I tested the Edifier LolliClip and they've changed my mind about open ear headphones – here's why

Edifier LolliClip: review

The Edifier LolliClip make for a somewhat peculiar, yet enticing proposition. They have an open design – something typically marketed towards exercise lovers who want higher awareness of their surroundings and are willing to take this design’s inherent threat to sound quality. But the twist is that the earbuds are sculpted with audiophile-friendly features, like ANC, higher-resolution audio capabilities and spatial audio.

So, how does Edifier fare in its attempt to fuse high sound quality with an open-ear design? Largely, very well, actually.

Let’s start by talking about audio quality – an area where this model stacks up against some of the best open ear headphones around. The Edifier LolliClip are powered by a 13mm dynamic driver, which the manufacturer claims can plate up “dynamic, detailed, and powerful sound”. And I’d say that’s a fair assessment.

When tuning into I Want You by Moloko, the continuous bassline was relatively impactful – not as hard-hitting as some of the best wireless earbuds, but attention-grabbing nonetheless. But that low end, though prominent, could sound a little muddied at high volumes, meaning that pumping effect was slightly dampened. That’s forgivable for a pair of open ears, but something that audiophiles will pick up on.

If you want massive sub-bass you might be a little disappointed too. Some ultra-deep notes in The Boys Are Back In Town by Yung Gravy sounded a little understated, especially during vocal segments. But again – perhaps to be expected given the

But generally, bass is still solid considering these are open-ear. For example, when listening to Black Eye by Allie X, I was pretty impressed by the depth on offer, this time from the thumping drum machine. Vocals were clear too, with high notes sounding controlled and decently separated from other instrumental elements.

And generally, the LolliClip handles mids nicely, with guitar and synths in Alright by Jamiroquai sounding tonally accurate and decently balanced. Some finer details came through too, thanks to the LolliClip’s use of the LDAC codec, but you’re still not going to get the microscopic interpretation that, say, some of the best wired earbuds will supply.

If you’re not loving the sound signature, you can change things up a bit in the Edifier ConneX app with EQ adjustment. However, there’s not much here and I would advise against switching out of Classic when listening to music. Bass Boost caused the soundstage to get cluttered at high volumes and when testing Treble Boost, high-pitched sounds were, on occasion, overly forward. There’s a Vocal mode if you’re listening to podcasts, which works nicely, and I also discovered custom EQ in a sub menu, but this didn’t seem to work – a real shame.

On top of that, you can immerse yourself in spatial audio and head tracking. However, I’m still going to advise against this for one major reason: general audio quality takes quite the plunge when in use. There’s almost a distorted tone to music and although head tracking did follow my every move to commendable precision, I’d rather watch movies or blast tunes with the best available sound, sorry!

But there’s so much more to dig into with the Edifier ConneX app. For instance, you can activate adaptive ANC, which is not always a given for open-ear headphones. How good is it? Well, as you may expect, not top-tier – but it’s not bad either. I could still hear the sound of typing, for instance, when listening at around 70% volume, something you’d likely avoid with, say the AirPods Pro 2. But ANC still did a good job of dampening sounds like strangers chattering in the street and sound quality was about as good with, or without it turned on.

Speaking of turning ANC on and off, this segues into a major gripe I have with the LolliClip. When switching between these modes or adjusting EQ, playback cuts for a couple of seconds, which I found to be pretty frustrating. Even worse is when you activate LDAC – you have to wait for the earbuds to turn off, on again and restart playback. That all felt a bit clunky.

More generally, the in-app experience, via Edifier ConneX could be better too. Settings like LDAC activation, touch-control customization and more are hidden in a sub menu in the top right, which I didn’t spot at first. And this part of the app is rammed with all sorts of options. There’s a drainage feature that causes the earbuds to vibrate and discard excess moisture, tap sensitivity options for touch controls, a ‘find my earbuds’ option and wearing detection customizability, which enables you to pause (or not pause) playback when removing the buds.

But one feature – which was less hidden – really stood out to me: the health monitoring tools, including heart rate and blood oxygen tracking. Both of these use the pulse in your ear and produce results after a 30-second period, telling you your heart rate (in bpm) and blood oxygen (in %). The data is stored on a calendar so you can track changes over time too – something we loved in the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, for example.

That’s just one inclusion that shows the practicality of these buds. For instance, they're also IP56 dust and waterproof rated, which means they’re projected against strong water jets – that’s more than enough durability for rainy days and sweat-heavy workouts. They also offer solid playtime of 9 hours per charge – 39 hours with the charging case, meaning you’ll rarely have to juice them up.

Capable sound? Check. Decent feature set? Check. Practical build? Also check. But let’s check out how these buds perform in the looks department. In honesty, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. First of all, the case and buds have a glossy finish, which has a slightly cheap look to it and attracts fingerprints like a moth to a flame. The plastic charging case perhaps doesn’t feel too durable, either.

But I do quite like the clip-like appearance of the buds. It’s not particularly discreet, but carries a unique aesthetic as well as delivering security and comfortability. I tried the LolliClip out in black, but you can grab them in white instead if you’d prefer.

The Edifier LolliClip are a strong pair of open-ear headphones with above-average sound in the category. They combine that with plenty of playtime, health monitoring functionality and a clippy appearance that’s sure to attract plenty. At $129 (about £100 / AU$210), are they worth it? That really depends. If you’re set on the open design, that’s a solid price given the inclusion of ANC and adept audio quality. Still, there are a lot of cheaper, yet excellent rivals to check out in our guide to the best budget wireless earbuds, if you’re willing to sacrifice the looser fit.

But all in all, the LolliClip earn my recommendation, especially for those who are reluctant to sacrifice too much quality in the sound department. There are a lot of great alternatives to consider, though. If you’re a UK customer unable to snap up the LolliClip, I’d suggest the Honor Earbuds Open, which again serve up surprisingly good sound and an excellent fit, but also nuanced ANC and even a translation tool. And for US customers, why not take a look at the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, which plate up immersive audio, an excellent companion app and comfortable on ear feel.

Edifier LolliClip review: specs

Edifier LolliClip review: price and availability

• $129.99 (about £100 / AU$210)
• Launched in February 2025

The Edifier LolliClip released in the US during February 2025. They’re not available in the UK or Australia yet, but we’ll let you know if anything changes on that front. This model has a list price of $129.99 (about £100 / AU$210), which is in line with models like the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, for instance. That price should remain the same whether you purchase the black or white variant.

Should you buy the Edifier LolliClip?

Buy them if...

Don't buy them if...

Edifier LolliClip review: also consider

Edifier LolliClip review: How I tested

• Tested for one week
• Used at home and while out and about
• Predominantly tested using Tidal

I tested the Edifier LolliClip for one week, predominantly at home but also when outdoors. I exhausted all of their features, used them for casual and critical listening and assessed their quality with ANC switched on and off.

When listening to music, I made use of Tidal on my Samsung Galaxy S24 FE. As always, I ran through the TechRadar testing playlist, which includes tracks from a variety of genres and is optimized for assessing sound quality across the frequencies. On top of that, I blasted a whole host of tunes from my personal library.

• First reviewed: April 2025
• Read more about how we test