Sennheiser Accentum Clip review: impressive debut clip-style open earbuds,
but they're not without snags

Date:
Tue, 27 Oct 2026 20:00:00 +0000

Description:
Sennheiser enters the cuff-style market with convincing audio clarity and smart features, though a couple of fit, connectivity and control quirks keep them from being a top pick

FULL STORY ======================================================================Sennhesi er Accentum Clip: two-minute review Clip-on (or cuff-style) examples in our best open earbuds guide once felt like a niche trend alongside the more sensible shape the one that arcs behind your ear. But these ear cuff-esque offerings may now be the next major personal audio craze.

The first ones to hit were Huaweis FreeClip, and they were followed soon
after by the premium Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. That was in early 2024, and theyre still among the best options you can buy today. These days, everyone from Soundcore and Shokz to Earfun and Sony offers a clip-on set of buds,
made to attach to the back of your ears and direct audio with tiny speakers pointing to your ear canals. Theyre good for hearing everything around you at the same time as your music, and Sennheiser has just got in on the action
with its Accentum Clip , available in Black and Cream colors. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

The naming of Accentum (as opposed to Momentum) means theyre part of Sennheisers more affordable range, but they still promise the brands well-known rich and natural sound. The press release for the new buds says that the growing demand for truly open earbuds has come with sonic
compromises and that these buck that trend by offering brilliant Sennheiser sound in every situation.

But weve also been here before with the cheap and slightly disappointing Sennheiser Accentum Open. I was keen to try the Accentum Clip and hoped they improved upon the previous attempt.

The good news is that these offer great performance in most of the areas that matter. Once you get a comfortable fit (which I found a tiny bit more challenging than usual), they deliver a clean and accurate sound. You have to be careful with volume levels, as too much volume introduces distortion, but theyre overall pretty delightful-sounding for this category.

And theyve got excellent battery life, although I did encounter a couple of connection and multipoint quirks. Rivals from Shokz beat these on comfort and weight, while Soundcore undercuts them in the price department. That said, I still reckon theyre some of the best-sounding clip-ons Ive heard, and that is important in a congested market. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The bad news? If youre in the US, you seemingly cant buy these at launch.
They could be coming at a later date, but for now, US buyers will have to
look at other clip-on contenders. As to why, Sennheiser told prospective buyers that its a "strategic decision based on the legal environment, in a comment on Reddit. But decisions can be rethought, can't they (Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks) Sennheiser Accentum Clip at Amazon for 149.97
Sennheiser Accentum Clip review: Specifications Swipe to scroll horizontally

Component

Value

Water resistance

IP54

Battery life

9 hours; 36 hours with case

Bluetooth type

Bluetooth 6.0

Weight

6.8g per earbud

Driver

12mm dynamic (Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks) Sennheiser Accentum Clip: Price and release date Launched on July 23, 2026 Sells for 149 / AU$289 (around $180, although not officially available yet) Sennheisers first-ever clip-on buds The Sennheiser Accentum Clip went on sale on July 23, 2026,
after being announced almost a month earlier, on June 18. While theyre Sennheiser's first-ever challenger in the clip format, the brand previously tried its hand at a semi-open AirPods-style with the Accentum Open, which lacked app support and had flimsy build quality.

You can buy the Accentum Clip for 149 / AU$289. That puts them firmly in the middle of the pack for this style of earbuds. You can get the Soundcore AeroClip or new Shokz OpenDots Air for a competitive $129 / 129.99 / AU$219, or increase your budget to get the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds for $299 / 299 / AU$449.95.

Another top pick, the Shokz OpenDots 2 , costs $199.95 / 179.99 / AU$339, while budget contenders like the EarFun Clip 2 set you back as little as $79.99 / 69.99 (about AU$120).

So, stiff competition and Sennheiser's come in at a busy time. (Image
credit: Future / Simon Cocks) Sennheiser Accentum Clip review: Features 9 hours of playback on a charge; 36 hours with the charging case 5-band graphic equaliser in the Sennheiser Smart Control Plus app LDAC support and a battery protection mode to enhance longevity The Sennheiser Accentum Clip are easy to set up and customise, and they support the Sennheiser Smart Control Plus app, which is one of the best companion apps in the business.

Right after adding them to the app, I was able to do a firmware update, turn on battery protection (more on that in a moment), Bluetooth multipoint, and customise the default touch controls. Here, you can also enable advanced
sound quality, which turns on the buds LDAC capabilities.

