OnePlus Buds Clip let you wear either bud in either ear

OnePlus has revealed OnePlus Buds Clip, its first clip-style open-ear earbuds, with no dedicated left or right bud to pick out before wearing them. Automatic stereo routing is designed to assign the channels to the correct ears, while the open-ear fit leaves the ear canal unsealed.

Auto-detection depends on how you wear them

Each bud weighs about 5.2g and uses an adaptive nickel-titanium C-shaped bridge; OnePlus also lists TÜV Rheinland’s “Comfortable Fit” certification. Automatic left/right recognition depends on head movement, body posture and wearing duration. OnePlus recommends dipping your head slightly after putting the buds on to help detection.

iPhone playback works; LHDC Hi-Res does not

The audio setup, co-created with Dynaudio, pairs an 11mm woofer and 9mm tweeter with dual DACs. LHDC 5.0 Hi-Res requires a compatible Android device: OnePlus phones running Android 12 or later use the Earbuds Function settings, while other Android devices running Android 7.0 or later need the HeyMelody app.

iPhones can still play audio over Bluetooth, but iOS does not support the advertised Hi-Res mode. AI Translate has a separate restriction: it works only on select OnePlus devices running OxygenOS 15.0.1 or later.

The 40-hour figure includes the case

OnePlus quotes up to 9.5 hours from the earbuds and 40 hours including case recharges in AAC mode at 50% volume. With LHDC, the quoted limits are eight hours per charge and 36 hours with the case; actual playback time varies with use.

Only the earbuds have IP55 dust and water resistance; the charging case does not. They are not for swimming, and OnePlus says to dry them thoroughly before returning them to the case.