Acefast AceClip Pro Review: Solid Affordable Clip-On Earbuds

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The main reason we use open-ear earbuds is situational awareness and comfort. Of course, sound quality still matters, but expectations are somewhat lower than in-ear or over-ear options. Acefast AceClip Pro is one of the open-ear earbuds gaining attention in this space. How does it stand out in terms of design, comfort, sound quality, features, and battery life? That’s what we’ll look at in this review.

Acefast is not a new player in the open-ear earbuds segment and already offers several models with different styles. While most open-ear earbuds like AceFit Air and AceFit Pro use ear-hook designs, the AceClip Pro goes with a clip-on approach. This means it hooks to the outer ear instead of looping over the top of the ear, so you get improved comfort during longer use.

Disclaimer: Acefast provided the AceClip Pro earbuds for review. The company had no input on the content and did not see it before publication.

Table of contents

• What’s in the box
• Design and comfort
• Sound and performance
• Battery life and charging
• Connectivity, apps, and smart features
• Verdict

Before I go into the complete review, here’s what I like and what I don’t.

Pros:

• No pressure on the ear canal.
• Solid comfort thanks to its lightweight build.
• It does not interfere with glasses frames.
• Outdoor Boost mode increases the volume.
• Dual-device pairing works seamlessly.
• Decent sound and call quality.
• Ultra-thin case offers easy portability.
• Solid battery life with fast charging.
• Full-surface touch control.
• The earbuds are IP55 rated for water and dust resistance

Cons:

• Not satisfied with bass response (but that’s expected for open-ear).
• Sound leakage becomes noticeable at higher volumes.
• Outdoor Boost mode lowers sound clarity.

What’s in the box

The Acefast AceClip Pro’s unboxing experience is straightforward. It comes in a compact package. The box contains the charging case with the two earbuds tucked inside. Moreover, there is a USB-A to USB-C cable for charging the case (note that you don’t get a power adapter). We also get an instruction manual that helps you get started.

Design and comfort

The charging case for the Acefast AceClip Pro features a pebble-shaped oval design. It measures 70.8 × 54.8 × 24.6 mm. Thanks to its compact and slim build, it smoothly slides into jeans pockets or a small bag. The exterior has a matte finish that helps resist fingerprints and smudges. The overall weight is just 44g, so you can carry it around easily. There is an LED light that glows for a few seconds when you open the case or while charging.

However, I did not like the location of the USB-C charging port. It sits at the bottom of the case. This is inconvenient to place on a flat surface while charging. The company may have adopted this design because of the case’s thin form factor. This could prevent the port from being put on the side.

Inside the case, the earbuds and their slots are clearly labeled left and right for comfortable placement. They sit tightly in their slots thanks to the magnets, ensuring they stay secure even when the case is moved or carried around.

Speaking of the design of the earbuds, they adopt a C-bridge architecture (clip-style). Each earbud features two sections, likely the driver and battery module. They are joined by a flexible 0.58mm memory titanium wire. This setup fits the shape of the ear well while offering a secure hold. You don’t need to worry about them slipping off during running or jumping.

I didn’t feel any pressure even during long use. In fact, it feels like you’re not wearing them after a few minutes thanks to the lightweight design (each earbud weighs only 6g). Even when wearing glasses, there is no interference with the frames.

If you do heavy workouts and sweat a lot, you don’t need to worry. The earbuds feature an IP55 rating, meaning they are water and dust-resistant.

Sound and performance

With open-ear earbuds, it’s difficult to get the proper audio because it naturally dissipates into the air. Acefast tried to tackle this in its AceClip Pro with hardware scaling and an acoustic architecture. The earbuds feature a 20×8 mm high-performance driver (a three-magnet super-linear speaker). This driver is three times larger than the sound surface found in typical clip-on earbuds.

As a result, the company claims the earbuds offer “unprecedented audio performance”. I tried different types of music to see how they perform in real-world use. For vocals and podcasts, voices feel clear and natural. When it comes to bass, the performance feels limited as it won’t get a strong punch like in in-ear earbuds. That said, for this form factor, this should not be a dealbreaker for many.

AceClip Pro comes with a patented SonoLoop architecture that precisely aligns the sound output with your ear canal. This allows sound waves to travel inward while minimizing sound leakage. During my tests, at around 60% volume, there is no big sound leakage. However, once you go beyond 70%, some leakage becomes prominent to people nearby.

One of the best features is Outdoor Boost Mode, which you can enable in the Acefast app. The features increase volume output, helping you clearly hear audio in noisy environments. However, I found it struggles to deliver better sound, meaning the clarity drops in boost mode.

Speaking of call quality, I found it to be quite good for day-to-day use. Thanks to its dual-mic noise cancellation, the earbuds reduce environmental noise. Voices come through clearly during phone calls.

Battery life and charging

Battery life on open-ear earbuds plays a huge role in the overall user experience, particularly since they are designed for all-day comfort. The Acefast AceClip Pro has a 60 mAh battery (earbuds) and a 400 mAh battery (charging case).

The earbuds offer about 7 hours of playback on a single charge (at 50% volume in music mode). With the charging case, the total battery life reached around 28 hours. This is more than enough for daily use.

The case supports USB-C charging (DC 5V/0.36A), making it compatible with most chargers. It takes about 1 hour to fully charge the earbuds and about 2 hours to fully charge the charging case. If the earbuds are completely dead, a 10-minute charge in the case offers you up to 1.5 hours of playback.

Note that these figures are the company’s claims. During my test, I first fully charged the earbuds and played music on YouTube at 100% volume. After 2 hours, the left earbud fell to 70%, and the right to 60%. The total usage was around 5 hours and 10 minutes, with the left earbud lasting 30 minutes more than the right. So, you don’t need to worry about day-to-day battery performance.

Connectivity, apps, and smart features

AceClip Pro supports Bluetooth 5.4, so you get a more stable and faster connection. Thanks to dual device connection, you can pair two devices at the same time and switch between them easily. Needless to say, you can stream audio from only one device at a time, but the transition feels very smooth during my test.

If you want deeper customization, Acefast doesn’t disappoint you. The company offers an app called Acefast (available on iOS and Android) that serves as the control hub. From the app, you can pick equalizer presets like Original Sound, Voice, and Bass. Thanks to the custom EQ option, you can create your own audio profile.

Want to control tasks like calls and music directly from the earbuds? Well, you can do that using double-tap and triple-tap gestures. For example, a double-tap on either earbud lets you answer or end the call. The same gesture also plays or pauses music. A triple tap on the right earbud skips to the next song, while a triple tap on the left earbud triggers the previous track. You can customize these controls through the app.

The best thing is the support for full surface touch control. You can tap anywhere on the earbud to control your music, calls, and other functions. This works well and makes it easier to use.

Other features include Game Mode and Find Device. The former should offer a low-latency audio experience for gaming. The latter lets you trigger a high-pitched alert sound, which comes in handy if you misplace the earbuds.

Verdict

The AceClip Pro is well-suited for outdoor athletes like runners and cyclists, as they need to remain aware of traffic while listening to music. If you are a professional, the earbuds are helpful for multitasking with dual-device pairing while staying aware of your surroundings. However, the AceClip Pro may not be a perfect choice for bass lovers. If you are a frequent traveler, you may also find the earbuds less suitable due to sound leakage at high volumes.

As of this writing, the AceClip Pro is available for purchase on Amazon at just $20. This is definitely a compelling price in the budget open-ear space. If you are looking for an affordable pair of open-ear earbuds that prioritize comfort, awareness, practical features, and decent sound performance, you may consider Acefast’s clip-on offering.