However, if you enable LDAC, the runtime drops to about 6 hours and 22 minutes. If you ask me, just keep LDAC off. You probably won't hear the audio quality difference anyway, especially when you're outdoors. You don't even get a seal, so what's the point? Sound quality-wise, it's fine on the Clip 2 given its sub-$100 price tag. Bass output is nothing close to what you get with in-ears, but that's to be
1:32 expected with all clip-on style earbuds. However, during my listening tests, I did still hear kick drums and bass synths well enough despite all the noise around me and despite the open-ear design. Like, I hear them. They're They're there. You can still follow the beat comfortably when you're walking about. However, during our testing inside and outside the labs, we did find the sound of the Clip 2 to be quite treble-heavy out of the box, which can cause cymbals and higher-pitched vocals to sound shrill, a little bit painful in the ears. However, I found that fiddling with the in-app EQ can help remedy some of these tuning quirks. Speaking of which, the EarFun app can also help unlock a bunch of features like different listening modes, AI-powered translation, and hearing health features. But overall, at just under $80, the EarFun Clip 2 offers a solid feature set and performs well enough
2:17 given the price. So, if you want to dip your toes into the clip-on earbud category without shelling out too much cash, the Clip 2 could be the way to go. We've got our full review on the Clip 2 on our website if you want to learn more. We've also got affiliate links in the description below if you're interested in buying them. Next up, the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, which is our best mid-tier option under $200. These clip-on earbuds feel comfortable during long use. However, I did find them ever so slightly heavier on my ears compared to the EarFun option. But still, I wouldn't have any issues wearing the AeroClips all day, every day. The AeroClips also have an IP55 rating, same as the EarFun. So, these should be able to handle dust, sweat, and light splashes with no problem. Under the hood, the earbuds connect via Bluetooth 5.4 with support for the LDAC codec. But again, will you hear the audio quality
3:04 difference with LDAC enabled? Probably not, especially since these aren't sealed earbuds. Still, it's nice to have, but is it a must-have? Nah. App features are also very good, same as with a lot of Anker Soundcore's other products. You get a customizable EQ and control customization options. And I also found that the mic quality is slightly better on the AeroClip compared to the EarFun Clip 2. When it comes to sound quality, I was actually quite impressed, especially given that these are clip-on earbuds. The Soundcore AeroClip offers significantly more bass output than I experienced with the EarFun Clip 2, and I also found that the AeroClip offers a good amount of treble emphasis. During my listening sessions, I could hear kick drums and basslines better on the AeroClip compared to EarFun's option, and cymbals and high-hats and screeching synth stabs didn't sound too shrill on the AeroClip.
3:50 Just based on sound quality alone, I would recommend the Aero Clip over the EarFun Clip 2. However, Anker's clip-ons do cost $169.99, which may be steep for some. It's about $80 more than what EarFun is offering for their clip-on earbuds. However, you can usually find the Soundcore Aero Clip on sale throughout the year, and that slight discount could help justify pushing the wallet just a little bit more. But all right, let's say money is no object. Must be nice. But let's say you want to go all out. You want something that feels a little bit more premium. Or maybe you just want to buy something from a brand you're more familiar with, one of those tier-one mainstream brands. If that's the case, take a look at our best premium pick, the Sony LinkBuds Clip. Design-wise, I found that the Sony LinkBuds Clip feel the most comfortable on my ears compared to all the others I've tested. Has
4:36 really good weight distribution between the speaker driver and the battery module. Just really comfortable to wear all day. These earbuds connect via Bluetooth 5.3, which is, yeah, an older Bluetooth standard, sure, but I didn't experience any connection issues during my testing. You get about 7 hours of battery life on a single charge. Microphone quality is pretty good for a pair of clip-ons, and you can unlock a bunch more features in the Sony Sound Connect app. In the app, you get access to things like a generous 10-band EQ, different listening modes, scene-based listening controls, DSEE audio upscaling, and so much more. A lot of features, which is to be expected, especially given the price tag. When it comes to sound quality, the Sony LinkBuds Clip are among the better-sounding clip-on style earbuds I've listened to. Bass output is what I'd expect for clip-ons, and I can still hear kick drums and basslines pretty
5:21 well, even while walking outside with all the environmental noise going on. I did find that treble sounds like raspy female vocals and synth leads sound a little bit louder than I'd prefer, especially while listening indoors, but I do appreciate the treble overemphasis when I am outdoors and it's a little bit harder to hear what's going on with my clip-on earbuds. But again, if I wanted to turn down some of the treble output, then I could always just mess around with the EQ in the Sound Connect app. Now, for $228, the Sony LinkBuds Clip are starting to approach the cost of the AirPods Pro 3. It's quite expensive for clip-ons. However, if you really want a pair of clip-ons that feel premium, sound good, and offer a lot of customization, then the LinkBuds Clip are definitely worth a closer look. Now, if clip-ons aren't your thing, but you still prefer an open-ear design, then
6:07 check out the Nothing Ear Open, which my buddy Dave reviewed a while back. Still a good option.
