I was ready to call these the best open earbuds ever, and they're incredibly cheap but one recurring issue ruined it all

Date:
Sun, 13 Sep 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Description:
The SoundPeats Pop Clip 2 sound and fit amazingly, but connection problems
let them down.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Soundpea ts Pop Clip2: Two-minute review There's a version of this Soundpeats Pop
Clip2 that you'll never read. After several weeks with the Soundpeats Clip1's cheaper successor, I was half-way through writing a five-star review which declared them the best open earbuds you could buy. That version is, as you
can already tell, not this version of the review.

You see, the longer I used the Soundpeats Pop Clip2, the more I had to
contend with some annoying issues; the kind of problem which often emerge after months or years of use, especially in cheaper tech, but shouldn't be affecting the buds after just a few weeks. For example, I had an issue with the charging case, where it wouldn't reliably power up the buds. Sometimes
I'd take them out, only to find them drained. My biggest problem, though, was with connectivity: they'd often fail to connect to my phone, or repeatedly drop out while I was running. A few times, when I needed some buds for a
cycle or run, I'd just use the recently-reviewed Baseus Bowie MC2 rather than try and fight with the Pop Clip 2. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

It's a shame, because aside from these common cheap-bud problems, the Soundpeats Pop Clip 2 are genuinely fantastic earbuds. Or is it the
Soundpeats UU2? Depending on where you live, they're called one or the other, but in many countries the brand is using both names. Confusing. Im going to
be using the former name, because it simply makes more sense.

The Soundpeats Pop Clip2 have to be some of the best-sounding clip-style earbuds Ive heard: they have a nice simple V-shaped sound, offering bass with oomph but tone, and clear crisp treble. They dont re-invent the wheel, but nimbly avoid all the issues that come with audio in buds of this form factor.

They tick loads of other boxes too: they last longer than most rivals, fit really well, and offer a solid list of features like spatial audio, sound
leak prevention and water drainage.

Perhaps most importantly, Soundpeats has defied our price-hike current state of living by dropping the price of the Pop Clip2 (compared to the predecessor). And not by a few pennies either: $20 in the US, 15 in the UK, $9.99 in Australia (okay, that ones not a dramatic drop). The brand already had some of the best value open-ears on the market, and its really pressing its advantage here. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
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But because of the connection problems, they're a write-off, right? Uh, I'm not so sure. These problems were persistent, but not consistent. I frequently went for hours without a connection drop or problem, and found ways to cater for some of the quirks. As I write this mini-review, I've been seated at my desk and listening for three hours straight, without any problem. But I know if I went outdoors, they'd be less reliable.

I wish I could recommend the Soundpeats whole-heartedly, and the issues make that impossible. But it's possible that your mileage will vary, or that the brand will fix some of the connection issues through software patches. SoundPEATS UU2 (Black) at Amazon for 47.98 Soundpeats Pop Clip2 review: Price and release date (Image credit: Future) Launched in August 2026 Sells for $49.99 / 59.99 / AU$70 Cheaper than predecessors and other rivals The Soundpeats Pop Clip2 were unveiled on August 10, 2026, just nine months after the unveiling of their predecessors, the Soundpeats Clip1 . Thats not a long time to wait for them to pop out.

At launch, the buds were tapped for a $49.99 / 59.99 / AU$70 asking price, which is cheaper than the $69.99 / 74.99 / AU$79.99 asking price of the last model. But just two weeks after release, Im finding them available for 36 in the UK, so they may be even cheaper than reported. Let me be clear: this is rock-bottom prices territory from a trusted brand.

OK, theyre not technically the cheapest open earbuds around there are
options in the backrooms of Amazon and AliExpress that are much cheaper but theyre the cheapest from a known, respected name in audio (notwithstanding sales on Soundcore, Baseus and Earfun products, which see them dip below Soundpeats cost).

The thing is, value only comes into effect if the performance is worth even the nominal outlay you'll have to part with to own them. So let's dig into that. Soundpeats Pop Clip2 review: Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally

Drivers

12mm

Active noise cancellation

No

Battery life

10 hours (buds), 42 hours (case)

Weight

5.1g (buds), 47.7g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Frequency response

Not specified

Waterproofing

IPX5 Soundpeats Pop Clip2 review: Features (Image credit: Future) Solid 10h/42h battery life App offers loads of features Connectivity problems
plague experience The Soundpeats Pop Clip2 offer a 10-hour battery life per bud, and in testing they lasted that long regularly. According to the brand, the case offers a total of up to 42 hours. Both of those sums are a little above average, and I'd say they're enough for most uses.

