Verdict
The Soundcore AeroClip delivers enjoyable open-ear sound from a comfortable design that makes it one of the standout clip-on earbuds to buy
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Comfortable fit -
Bright and enjoyable sound -
Includes ear grips to improve fit
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Touch controls need work -
Not best in class open-ear sound -
Can only switch EQ modes from app
Key Features
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Battery life
32 hours of stamina -
Bluetooth multipoint
Connect to two devices at the same time -
Water resistance
IPX4 rated against sweat and rain
Introduction
The AeroClip sees Soundcore’s open-ear earbud ranks swell with another clip-on set that’ll sit on your ears while (hopefully) delivering some high quality open-ear sound.
They join Soundcore’s C30i and C40i clip-on buds, with the AeroClip promising to punch out bassy, customisable sound, and clear call quality.
It’s doing that all for less than other clip-on options like the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which arguably offer the best in sound and looks in this category. The AeroClip could be a more affordable alternative to look out for.
Price
The Soundcore AeroClip were announced March 2025 for £129.99 / $129.99 and are available to buy from the Soundcore website and the likes of Amazon.
It costs more than Soundcore’s own C30i (£99 / $99) and C40i clip-on earbuds (£69 / $69) with both offering slightly larger designs.
They are significantly cheaper than the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds (£299 / $299) but sit at the same price as the Huawei FreeClip (£129.99).
Design
- Available in three colours
- Includes ear grips
- IPX4 water resistant rating
The clip in the name is the big clue to how these earbuds stay on your ears. It’s more Bose Ultra Open Earbuds than Shokz OpenFit in that sense, where the aim is to keep the design sleek and compact while providing a fit that’s comfortable and secure.
Colours-wise, there is midnight, champagne mist or rosy brown shades. The earbuds themselves make use of titanium and TPU, and they cling to your ears in a satisfyingly snug manner. I found wearing them for longer than an hour caused no problems.
To aid fit, Soundcore includes two different sizes sets of ear grips, which fit onto the part of the earbud that sits behind your ear. Without them, I’ve found the fit in general to be good across a range of scenarios.
The distribution of the 5.9g each bud weighs is nicely balanced and I’d say more so than Bose and Huawei’s clip-on earbuds. I might consider putting those grips to use for sweatier exercise and they’re thankfully easy to slip on and slip off again.
On the durability front, they are IPX4 rated to protect against splashes of water and light rain. That’s not the strongest level of protection but it’s also enough to feel confident there’s some defence against sweat or getting caught in a downpour.
The charging case is a relatively compact one, with a USB-C port and pairing button around the back and a nice, long LED indicator light to show the battery status.
It’s surprising to find that Soundcore somehow manages to squeeze controls into the AeroClip’s diminutive body. They’re built into the area that connects the air conduction technology and the other components. You can perform a series of taps to play and pause audio, skip tracks and answer or reject a call.
This is an area where I think the small stature of the AeroClip works against it. You need to deliver a very firm tap to perform those commands and if you’re in a rush or during faster paced workouts, it doesn’t always respond at the first attempt. It is good at least to see you can customise those controls through the Soundcore companion smartphone app.
Features
- Up to 8 hours of battery life
- AI-assisted call quality
- Bluetooth multipoint
Soundcore talks a big game on the call quality front with four beamforming microphones onboard along with wind-blocking meshes and AI to get you strong call quality even in busier environments.
I’ve used them indoors for calls and outside when there’s more sounds to contend with and the AeroClip puts in a pretty good performance. The person on the other end felt call quality was perfectly clear and they didn’t struggle hearing me in more blustery conditions either.
Connectivity-wise, it’s the latest Bluetooth 5.4 and I’ve had zero issues pairing to an iPhone, Android phone and a MacBook Air. I also used them with a Garmin watch that supports music playback and had no issues pairing from the first attempt.
You also have the ability to pair to two devices at the same time, which is nicely presented as an option in the app to swap between the two connected devices.
The battery performance of the AeroClip is very much in keeping with other clip-on earbuds. There’s up to 8 hours from a single charge and an extra 24 hours to top up from the charging case. You also get a very useful quick charge mode that gives you three hours of playback from a 10-minute charge.
If you compare those numbers, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds sits at 7.5 hours and the Huawei FreeClip at 8 hours. It’ll give you more battery than the Soundcore C40i though it comes up short against the C30i’s 10 hours.
Listening volume definitely plays its part on how much battery you’ll enjoy between charges. Unlike some other open-ear earbuds, you don’t have to get near to maximum volume to find them comfortable to enjoy.
I found in general an hour’s listening saw battery drop by around 10-15%, which suggests a slightly shorter battery life. I do think getting 8 hours is possible depending on presets and listening volume.
Sound Quality
- Warm, bright open-ear sound
- EQ presets and custom EQ available
Soundcore delivers open-ear sound using air conduction, which means it puts speakers near but not inside your ears. It also means that unlike most open-ear bone conduction headphones, you have scope to change that sound profile through the Soundcore companion app, which does a good job of keeping things streamlined and putting the things you’ll care about using front and centre.
The design of the AeroClip means you can shift it slightly higher or lower down your ear to give you control of just how open that open-ear sound really is. There’s a 12mm titanium-coated driver and Soundcore’s advanced virtual bass technology to provide the foundations to its overall sound, along with the six EQ presets and custom EQ options you have at your disposal in the app.
I’d say the performance of the AeroClip sits between the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and the Huawei FreeClip. It’s closer to the Bose than the Huawei, with Bose still winning on balance, with it being clearer and sonically more polished. That’s not to say what you get from the AeroClip isn’t enjoyable on the whole.
It’s set up with the Soundcore signature EQ preset out of the box and you get is warmth, a nice rumble of bass and a sound that matches up well with most music genres or for swapping music for podcasts and audiobooks.
The good lies with that underlying warmth, good power while playing around with EQ settings will get you the most rewarding sound, yet you can only do that from the app and not from the earbuds.
I’d describe bass performance as woolly and prominent. You get a good sense of that on tracks like Sneaker Pimps’ 6 Underground, Animal Collective’s My Girls and Everything But The Girl’s Wrong.
Mids sit quieter beneath that bass-centric profile while the grainy feel you get from the trebles still keeps things likeable if not quite matching up impeccably for all sound genres.
Should you buy it?
You want comfortable, secure clip-on open-ear earbuds
The Soundcore AeroClip is a good example of how to make this style of earbuds that fills you with confidence that they’re actually going to stay put.
You want the best-sounding clip-on open-ear earbuds
While there’s a lot to like about how the AeroClip sounds, it lacks in some areas on the sound front to make them the standout open-ear earbuds you should buy.
Final Thoughts
With this clip-on design becoming one of the go-to looks and approaches for open-ear earbuds, I think the Soundcore AeroClip stands out for the right reasons.
Are these the best-sounding in this new category? I’d say no, but it fares better than other efforts from a design point of view and while sound isn’t impeccable, there’s still enough about it that helps to make the AeroClip mostly enjoyable to use.
How we test
We test every pair of headphones we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
- Tested for two weeks
- Tested for real world use
FAQs
The biggest differences between the Soundcore AeroClip and C40i are that the AeroClip design is smaller, includes additional microphones and features tap controls instead of button controls.
Full Specs
| Soundcore AeroClip Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £129.99 |
| USA RRP | $129.99 |
| Manufacturer | – |
| IP rating | IPX4 |
| Battery Hours | 32 |
| ASIN | B0DLGCHL8M |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| Driver (s) | 12mm Customized Driver, Titanium-Coated |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Frequency Range | – Hz |
| Headphone Type | On-ear (Open) |
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