Xiaomi officially unveiled its first-ever clip-on earbuds last week alongside the Xiaomi 17 Max. Unlike traditional in-ear earbuds, the new design clips onto the outer ear instead of sitting inside the ear canal. Weighing just 5.5 grams per earbud, they rank among the lightest clip-style audio products currently available, while offering a surprisingly premium feature set.
Key Points
- Xiaomi's first clip-on earbuds launched on May 21 alongside the Xiaomi 17 Max and Smart Band 10 Pro.
- Equipped with 11mm drivers featuring a microcrystalline metal-coated diaphragm.
- Support LHDC 5.0 transmission, Hi-Res Audio certification, and HD audio decoding.
- Lightweight 5.5g design with IP57 dust and water resistance.
- Open-ear clip design allows users to remain aware of their surroundings.
- Up to 38 hours of total battery life with the charging case.
- USB-C charging case includes a built-in Find My Device speaker for location tracking.
- Features a three-microphone array with VPU-powered call noise reduction.
- Supports smart translation in 21 languages, Xiao Ai AI assistant integration, and independent recording with AI-generated summaries.
The Clip-On Design and Why It Matters
Traditional in-ear earbuds create isolation, which is useful for immersive listening but can be inconvenient when users need to stay aware of their surroundings. Xiaomi's earclip design keeps the ear canal completely open, allowing ambient sound to be heard naturally while audio continues to play.
This makes the earbuds particularly useful for commuters, runners, cyclists, and office workers who frequently take calls while remaining aware of their environment. The open-ear design addresses a common limitation of active noise-cancelling earbuds by balancing audio playback with situational awareness.
At only 5.5 grams per earbud, the lightweight construction is designed for long-term comfort. The C-bridge structure and dual-end touch controls allow users to manage playback, calls, and volume without relying on a companion app for basic functions.
Flagship-Level Audio Performance
Despite the open-ear form factor, Xiaomi has equipped the earbuds with premium audio hardware. The LHDC 5.0 codec supports audio transmission rates of up to 990kbps, offering significantly higher bandwidth than standard SBC and AAC codecs while competing with other high-resolution wireless audio solutions.
Combined with Hi-Res Audio certification and the 11mm microcrystalline metal-coated diaphragm, Xiaomi is positioning these earbuds as serious audio devices rather than simply a lifestyle accessory.
To address one of the biggest challenges of open-ear headphones, Xiaomi has also implemented reverse sound wave technology to reduce audio leakage. This helps prevent sound from disturbing people nearby, even at higher listening volumes.
AI Features Beyond Audio
The earbuds also integrate several AI-powered features within Xiaomi's HyperOS ecosystem. Smart translation supports 21 languages, while Xiao Ai provides voice assistant functionality directly through the earbuds.
Users can also take advantage of one-tap recording with AI-generated summaries, transforming the earbuds into productivity tools for meetings, conversations, and quick note-taking.
Rather than serving solely as audio accessories, Xiaomi's first clip-on earbuds are designed to function as connected AI companions that work seamlessly alongside Xiaomi smartphones and other HyperOS devices.