This article is TDS Studio’s 32nd article on Minority, and it is still the first for all platforms.
The last domestic mainstream mobile phone brand to launch ear clip products is vivo, which we are going to talk about in this issue. Whether it is several major domestic brands or pan-digital brands such as Sony and Nothing, they all have one after another, and there may even be more than one generation of ear clip products. Although Apple, Samsung and Google have yet to show signs of following this trend, it still surprises us that vivo launched ear clips so late.
After the TWS 5 series has received good reviews from us, can Buds Clip continue their characteristic of “coming late but with higher degree of completion”?
Packaging & Accessories｜Package & Accessories
Buds Clip still continues the packaging of vivo headphone products. It is relatively small overall and does not have much to say. As an ear clip, there are no accessories required, but the fact that it retains the USB-C to USB-A charging cable is worthy of praise.
Design, Fit & Acoustic Structure｜Design, Fit & Acoustic Structure
Buds Clip has three colors to choose from. The white and the purple we have are both equipped with a panel design similar to mica flakes, while the black seems to have a more conventional dotted texture. The “Aurora Purple” color scheme is generally lighter and slightly closer to the blue-purple direction, which is relatively not eye-catching. The purple version also uses electroplating treatment to polish the front and rear cavity surfaces, but the reflective ability is not as obvious as the FreeClip series or Enco Clip2. The advantage is that oil stains will not be so obvious. The workmanship details are pretty good.
The appearance of the charging box is relatively conventional, not much different from vivo’s TWS series. The pairing button is located on the right side. The surface is treated with a texture similar to anodized aluminum, but it is actually still plastic. It is relatively easy to open the box with one hand, the feedback is relatively smooth, and the reliability of the metal hinge is also acceptable. The ear clip body lies inside the box, and the magnetic suction is strong enough. However, if you shake the box vigorously in the stored state, you can still hear the shaking sound of the earphones inside. We guess it is caused by the loose contact between the front module of the ear clip and the box.
Buds Clip adopts a relatively conventional structural solution of front and rear modules + C-bridge. The rear cavity is relatively flat. This is also a rare example of recent mid-to-high-priced ear clips that does not have an auricle structure on the inside of the rear cavity to adapt to the curved surface. But maybe this has something to do with its smaller preset clamping force? Put together with ear clips with a similar structure, you will feel that the space between the front and rear modules will be wider in its initial state, and it seems to be more friendly to posterior auricle users. The volume of the front cavity is not large.
The bending of the C-bridge is generally in a relatively average state, and there will be no excessive stress concentration leading to premature fatigue in a single area, and the resilience of the C-bridge will not be too strong. The anti-torsion performance is pretty good among ear clips.
After actually wearing it, the vivo Buds Clip does not have any obvious difference in comfort from other ear clips when it is first put on. It can feel like something is being clamped. However, after wearing it for a long time (about 2 hours), compared with the LUNA, Xiaomi ear clip and Enco Clip 2 that we have written before, which have the same front and rear module + C-bridge structure, the vivo ear clip will have a higher degree of comfort. The weight of 5.2g is not heavier than the mainstream, and regular-intensity walking and running will not cause falling problems. The problem mentioned above about the lack of adaptive curved surface on the inside of the rear cavity will not produce a significant difference in experience, at least in my long-term wearing.
It supports IP55 level dustproof and waterproof, so it can handle light rain or sweaty sports scenes with no problem. Again, this bright surface still needs to be cleaned from time to time.
Operation, software functions and calls｜Control, APP & Call
The operation of the vivo Buds Clip relies on the touch on the rear module panel and the full-body tap recognition. The default logic is to slide the panel up and down to control the volume, long press to switch the sound mode (balanced, vocal enhancement, anti-leakage), double-click to play the control, and triple-click to switch songs (vivo phones are for call recording).
There is a slight lag in operational feedback, and the default volume of the prompt tone is not loud, but the volume can be independently adjusted. Continuous volume adjustment operations may cause inaccurate recognition. The accuracy of tapping action recognition is not very high either. As long as the tapping intensity remains similar, almost one or two operations will be skipped every five times. This is also a common problem with this type of wide-area click operations.
The accuracy of the wear detection is pretty good, and the response will have a lag of about one to two seconds, which is acceptable. Left and right ear adaptation is also available.
The vivo headphone app still has the same highly OriginOS-based UI logic, the functionality is pretty easy to use, and there are no redundant functions. You can still adjust sound effects, customize operations, update firmware, etc. in the app. Real-time interpretation and full spatial audio that rely on intra-ecological linkage are not provided on third-party machines. The search function is still based on sound-based auxiliary search, which is a gradual process, but even the loudest actual loudness is very average, and it is difficult to hear in a slightly noisier indoor environment.
Buds Clip is equipped with a dual microphone + bone conduction microphone call pickup configuration. We actually conducted a call test under the operator’s network. The actual call stability is pretty good, the loudness is moderate, and the clarity is relatively good. For example: The distortion is less than that of Enco Clip2 and CMF Clip Pro, but the loudness is also lower. When the environmental noise is complex or under the influence of wind noise, obvious algorithm intervention can be heard. The wind from the side and behind will affect the clarity of the sound, but the wind from the front is fine.