There's no ANC here, but the Soundpeats app offers basically every other feature under the sun. There's spatial audio, find my earbuds, a low-latency gaming mode, a privacy mode to reduce sound leakage, a drainage function to shake water droplets out if the buds get wet, a dynamic EQ tool which adjusts your sound on the fly, and of course an equalizer.

This latter lets you choose between a range of presets based on genre, though it turns off dynamic EQ and spatial audio. There's an adaptive and custom
mode too, but for some reason, you can only use these if you create a free Soundpeats account. Locking an essential tool unless someone hands you their email? Thumbs down from me.

In the Soundpeats app, you can also toggle LDAC and set up multi-point connection, as well as change what the gesture controls do. (Image credit: Future) Now, it's time to get to the elephant in the room, the one I
mentioned in the review introduction. I had a bad time with the Soundpeats
Pop Clip2's connectivity (or lack thereof).

Frequently, I'd remove the buds from the case, only for one to fail to connect. I never figured out a solution to this issue, though sometimes holding the 'on' button kicked it into gear, and it often prompted me to just pick up a rival pair of buds which actually connected.

Even when the Clip2 did connect, I'd sometimes have to contend with drop outs or a stuttery connection, particularly on whichever of the buds was furthest from the phone. And I wasn't using the buds at the extreme of their
connection range; my phone could literally be in one hand, and the bud on the other side of my face would keep dropping out.

So, despite the use of Bluetooth 6.0 (and, of course, my attempts to fix the problem by changing phones and updating the firmware), connection is a real issue here. Depending on the root cause, it could be fixable with a software patch, but it might be an intrinsic problem with the buds. Features score: 3.5/5 Soundpeats Pop Clip2 review: Design (Image credit: Future) Few differences from predecessor Case is small, but with problems Earbuds fit reliably and comfortably The big Soundpeats Pop Clip2 difference from its predecessor is the case, which is smaller and more convenient to tote around. It's a small pebble, weighing 47.7g, which fits in a pocket with no problem.

There is a problem, but it's inside. Like in some other cheap earbuds I've tested, the charging pins in the Clip2 case can often get stuck down. These are those shiny needles which touch the connectors on an earbud, in order to power it up while it's in the case, depressing as they do. In some cases,
they can fail to spring back up, sometimes stopping working entirely.

I often managed to free the charging pins by pressing them down and wiggling, but often I only knew to do this when a bud had failed to charge. That is to say, there's a manual solution, but I would've preferred earbuds that just worked . (Image credit: Future) Charging issues aside, the buds work great, which is no surprise given that they're almost identical from the wonderful previous-generation Clips. they're light, at roughly 5g per unit, and you can easily forget you're wearing them.

The fit is solid, and I never found any issues with them shaking or falling out of place while I was on a run. When it comes to the Pop Clip2's actual earpieces, I have no notes.

This extends to the on-bud controls. Instead of relying on a large and vague tap control, Soundpeats has placed a physical button on each bud, which is easiest to press by pinching the body of the device. This is easy to trigger, even when you're active, and a satisfying 'click' lets you know your gesture has been accepted.

A note to buyers: head to the app and customize what single, double-, triple-tap and long-held functions do. I didn't love the default options, but luckily it's easy to change. Design score: 4/5 Soundpeats Pop Clip2 review: Sound quality (Image credit: Future) These are the best open earbuds I've heard Lovely balanced sound with plenty of customization 12mm drivers, LDAC and Hi-Res Audio Wireless Several open earbuds makers have experimented with different multi-driver set-ups in order to solve the core problem with the form factor getting good sound is incredibly tricky when the bud is far from your ear and yet somehow Soundpeats has made the biggest leaps with a single driver.

Put simply, the Pop Clip 2 are the best-sounding open earbuds Ive used to date, a compliment thats a little limited in its reach but no less earnest
for it. Each bud has a 12mm dual-magnetic driver, which according to Soundpeats has been tuned for deep bass, and seems on paper at least to match the Clip1s driver. In practice, though, it performs a lot better.

By default, the earbuds have a fairly neutral sound profile, not favoring bass, mids or treble too heavily, and thats pretty rare for exercise buds. In Handle With Care by Traveling Wilburys, I was surprised to hear the various rhythmic and harmonic instruments alongside the vocals and bass, and in Cinnamon by The Long Winters, it was easy to pick out the various
simultaneous guitar lines which, in worse earbuds, blur together. (Image credit: Future) Despite this neutral focus, treble and bass are both handled well: the latter is bright, clear and crisp, the latter well-defined and energetic. And, thankfully, my Clip1 gripe about the max volume being too low has been fixed.

