Breakthrough in earphone technology — Huawei’s new open-ear FreeClips don’t block your ear canal

Huawei has made a breakthrough in earphone technology with its new FreeClip, which was launched at its Q4 Global Product Launch event in Dubai on Tuesday, 12 December.

FreeClips don’t operate like traditional in-ear or over-ear earphones; instead, they project sound into the ear canal without sealing it.

Huawei said this offers a wide range of health and safety benefits, such as reducing the risk of getting an ear infection and minimising the risk of hearing impairment.

With the ear canal unblocked, you can “perceive audio from your surroundings to help you stay alert and reduce the risk of an accident,” said Huawei.

The FreeClip resembles a large earring and comprises a sound ball, a supporting bean, and an elastic bridge connecting the two components.

The elastic bridge is made from flexible Beta-Titanium and creates a clamping mechanism between the sound ball and the supporting bean that allows the FreeClip to ‘clip’ onto your ear auricle (outer ear).

10mm dual magnets in the sound ball project directional sound into your ear, and the closer to the ear canal, the less sound will leak.

The open-ear design means they cannot provide active noise-cancelling.

A three-microphone array then provides wind resistance, comprising:

1. One microphone inside the sound ball to collect aggregate noise
2. A voice pickup unit (VPU) in the supporting bean that picks up vibrations when you speak
3. Another microphone in the supporting bean that works against frontal winds for noise reduction

You get five hours of voice calling, which is extended to 20 hours with the charging case.

FreeClips offers 8 hours of music playback and up to 32 hours with the charging case, and a full charge will take 30–40 minutes, according to Huawei.

They offer gesture control to manage your listening experience and access to Huawei’s AI assistant, Celia.

Huawei also said the FreeClips are IP54-rated (sweat, water, and dust resistant) and work for different use-cases, including sports like running and jogging.

They will be available in black or purple.

Huawei had not provided local launch dates and pricing at the time of publication.

Ben Coetzer is a guest of Huawei at its Q4 Global Product Launch event in Dubai.

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