Clip-on earbuds were the fastest-growing open-ear category in Q2 2026, with global shipments up 82.2% year over year, IDC says. The form factor now accounts for more than 60% of open-ear shipments, signaling a sharp shift toward designs that sit around the ear rather than sealing the ear canal.
The broader earwear market shipped 96.13 million units during the quarter, rising 5.4% from a year earlier. Open-ear products grew much faster, up 35% to 12.33 million units, although performance varied substantially between form factors.
| Category | Q2 2026 shipments or share | Year-over-year change |
|---|---|---|
| Total earwear | 96.13 million units | +5.4% |
| Total open-ear | 12.33 million units | +35.0% |
| Clip-on / ear-clip | More than 60% of open-ear shipments | +82.2% |
| Ear-hook | Not stated | -5.1% |
| Neckband | Not stated | +0.9% |
IDC attributes clip-on momentum to comfort, low weight and an open design that leaves the ear canal unobstructed. The category is also increasingly positioned as a wearable accessory rather than solely an audio device. China accounted for more than 60% of worldwide open-ear shipments, with domestic vendors benefiting from product development and supply-chain advantages.
A format moving beyond Huawei
Sony introduced its first LinkBuds in 2022, but Huawei's FreeClip, released in late 2023, helped bring the earring-like clip-on design into the mainstream. The design can offer comfortable extended wear and a secure fit, including during exercise, but it also brings familiar open-ear trade-offs: sound leakage at higher volume, modest bass and limited isolation in loud places.
The format has since drawn a wider set of brands and products:
- HONOR has adopted or reinterpreted the clip-on formula.
- Motorola has adopted or reinterpreted the clip-on formula.
- Sony has expanded its lineup with the LinkBuds Clip.
- JBL has adopted or reinterpreted the clip-on formula.
- Ugreen has adopted or reinterpreted the clip-on formula.
- Anker has adopted or reinterpreted the clip-on formula.
- Bose has adopted or reinterpreted the clip-on formula.
- Baseus has adopted or reinterpreted the clip-on formula.
- Xiaomi launched its first Clip-On Earbuds in May.
- OPPO entered the category in 2026.
- Sennheiser entered the category in 2026.
- HONOR entered the category in 2026.
Open-ear designs are not a direct replacement for conventional in-ear earbuds. They avoid the pressure associated with an in-ear seal and preserve awareness of nearby sound, but that same openness can become a drawback in noisy offices, near mechanical keyboards or on public transport. IDC's growth figures instead point to a larger-than-expected audience for earbuds designed to be worn for long periods without closing off the ear.
IDC expects the next competitive push to center on AI features, including translation, transcription and office-oriented tools. The firm cautions that many of these capabilities still look closer to marketing claims than functions users can rely on every day, leaving vendors to prove whether the expanding clip-on format can deliver more than a new fit.