As theyre open earbuds, youre not getting any noise-cancellation (very few buds like this offer it, although the Shokz Openfit Pro and Honor Earbuds
Open are two that do), which would draw more battery, so the promised battery life is 9 hours of listening, which extends to up to 36 hours when you factor in recharging via the case.

I checked battery life after three hours of continuous playback and they'd dropped by 40%, indicating a respectable 7.5 to 8 hours of total playtime at 50% volume. That's not quite Sennheiser's official figure, but still a solid real-world showing for open-ear buds matching rivals like the Bose Ultra
Open and Huawei FreeClip.

Theres not a long list of features here, although I do think they nail the basics. The battery protection mode, which makes them charge more slowly and prevents them from charging to 100%, is a fantastic feature to increase the longevity of your earphones. It reduces stress on battery cells and means you could vastly improve their lifespan.

Theres a 5-band EQ for tinkering with the sound, the ability to turn on the high-res LDAC codec and connection management. Ill talk more about sound in a separate section, but its worth saying that one of my few disappointments
here was with connectivity. Multipoint just didnt really work effectively.

It connected to two devices, but audio would restart on the wrong device when pausing and playing again, or sound wouldnt come out when watching some Instagram Reels. With multipoint off, you also cant pull the connection from one device to another like you can on others. You have to manually disconnect and reconnect. These were all unexpected flaws for buds running Bluetooth
6.0, and hopefully will be fixed via firmware. Features score: 4 / 5 (Image credit: Sennheiser) Sennheiser Accentum Clip review: design Comfort takes a little getting used to As do the touch controls IP54 dust- and splash-resistant Most cuff-style buds look pretty similar, but there are some notable deviations from the formula in Sennheisers design. Theyre a little heavier than some rivals, at 6.8g per bud, and a little more of that mass is at the back, where the battery is held in the part that clips behind your
ear.

In use, this makes them pinch ever so slightly more than some comparable rivals, and its essential to find the right position to angle the driver to fire audio into your ears. Get it slightly wrong, and youll have a less-engaging sound.

The stretchy part is a little chunkier than on some rivals, too, which may also affect how they feel to wear. I was able to get them sitting
comfortably, but it takes a little trial-and-error.

Once they were on, the other big difference I noticed is that they use touch controls at the front of the buds (on the speaker part) rather than at the back on the battery container. This, unfortunately, does mean several more accidental taps. But, luckily, you can tweak and turn off capacitive control in the app.

Theyre IP54-rated, so they can survive dust and light splashes, and they go
in a fairly compact and discreet charging case with the Sennheiser logo on
the top. I like that the case stands upright on a tabletop, and its small enough to be pocketable.

Theyre just in white or black shades, and the plastic of the buds and case doesnt feel quite as premium as Sennheisers flagship true wireless pair; but this is the Accentum line, so that isnt a huge shock. Design score: 3.5 / 5 (Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks) Sennheiser Accentum Clip review: Sound quality Natural, warm Sennheiser sound Best suited for indoor listening They have LDAC support, but it doesnt make a difference Open earbuds always have
to make a couple of compromises to bring you audio while maintaining your awareness of the outside world. Keeping your ear canals unplugged means you dont have the acoustic seal required for deep low frequencies, for example.

That said, Sennheiser has managed to bring much of its natural and balanced sound signature across to the Accentum Clip, and these offer a pleasant, warm listen. Vocals and instrumentation sound as I expected, and theres none of
the harshness or hollowness Ive heard on some cheaper clip-ons.

Across a wide range of listening (including ambient focus playlists, the new Myles Smith album, summer pop playlists, and Michael Giacchinos Spider-Man: Brand New Day soundtrack), I found the 12mm drivers deliver impressive
clarity and refinement. At moderate listening levels (up to about 70%) I felt they had a good bass presence with a bit of weight to kick drums.

But, crank the volume up and it does change things a bit. Id definitely
prefer to use these in quieter indoor environments over the busy outdoors, because increasing the volume introduces distortion, takes some of the
texture out of the bass, while fine details end up getting a bit lost.

