Xiaomi has been making earbuds for years, but it has never made a clip-on pair until now. Launched on May 21 alongside the Xiaomi 17 Max, the company's first earclip earbuds arrive with a spec sheet that takes the product category seriously. This isn't a budget accessory thrown together to fill a gap in the lineup. The weight, the audio codec, the battery life, and the AI feature set all suggest Xiaomi built these to compete at the top of the open-ear audio market.
Why Choose Clip-On Instead of In-Ear
The difference between in-ear and earclip comes down to what you're willing to trade. In-ear earbuds offer strong passive isolation, which is great for focused listening but creates problems the moment you need to hear what's happening around you. The earclip design sits on the outer ear rather than inside the canal, keeping the ear open at all times.
For people who commute, run outdoors, work in shared offices, or take calls throughout the day, that openness isn't a compromise it's the entire point. You hear your music and your environment simultaneously, without having to pull out an earbud every time someone speaks to you.
At 5.5 grams per earbud, Xiaomi has also made sure that wearing these for hours isn't physically uncomfortable. That's a genuinely light build for an earclip product, and it matters when you're considering wearing them through a full workday.
Audio Quality: What LHDC 5.0 Actually Means
The earbuds use 11mm drivers with a microcrystalline metal-coated diaphragm, and they support LHDC 5.0 the codec that supports up to 990kbps audio streaming. To put that in perspective, that's significantly more bandwidth than LDAC and far above what AAC or SBC deliver. Paired with Hi-Res Audio certification and HD audio decoding, these earbuds are built to handle high-quality source material properly rather than compressing it down to something barely listenable.
For open-ear earbuds, audio leakage is always a concern. Nobody wants to be the person on public transport whose music is audible to everyone nearby. Xiaomi has included reverse sound wave technology to handle this it actively cancels outward-facing audio so sound stays pointed at your ears rather than bleeding into the surrounding space.
Battery life: 38 hours total
The earbuds themselves hold a charge that, combined with the USB-C charging case, delivers up to 38 hours of total battery life. The case also has a built-in Find My Device speaker, which is a practical addition for anyone who regularly loses small accessories around the house or in a bag.
USB-C charging is standard here, which is the right call in 2026. No proprietary connectors, no hunting for a specific cable.
Call Quality and Noise Reduction
On the call performance side, Xiaomi has included a 3-microphone array paired with VPU-powered call noise reduction. The VPU handles the processing work needed to isolate voice from background noise, which is particularly relevant for open-ear earbuds since they don't have passive isolation working in their favor the way in-ear designs do.
The result should be clean call audio even in noisy environments something that open-ear earbuds have historically struggled with compared to their in-ear counterparts.
AI Features Built Into the Earbuds
Beyond audio, Xiaomi has built a layer of AI functionality directly into the earbuds. Smart translation supports 21 languages and works in real time, making these genuinely useful for travel or multilingual work environments. The Xiao Ai assistant integration lets you interact with Xiaomi's AI system hands-free. There's also a one-tap recording feature that pairs with AI-generated smart summaries useful for meetings, lectures, or any situation where you want to capture and review audio later without sitting through a full recording.
These features tie the earbuds into the broader HyperOS ecosystem, meaning they work best alongside a Xiaomi smartphone. For users already inside that ecosystem, it adds meaningful utility beyond what a standard pair of earbuds would offer.
Water Resistance: IP57 Rating
The IP57 rating covers dust protection and water immersion up to one meter for 30 minutes. That's solid protection for daily use rain, sweat during exercise, and accidental splashes are all handled without concern. It's not diving-grade protection, but it's more than enough for real-world conditions.
Controls
Playback, call management, and volume are handled through C-bridge and dual-end touch controls built into the earbuds. Basic functions are accessible directly without needing to open an app, which keeps the experience straightforward during physical activity or when your phone isn't immediately reachable.
Availability
The earbuds launched on May 21 in China and are available now through Xiaomi's official channels. There's no confirmed global release date yet, but given Xiaomi's typical rollout pattern, an international launch is likely in the months ahead.
Final Take
Xiaomi's first clip-on earbuds land with a spec sheet that earns attention. The 5.5g build is genuinely light, LHDC 5.0 puts the audio quality in a respectable bracket, 38 hours of total battery life covers extended real-world use, and the AI features add practical value beyond just music playback. For anyone already invested in Xiaomi's ecosystem or simply looking for a well-built open-ear option, these are worth considering seriously.
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