My favorite budget clip-style open earbuds have a successor which solves two major problems with these designs

Soundpeats has released the UU2 clip-style open earbuds, which aim to address two significant issues faced by earlier designs in this category. These new earbuds have been on sale in Japan for a few months, and now they are available in the US, UK, Australia, and several European countries. Priced at $49.99 / £59.99 (around AU$70), they represent a small discount compared to the $69.99 / £74.99 / AU$79.99 price tag of the original Clip1 model.

Despite the lower price, the UU2 earbuds have managed to secure a spot on the best open-earbud list, thanks to their premium features.

With a battery life of 10 hours and a case life of 42 hours, the UU2 earbuds outperform their predecessors in terms of longevity. More notably, the Soundpeats UU2 introduce a sound leak reduction mode, which tackles a common concern among open-earbud users – the ability for those around them to hear the audio. Some competitors, such as Shokz OpenDots Air and Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro, have implemented EQ modes or dedicated drivers to mitigate this problem. However, Soundpeats' approach appears to fall within these two methods.

Another drawback of clip-style earbuds is the sensitivity of their touch controls, which often leads to accidental activation. The UU2 address this issue by incorporating physical buttons for control, a feature typically reserved for higher-end models. Interestingly, the 12mm driver remains unchanged from the Clip1, suggesting that Soundpeats has not prioritized a sonic overhaul.

Nonetheless, the call clarity has reportedly improved with the new design. While the Soundpeats UU2 have yet to undergo thorough testing, the team behind this report has secured a pair of the earbuds and anticipates an evaluation of their performance against the Clip1 and other budget cuff-buds on the market.