Audiophiles will be happy to see that the Accentum Clip support the high-res LDAC codec, alongside standard AAC and SBC. In use, though, I couldn't detect any meaningful audible difference when switching between streaming via LDAC
on a Google Pixel 10 Pro and AAC on an iPhone 17 Pro. High-res support is great, but it doesnt make an obvious difference in this product and using
LDAC will probably just burn through your battery life a little quicker.
Sound score: 4 / 5 (Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks) Sennheiser Accentum Clip review: Value Great value compared to Sennheisers last 'open' pair But theyre undercut by quite a few other cuff buds While the Sennheiser Accentum Clip are a good pair of clip-on buds, youre paying mid-range money for a pair that feels ever so slightly below-mid-range, given how many elements are evidently a first try at this form factor.

I like them for sound quality, but because I found comfort, control and connectivity a little less convincing, I think there are cheaper rivals with better features.

When compared to Sennheisers last open earbuds attempt, the Accentum Open, these are a far better value proposition because they include app support and features like battery protection, control customisation, and LDAC.

But if compared to the rest of the open bud market, there are serious challengers available at lower prices from the likes of Shokz, Earfun, Soundcore, CMF by Nothing and Soundpeats. Value score: 4 / 5 (Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks) Should I buy the Sennheiser Accentum Clip? Score card Swipe to scroll horizontally

Features

Solid battery performance, useful battery protection, and extensive app controls (including EQ and customizable touch gestures) make for a strong feature set.

4

Design

Cuff-style clip with an IP54 build, though the touch controls are prone to accidental taps. The fit does also feel slightly heavier than some rivals.

3.5

Sound quality

Impressively warm and natural at moderate volumes, though bass and detail
fall off when pushed louder.

4

Value

More affordable than flagships like the Bose Ultra Open, offering great audio and features for the price despite having several cheaper rivals.

4 Buy them if

You need Sennheiser sound in the clip-style At moderate volume, I loved the sound on offer from the Sennheiser Accentum Clip theyre detailed, warm, and engaging.

You need LDAC support LDAC is extremely rare for the open clip-on category; even the major players stick to the basic codecs, and while I cant say it
made the biggest difference in sound, some high-res purists will appreciate its presence.

You want to hold onto them for a very long time That battery preservation feature is a big deal controlling how fast they charge and setting a charge limit could double or triple how long they last compared to others. Dont buy them if

You need a fuss-free fit An ever-so-slightly chunkier build (for this category) meant I needed a few attempts to get the right fit, and that can be frustrating with the oddly-placed touch control panel.

Youre on a tight budget This may be a lower price for Sennheiser, but theres healthy competition among open buds, and these arent quite among the best budget options.

Youd like to use multipoint While it may be fixed in a firmware update, I cant pretend the multipoint issues arent a strange issue and one I wouldnt have expected in 2026 from buds at this price especially a pair with Bluetooth 6.0. (Image credit: Future / Simon Cocks) Sennheiser Accentum Clip review: Also consider

EarFun Clip 2 These prove you dont need to spend loads of money to get comfortable, secure clip-on open earbuds that actually sound good. While the cheap build reflects the budget price tag, the inclusion of LDAC, an impressive 11-hour battery life, and IP55 water resistance make them a great entry point for those new to open earbuds. Read our full EarFun Clip 2 review View Deal

Bose Ultra Open Earbuds It's been two years since they launched, and the
Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are still a benchmark for open-ears, delivering rich sound and Boses immersive audio while keeping your spatial awareness intact. They're undeniably expensive, but the featherlight cuff design is so comfortable and surprisingly secure that I often forget I'm wearing them.
Read our full Bose Ultra Open Earbuds review View Deal How I tested the Sennheiser Accentum Clip Tested for two weeks Paired with Android, iOS and macOS devices Used during multiple activities I tested the Sennheiser
Accentum Clip over two weeks, pairing them with my iPhone 17 Pro, MacBook
Air, and Google Pixel 10 Pro, which allowed me to thoroughly test multipoint connectivity and LDAC support.

I wore them mostly at home while working, cooking, and during full-day listening sessions, as well as outside on walks in the park. I used them to play a wide variety of media, including music of several genres, podcasts,
and YouTube videos.

I also ran a battery test on these to see if the real-world performance lived up to the claims.

I've been testing gadgets since 2020, and I've reviewed countless headphones and earbuds, including dozens of open-style models from brands like Shokz, Nothing, Soundcore, Bose and Huawei.

Read more about how we test at TechRadar First reviewed: October 2026 Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Sennheiser Accentum Clip: Price Comparison 149.97 View 149.99 View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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