Signal and battery life｜Connection & Battery
Equipped with the BES2710IHC Bluetooth master control, as an ear clip that supports LDAC, we naturally still have to subjectively test its signals in two modes.
When the signal priority/best effect mode is connected to the standard test equipment Xperia 1 V, no matter whether WLAN is turned off or on, there will be less lag and packet loss. Even if the distance is 8.5m and separated by a load-bearing wall, there will be no significant increase in lag. Packet loss and lag will only occur when the partition distance exceeds 9m. Turn on LDAC in signal-intensive areas to prioritize sound quality. Packet lag and packet loss occasionally occur when walking with a mobile phone in hand. In signal priority, relatively stable near-field connection capabilities can mostly be maintained. For daily use or commuting in non-signal intensive areas, it is recommended to give signal priority/best effect. In fixed scenarios, sound quality can be given priority.
After switching to AAC, regardless of whether WLAN is turned on or not, the test results of Xperia 1 V and iPhone 17 are stable enough, and the signal can be ensured while maintaining a considerable distance. There is no problem within the range of 10m, but there will be some impact on the wall or further.
It supports switching between three devices. In terms of latency, it has a nominal 70ms low latency mode and does not conflict with LDAC. In actual perception, when low latency is turned on and the LDAC codec signal is connected to the Xperia 1 V first, for streaming video and local video viewing, its latency is roughly controlled to less than half a word at the normal speaking speed, and the performance is not bad. Turning low latency off brings it to just over half a word.
In terms of battery life, the official claims that the single continuous playback time is 10 hours, and the total with the charging box is 42 hours. After personal testing through the standard process, I connected the Sony Xperia 1 V with the LDAC codec, set everything else to default, and continuously played streaming music (Apple Music Lossless) and podcasts (Little Universe) at 50% volume. The battery life of the headphones alone was 5 hours and 30 minutes (the average of three times marked as fully charged). The power consumption of LDAC is relatively large. Considering that the official measurement conditions have shown that it is AAC, and the three test results under the same conditions under AAC connection are slightly more than 10h, it can be considered that it basically meets the official description.
In terms of charging, we still conducted tests and found that it could be stable at around 2.2W in the early stage and 0.8~1.1W in the later stage. PD support is no problem. There is also a wireless charging version on sale, but we purchased the wired version and will not conduct additional testing.
Speaker, Sound Modes, Leak Control & Codec｜Driver, Sound Modes, Leak Control & Codec
Buds Clip is equipped with a dual parallel voice coil dynamic unit with a diameter of 12mm, which emphasizes large amplitude and long stroke. The specific unit information is unknown. It also supports adaptive volume and five-level DeepX preset sound effects. You can also adjust the EQ at ten fixed frequency points and ±50 levels through the app. The necessity of such subdivision is doubtful, so it might be better to make adjustable frequencies. Customized sound effects for human ears provide three options based on the user’s age, which generally compensates for hearing loss that may occur due to age.
Supported encodings are SBC/AAC/LDAC/LC3.
For some vivo/iQOO mobile phones, the spatial audio of Buds Clip supports the selection of four sound field modes, but for other devices, even if you install the vivo headset app, you can only use “regular spatial audio”. This spatial audio is naturally not Dolby Atmos or 360RA standard. However, to our surprise, we ran it according to the Dolby process, and it was able to present a good amount of information behind the head. The spatial presentation in the three directions was also relatively regular, and the boundaries were relatively clear. Although there is still a bit of reverberation in the low frequencies, it is generally not excessive. The spatial audio performance of Buds Clip is really the first level in the ear clip.
For the actual sound pressure and sound leakage control performance that is very important for OWS headphones, we compared it under standard conditions, AAC connection, and connected to iPhone 17 to ensure that it was consistent with the newly tested ear clips during this period, thereby controlling the output gain variable; during the test, the system software volume was controlled at 50% and worn normally. Personally speaking, at the playback volume in standard mode, I can fully hear the details when listening to most songs produced at the current remaster standard level in a quiet room. It is better in sound pressure than Xiaomi ear clips, CMF Clip Pro, etc. Since different systems, different devices, and different hearing conditions will interfere with your judgment, you still need to pay attention to this.
In terms of sound leakage, the iPhone is still subject to 50% volume. It is only slightly perceptible at a distance of 15cm and almost undetectable at a distance of 25cm. The anti-sound leakage performance is not particularly outstanding, which is also related to its high sound pressure.
However, it also has an anti-leakage mode that reduces the overall sound pressure, rather than slightly dimming the mid-to-high frequencies like some manufacturers do. Another vocal enhancement mode is basically to highlight the mid-to-high frequencies and enhance the mouth shape.
