What was the big trend of 2024? The continued rise of Artificial Intelligence? Charli XCX’s Brat Summer? That insufferable ‘chill guy’ meme that popped up on every social media feed for about a week and then vanished without a trace? A pygmy hippo called Moo Deng?
They have all been integral aspects of the 2024 cultural experience, certainly, but here at What Hi-Fi? Towers we noticed a few trends in our own corner of the world that have defined another predictably turbulent 12 months. Eschewing traditional design conventions for something altogether different, it was time for Charli to move over as 2024 became the year of the open earbud.
We had seen the 'open' design before – Sony’s LinkBuds from 2022 were one of the first sets to catch our attention, opting for a ring earbud configuration in which the driver sits on, rather than inside, your ear canal. Sony’s original LinkBuds laid down the marker for what open earbuds could be, but it felt as though 2024 was the year headphone brands took the concept and ran with it. In October, Sony revealed a new generation of ring-shaped wonders, the LinkBuds Open, as the natural successor to the originals (not to be confused with the sporty LinkBuds Fit), whereas Huawei got in early with its novel, Jeff Koons-esque FreeClip hopefuls back in February.
Apple wasn’t immune from the trend either, offering a pair of semi-traditional buds in the shape of the AirPods 4 with ANC. While not quite as radical as the ‘clip-on’ competitors from Sony and Huawei, these latest AirPods offered an open design while still effectively implementing active noise cancelling – something we had not previously seen from such a configuration.
Then, of course, came the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, perhaps the best example of how a pair of open earbuds should be made. Each Ultra earpiece uses a tripartite structure – the bud, the battery cylinder and the silicone band connecting the two sections – that allows the buds to clip over or around the ear rather than burrowing into the canal. They're a tad pricey at £300 / $300 / AU$450, but the implementation and its potential for later refinement have us keen for a sequel.
The next question we’re all asking is that perpetual favourite every time a new piece of technology comes along to disrupt the marker: is this a game-changer or just another gimmick?
Style and safety over sonic substance?
The key appeal comes from a design as opposed to a performance perspective. We weren’t blown away by the Huawei FreeClips’ sound, but much of our admiration for them came courtesy of their light, unobtrusive nature. It’s the same story with their Bose and Apple counterparts, and we even liked the fit of the bone-conducting Shokz OpenRun Pro – it’s just a shame they aren’t competitive in the sound department.
Fitness is clearly an area of appeal. I can’t speak for the rest of the What Hi-Fi? team, but this is where I can see open earbuds excelling as a valid proposition. A big part of their design’s purpose is to open you up to your surroundings, so if you are the sort of person who does a lot of road running and tends to have a small heart attack every time a truck rolls by you on a country lane, this new swathe of earbuds might well appeal.
But yes, sound is still an area in which open buds have some catching up to do. It’s a natural limitation for a design that sits on rather than in the ear, yet there’s only so much we can excuse poor performance when it's essentially the key reason for buying headphones in the first place. Again, Bose has done it the best, but there’s work to be done if traditional in-ears are going to be ousted by their open counterparts. The Bose's solid bass reproduction still isn't going to challenge the standard market leaders, and they aren't the last word in clarity or detail either.
Another issue for Team Open is that plenty of excellent earbuds offer that killer combination of comfort, security and sonic performance and can double up as everyday buds and sporty pairs. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds spring to mind (I’ve spoken before about their excellent fit), and they cost roughly the same as their Open cousins. The Beats Fit Pro are also great, although they do rely on an in-ear hook for added security, whereas Sony's Linkbuds Fit are another fine in-ear alternative to their ring-shaped siblings. All are in-ear designs which won’t allow sound into your ear in the same way, though, so awareness levels aren’t so good if you’re hitting the trails.
That said, the environmentally aware benefits of open designs are often diminished when your tunes start to play anyway. As much as it will depend on the music you listen to and your preferred volume levels, don’t be fooled into thinking that open earbuds are the magical solution to the problem of reduced listener awareness. Crank up your metal playlist as you dodge zombie-like commuters on your way to the office and it will still be Tool and Metallica that you hear most as you navigate the London Underground.
You also need to note that open buds are generally slimmer in terms of feature sets than their traditional counterparts. Aside from the AirPods 4 with ANC, you’re not going to get active noise-cancelling technology from the likes of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds – it’s too tricky to master with that sort of design. When most noise-cancelling earbuds tend to offer passthrough or transparent awareness modes anyway (to amplify external sounds so you can hear your surroundings), you start to wonder whether the open designs even have a niche benefit.
What it boils down to is comfort and fit. Open earbuds are an option for those wearers who either can’t stand having anything shoved into their ear canals or who cannot get a secure fit no matter how many sizes and styles of eartips they’ve tried. They're a clever tweak that, like vegetarian sausages or lactose-free milk, grants users use of a product category to which they normally wouldn't have access. Open buds are not an advancement or a better way of doing things; rather they are alternatives that all but eliminate one of the major inconveniences of wireless wearables.
If the pain and discomfort of traditional buds have put you off from buying a pair, you’re the target market. If you can handle the in-ear experience, the sacrifices that open buds incur aren’t, in my opinion, worth the novelty they unquestionably offer.
MORE:
Read our Bose Ultra Open Earbuds review
Also consider the Huawei FreeClip
Best wireless earbuds: top pairs tested by our experts
What Hi-Fi? Christmas Gift Guide 2024: gift ideas for music, film and tech fans
