EarFun’s latest clip-on earbuds build on the original with improved audio, AI-powered translation, and a more refined design.

Open-ear earbuds have become one of the most intriguing categories in personal audio. Products like Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds have helped popularise the idea of listening without blocking out the world around you, but premium models often come with premium price tags.

EarFun entered the category last year with the original EarFun Clip earbuds, offering a similar concept at a fraction of the cost. Now the company is back with the EarFun Clip 2, a redesigned successor that promises better sound, improved comfort, and a host of new features including AI-powered translation.

After spending time with the earbuds, here’s how they perform and compare to the previous generation.

Unboxing

The EarFun Clip 2 comes in a similar compact box to last year, which contains an instruction manual, a short USB-A to USB-C, a warranty card, and the earbuds themselves housed in the charging case.

Design and comfort

The EarFun Clip 2 come in both White and Black colourways, an upgrade on the singular Silver Grey option offered last time out. Each earbud maintains the same coloured iconography to help you identify which earbud goes in the left (silver) or right (red) ear. A small LED remains on the front that indicates battery status and a pairing button on the bottom, next to the USB-C port.

The clip-on earbuds themselves follow in the footsteps of its predecessor, sitting inside your ear canal, the earbuds attach around the outer ear, directing sound towards your ears while leaving you aware of your surroundings. This time out, EarFun has redesigned the flexible C-Bridge structure and reduced the size of the main housing, meaning that each earbud now weighs just 5.5g, slightly lighter than the previous generation. 

Each earbud features a physical button which can be used and customised within the EarFun Audio app to control playback. The earphones still don’t automatically pause/play when removed from/inserted into the ear.

Like the previous model, the earbuds are IP55 water and dust resistant, making them suitable for workouts, outdoor runs, and everyday use in less-than-ideal weather conditions.

Battery life sees a slight upgrade. EarFun claims up to 11 hours of playback from the earbuds themselves (up from 10 hours previously) and up to 40 hours when combined with the charging case.

In practice, the earbuds are impressively comfortable. The pressure-free fit feels loose, and I initially thought they might fall off at any moment. But, after deliberately jogging and jumping around to test the fit, the earbuds barely moved. They feel secure without ever feeling tight. Like the original model, the earbuds sit comfortably alongside glasses arms without causing any noticeable interference.

Setup

Getting started with the EarFun Clip 2 is much the same as it was with the original model. Paring is quick over Bluetooth 6.0. They can connect to two devices simultaneously for easy switching, and Google Fast Pair Support helps Android users connect almost instantly.

The earbuds enter pairing mode when opening the case, but you’ll need to remove the insulating film on the buds and place them back in the case to pair upon first once. Connection to my iPhone was easy, and the earbuds were recognised by the EarFun Audio app, which is where you can also set up multipoint connections.

Sound quality

Open-ear earbuds always face a difficult challenge. Because the speakers don’t sit inside your ears, they’re never going to deliver the same isolation, bass response, or overall detail as traditional in-ear earbuds or over-ear headphones. That’s simply the trade-off for the added comfort and awareness.

With that in mind, the EarFun Clip 2 performs well.

Compared to the original model, the EarFun Clip 2 features an upgraded 12mm dual-magnetic driver and redesigned sound port for a wider, fuller listening experience. There’s also two added AI-enhanced microphones for call quality, taking the total to four. Like the previous model, they feature LDAC support and are Hi-Red Audio Wireless certified.

Still, that doesn’t mean they’re suddenly competing with premium in-ear options. My AirPods 4 still offer noticeably richer sound and stronger low-end response. Even when boosting the bass using the in-app EQ settings. However, considering these earbuds retail for under $80 and don’t sit inside your ears, the overall performance is good.

Perhaps most importantly, volume wasn’t an issue. Despite the open-ear design, the earbuds were able to produce plenty of volume without feeling like large amounts of audio were escaping into the room around me.

App

The EarFun Audio app continues to be one of the strongest parts of the overall experience.

Users can customise button controls, adjust EQ settings, enable different listening modes, discover white noise, locate misplaced earbuds using the Find Headphones feature, and access firmware updates.

The equaliser offers a wide range of presets alongside custom tuning options. While many of the presets produce relatively subtle changes, the vocal reduction setting delivered one of the most noticeable differences during testing.

The app also includes Privacy Mode, Game Mode, Theater Mode, and multipoint device management. In particular, I found the Theater Mode surprisingly enjoyable upon testing. Powered by EarFun’s Spatial Stage Technology, the mode aims to create a larger soundstage and a more immersive listening experience. While I found that it may come at the cost of audio clarity, I still enjoyed listening when Theater Mode was enabled.

The Find Headphones feature is a practical one, with the alert tone being loud enough to hear if you’ve misplaced an earbud somewhere nearby (but probably not if it’s too far away). 

AI translation adds something genuinely new

The biggest addition compared to the first-generation EarFun Clip is AI translation. Available through the EarFun Audio app, the feature supports more than 100 languages and aims to provide real-time translations directly through the earbuds.

Naturally, I wanted to test how well it actually works. I got my Arabic-speaking Egyptian friend to say: “Come on Tom, we need to go.” The translation returned: “Come on Tom. Do we need to get off?”

It’s not perfect, but it’s not wildly wrong either, and maybe that’s to be expected. Regardless, there’s clearly potential there for anyone regularly interacting across language barriers.

Pricing and availability

The EarFun Clip 2 are available now to order on Amazon in Black and White colour options. They are currently available for $63.98 down from $99.99, and can be found for $79.99 on the EarFun website.

No, the EarFun Clip 2 won’t match the bass response or overall fidelity of premium in-ear earbuds or over-ear headphones. But, that’s not really the point. Instead, the EarFun Clip 2 delivers a comfortable, awareness-friendly listening experience while still providing good sound quality for its price point. 

The link above is an affiliate link. RouteNote may earn a commission on sales generated. The EarFun Clip 2 were sent to us by EarFun for review. We were not paid to give our opinions on the product.