One more thing, I don’t know if there are not too many adaptive algorithms. In short, Buds Clip is one of the ear clips we have written about recently. It has stricter requirements for the wearing angle. It often changes when the ears are moved. Therefore, if the following listening experience is different, you can try to adjust the wearing.
Subjective description of sound｜Sound Description
Connect to Xperia 1 V based on LDAC encoding, and control “balance” and DeepX standards for hearing sense.
The low-frequency volume is moderate, and the thickness and fullness are not lacking. The flexibility is acceptable and the diving performance is quite satisfactory. The retraction and retraction speed is moderate, and not much reverberation is retained. The smudge and richness of the atmosphere are relatively light. The low frequency of Buds Clip is generally relatively natural and smooth, with not much energy and no high density. Instruments whose fundamental note is in the lower mid-plate will not have a forward tilt.
In the mid-frequency, the vocal distance is slightly closer, the mouth size is moderate, and the level of sophistication is slightly higher. The texture and lines of the human voice can generally be considered, the lines are not very prominent, and the thickness is not too high. There is no obvious tendency between male and female voices, so it is suitable for voices that are relatively delicate and require some transparency. The graininess is somewhat polished, but the smoothness is okay. There’s not much tone rendering, with a slight brightening on the upper plate. The larynx is positioned higher, and the proportion of breath sounds is appropriate. The convexity of saliva sounds is controlled but not completely smoothed, the sibilance is slightly retained, the vocals are slightly more transparent and slightly brightened, so that some tracks will have a bit of a “metallic sound”, but the overall listenability is good.
In terms of musical instruments, most of them have no obvious bias in texture and lines, and the overall thickness is not high. Among stringed instruments, the plucked string details of violins, guitars, violas, etc. are slightly prominent and ear-catching. The body of the cello is not solid and condensed, and its proportion in the space is slightly lower. Copper pipes don’t have much sense of momentum, and trumpets that need brightness have enough brightness. The naturalness of wood pipes is okay and the airiness is moderate. The overtone richness and thickness of the instrument are relatively restrained, but the naturalness is okay. Among the percussion instruments, Kick does not have a strong presence, and Snare closes in a little faster. Cymbals are slightly brighter, but they don’t have much excitement or metallic feel.
The brightness of the high frequency is slightly higher, but fortunately it is not in a spiky state, and the mid and high frequencies have a certain thickness. The extension ability of extremely high frequencies is pretty good, and the roll-off is not too early or too fast.
The scale of the sound field is okay, with a certain distance horizontally and vertically (although not exactly equal). Combined with the slightly closer vocal imaging, you will feel that it has a sense of layering that is rare in ear clips. The “sense of height” is appropriate, so the Buds Clip can present a slightly oblate spheroid-shaped regular space. The separation between vocals and instruments is quite good in the ear clip, and the overall feel is also good. The analytical ability is almost at the first level in the ear clip category produced by digital brands, and it also has a slight “analytical sense”. Dynamics are moderate, transients are good.
Summary evaluation｜Overall Impression
As Vivo’s first ear-clip headphones, the overall sound performance of Buds Clip is basically at a similar level to that of flagship ear-clips. There will be no difference due to slightly lower pricing. The basic tuning is relatively healthy and universal, and there will be no obvious bias. There are no obvious shortcomings in terms of signal, wearing, etc., but perhaps due to the early firmware, in terms of details such as the sensitivity of operation recognition, it is still a little behind the flagship level. However, from the perspective of the price of 500 to 600, it is one of the most worth buying ear clips for digital consumers at this price. You see, bone conduction call microphones, adaptive wearing regardless of left and right, support for LDAC and LC3, good “spatial audio” and sufficient sound pressure. These are all points that mid-priced competing products either selectively ignore or do poorly. Vivo Buds Clip does a good job. In addition, we recommend buying the wired charging version instead of paying an extra 100 yuan for wireless charging at this price.
In our opinion, vivo is indeed an example of several domestic mobile phone brands that can produce relatively stable levels in all major price points and major categories of headphones. There is TWS Air 3 Pro for entry level, TWS 5 series for mid-range noise reduction, TWS 5 Pro for flagship noise reduction TWS, and now there is also reliable Buds Clip for ear clips. Again, although everything may not be able to reach the top of the same category and price, this generation of vivo headphones generally have no shortcomings, have a certain price-performance ratio, and are relatively comprehensive. Either LDAC and LHDC are available, or LDAC is at least not absent and AAC is not bad, and the encoding compatibility is above the qualified line. We think the emergence of Buds Clip actually further strengthens this good impression.
In October, we will also continue to bring self-purchase experience content of OPPO Enco X4 and Apple AirPods 5.
KT MARK of the models involved in this article under the market background at that time:
vivo Buds Clip: V (Excellent)
Reference firmware version: 2.1.8
For information about the KT MARK scoring mechanism and the interest-related “non-interference evaluation principle”, please search for “TDS Studio Scoring Standards and Content Description V202502”, which can be directly searched on mainstream search engines.
KingTsui, TDS Studio.
Oct 2026
It’s a TDS production.
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