Xiaomi Launches Clip Open Ear Headphones Alongside Xiaomi 17 Max Featuring Advanced Acoustic Engineering Sound Leakage Prevention And Long Battery Life At An Affordable Price Point
Xiaomi has bolstered its portable audio options, announcing it along with the new Xiaomi 17 Max flagship phone and Smart Band 10 Pro fitness tracker. This is also the first time that Xiaomi has produced a pair of true open ear clip on headphones. In the words of the official Xiaomi product launch, "the Xiaomi Clip attaches to the cartilage of the outside of your ear rather than sitting in your ear canal" This means that the user remains fully aware of what's going on around them, while still listening to media.
This design has a few potential disadvantages: sound leakage and lack of bass are characteristic issues for open ear headphones. To tackle this, Xiaomi's acoustical engineers used custom made, 11 mm high frequency drivers, built to utilize a large amplitude to push a wide frequency range (from 20 Hz to 48 kHz) and directed sound transmission system to create a focused beam of sound directly to the listener's ear canal. This reduces leakage significantly so people around you don't have to suffer.
During phone calls, the earphones use an artificial intelligence powered system to prevent unwanted background noise from degrading the sound of the caller's voice during a call. The sides of both of the ear pieces have sensitive touch zones which can be customized with specific gesture controls for controlling track skipping, volume, and managing calls.
The earphones themselves have a 9 hour playing time, but the system as a whole has a 36 hour playing time with both the case and earphones. The case offers quick charging, with 10 minutes in the case providing 2 hours of playtime. The housing is IP54 rated for dust and splash protection, so you're fine to wear them in a light shower while exercising outside.
The Xiaomi Clip is currently released on the domestic Chinese market and costs 799 yuan, which is equivalent to around 118 dollars. This clearly shows that Xiaomi are taking aim at the developing sports and outdoors audio market and hoping to find a niche with their incredibly light open ear alternative to neckbands and bone conduction earphones.