The buds sound can be pulled six ways from Sunday if youll let them too. In the dynamic mode, the bass and treble were boosted for a lovely V-shaped
audio which gave Two Door Cinema Clubs Sleep Alone a lovely, bouncing energy.

Contributing to the sound is the Bluetooth codec support which Soundpeats has added at least the connection works in one way. The buds support LDAC, and are certified for Hi-Res Audio Wireless, which isnt something you can say about every set of open earbuds.

Of course, much of your enjoyment will depend on how you listen. No matter
how good open-ears sound in the comfort of your home, the sound quality will plummet when you step outdoors into the busy word. But thats the nature of
the beast with these buds, and the dynamic equalizer went further than most
in balancing for these issues. Sound quality: 5/5 Soundpeats Pop Clip2
review: Value (Image credit: Future) Should be top-value earbuds Unfortunately, longevity isn't guaranteed The Soundpeats Pop Clip2 sound fantastic and offer a solid range of features, despite being some of the cheapest open earbuds worth buying. They should be five-star buys.

Unfortunately, that appraisal would be forgetting the connection and case issues, two problems which sadly aren't uncommon in low-cost earbuds.

With that in mind, you're basically getting what you pay for, matching the promise of other same-price rivals: these are buds which work very well, but may stop working well before their time. Value: 3.5/5 Should I buy the Soundpeats Pop Clip2? Swipe to scroll horizontally Soundpeats Pop Clip2 score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The feature set is impressive, but consistent connection problems make using the buds a drag.

3.5/5

Design

The buds are smartly-designed and fit reliably and comfortably.
Unfortunately, the case has a flaw.

4/5

Sound quality

They're the best open-ear buds I've ever tested (admittedly, of a limited pool).

5/5

Value

It's a fantastic package, but the various problems suggest a short lifespan.

3.5/5 Buy them if

You need good-sounding open-ears Most don't buy this form factor for the sound quality, but if you want something great-sounding, the Clip2 are second to none.

You want open-ears which fit reliably Not once during many weeks of testing did the Clip2 ever fall out of my ears or ache during a workout.

You're on a budget Don't buy super-cheap options for pennies. This is the cheapest option you should consider. Dont buy them if

You need something reliable My Clip2 worked well when I found my way around their flaws. If you want something that works perfectly without having to put in the work, just skip these.

You want something that sounds good, full stop. Just because these are the best-sounding open earbuds, doesn't mean they're fantastic in the grand
scheme of things. If you want workout headphones with fantastic sound, you need something with an in-ear seal, or over-ears. Soundpeats Pop Clip2
review: Also consider Looking for other affordable clip-style earbuds? Here are a few we've tested and would recommend. Swipe to scroll horizontally Header Cell - Column 0

Soundpeats Pop Clip2

Baseus Bowie MC2

Anker Soundcore AeroClip

Drivers

12mm

11mm

12mm

Active noise cancellation

No

No

No

Battery life (ANC on)

10 hours (buds), 42 hours (case)

11.5 hours (buds), 55 hours (case)

8 hours (buds), 24 hours (case)

Weight

5g (buds), 47.7g (case)

5.1g (buds), 51g (case)

6g (buds), 42g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Bluetooth 6.0

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

IPX5

IP67

IPX4

Baseus Bowie MC2 The buds I tested before the Clip2, which I kept cheating
on the Soundpeats with, don't sound as good or have the same feature set. But they're more reliable and last for longer between charges. Read our full Baseus Bowie MC2 review

Anker Soundcore AeroClip These earbuds have decreased in price since they were released, so they now rival the Soundpeats. They sound great and have an app that is chock-full of features, even if other specs aren't as impressive. Read our full Anker Soundcore AeroClip review How I tested the Soundpeats Pop Clip2 Tested for roughly four weeks Paired with two different Android phones for music, podcasts, movies and games Used on runs, at gym, at desk and
during travels To write this full review, I used the Soundpeats Pop Clip2 for the best part of one month. In that time, I used it paired to two different Android smartphones: the Fairphone 6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold.

To test the earbuds, I used them for various fitness activities including walks, runs, cycles and trips to the gym. I also used them while working at
my desk, on the train and on a flight. Mostly, my listening was done on Spotify, but I also used Tidal and several video streaming services, played games and conducted calls with them.

I've been reviewing for TechRadar since early 2019, and over the last few years, that's included plenty of open earbuds, including the stablemates of the product here, the Soundpeats Clip1. I've also used various other Soundpeats headphones and earbuds. First reviewed in September 2026 Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee SoundPEATS UU2: Price Comparison 59.99 47.98 View 89.98 62.98 View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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