If you find traditional wireless earbuds uncomfortable, or maybe they just won’t stay in no matter what you do, there’s still hope, thanks to open-ear earbuds like Baseus’s Inspire XC1. Open-ear earbuds don’t sit directly in your ear, up against your ear canal, which gives them two major advantages over the more common “closed” design (think AirPods Pro with the silicone ear tips): better comfort and situational awareness.
There are currently two styles of open-ear earbuds to choose from: the classic, ear hook design, and the newer clip shape, which wraps around the side of your ear and sort of resembles an earring. The Inspire XC1 belong to the latter group.
You may not be familiar with Baseus; it’s a relative newcomer to the personal audio space. And yet, every time I try one of its products, I marvel at how it manages to get so much right, at prices that are well below the competition. The Inspire XC1, crafted in partnership with Bose, are no exception.
Out of the Box
Photograph: Simon Cohen
I’m sure it’s no accident that Baseus created the XC1 in Cosmic Black and Starlight Off-White (pictured here), two colors that mimic Bose’s preferred hues. The charging case’s plastic is very smooth, making it tricky to open the lid. Once open, it provides easy access to the XC1, which firmly snap in and out of their charging nooks thanks to their strong magnets. You don’t get wireless charging, but that feature seems to be a rarity among open-ear models and almost unheard of with clip styles.