Ive been testing these cheap open earbuds for weeks, and they have me wondering why youd spend more on expensive rivals from Shokz and Bose

Date:
Sun, 16 Aug 2026 11:00:00 +0000

Description:
The Baseus Bowie MC2 undercut most rival open-style earbuds, but don't miss out on any major features.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Baseus Bowie MC2: Two-minute review Ive tested a fair few of the more expensive options we recommend in our best open earbuds roundup , such as the Cleer Arc 5 and, more recently, the Shokz OpenDots Air .

But a new release has me wondering why youd spend much more money on a form factor which, honestly, hasnt changed that much. When I tested the Baseus Inspire XC1 last year, I thought they were a great affordable alternative to the best on the market, but the brand said hold my beer with its newer, even-cheaper buds. Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

These are the Baseus Bowie MC2, which cost much less than the XC1; theyre
some of the lowest-cost open earbuds Ive tested to date, but youre not
getting too much of a feature or audio downgrade with the greatly-reduced price.

Is that because these are secretly super-buds, or because, at the end of the day, theres really not much scope for variation in any earbuds of this form factor? Im starting to come down in the latter camp, and the Bowie MC2 is a good example of why Id personally pick a cheap pair of cuff-style buds over a premium proposition.

The Baseus do what youd need for sports-targeted clip-on buds, and throw in precisely nothing you wont need. The battery life is respectably long,
netting you over 11 hours of listening on a single charge, and at least 55 hours when you factor in the charging case. Perfect.

The buds are comfortable to wear for long stretches, with the harder plastic arch of the XC1 swapped out for softer silicone, and a little soft pad around the bud making sure these dont rub or scratch at all. Theyre also pretty light, at 5.1g each. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.
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While audiophiles wont be impressed by the sound here, which emphasizes a hefty low-end over neutrality and sonic nuance (unusual in an open design,
but its what youd expect from workout-focused buds), I imagine many buyers will be happy with what they hear. The sound doesnt match the XC1 though; theres no Bose tuning or dual drivers.

One gripe I have is with the charging case. Its a little bigger than Im used to with clip-style buds, but it also has magnets that only let you use the right bud in the right gap, and the left bud in the left recess, which makes returning the buds a little finicky (unlike 'regular' wireless earbuds, most clip-style buds let you put 'em in either side to charge). Said case is also
a serious fingerprint magnet, which might not annoy many people, but it quickly made my review sample look a bit grubby, and to me it matters.

A fingerprint-gathering charging case? Is that really what Im complaining about here? The fact that thats where Ive gone suggests these are pretty decent for the price. Baseus Bowie MC2 (Blue) at Amazon for 79.99 Baseus
Bowie MC2 review: Price and release date (Image credit: Future) Launched in early July, 2026 Sells for $79.99 / 89.99 (about AU$180) Only a few more affordable options The Baseus Bowie MC2 were released in early July 2026,
less than a year on from the release of the XC1. Im going to keep comparing these products, because thats my reference point, but the Inspire line is slightly different to the Bowie lineup, so these arent direct siblings more like cousins, if you will.

You can buy the Bowie MC2 for $79.99 / 89.99 (about AU$180, but theyre not available in Australia yet). In the US, Ive already seen discounts on the buds, down to $59.99, a mere month after their launch.

The price makes the buds pretty affordable, sitting well below the $/100 line that I usually to denote budget options. Their only serious budget rival is the Soundpeats Clip1 , which go for $69.99 / 74.99 / AU$79.99. Baseus Bowie MC2 review: Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally

Drivers

11mm

Active noise cancellation

No

Battery life

11.5 hours (buds), 55 hours (case)

Weight

5.1g (buds), 5.1g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Frequency response

20Hz-40kHz

Waterproofing

IP67 Baseus Bowie MC2 review: Features (Image credit: Future) Fantastic 11+ hour battery life Baseus app has EQ and presets... ... but not much else As someone who rarely remembers to charge tech, I love the battery life of the Baseus Bowie MC2. The buds are great for longer exercises; the case is great for longer holidays.

Baseus puts the buds battery life at 11.5 hours, but thats if you use its
bass boosting tech. Turn that off, and you get at least an hour more. Thats a surprisingly great stamina flex for these little buds. The case also has a fantastic life: 55 hours, or 60 if youre not listening with super-bass. Those numbers are all much higher than average for this kind of product. You love
to see it.

Your battery might drop quicker than expected, though. I found that putting the earbuds in the case didnt turn them off, as with the vast majority of other buds out there. I had to manually stop the music playing for them to time out. (Image credit: Future) The features section is where wed normally discuss ANC except for open earbuds, which generally dont include the tech.
So why am I bringing it up? Well, call me crazy, but I feel like the ear cushion here does muffle surrounding sound a little bit. Not a huge amount, but as someone whos tested ANC (and, more relevantly, bad ANC), I feel like
it mutes a little sound.

You can use the Baseus app for some extra features, if you want saying that, I dont remember the last time I used a companion app for earbuds that feels this janky, with oddly-translated phrases and a layout that doesnt cater for various phone sizes.

Its a little barebones, as these apps go, but it has the basics. Theres an equalizer, with eight presets or an eight-band custom mode, a low-latency mode, set-up for multipoint connectivity, the ability to change what the on-ear controls do, and a few other small tweaks. The main one is toggling of Bass Boost, not that youd ever want to turn that off.

Id recommend downloading the app if you dont like the Baseus Bowie MC2s default sound profile, but if youre happy, theres not much need to take up
the phone space. Features score: 3.5/5 Baseus Bowie MC2 review: Design (Image credit: Future) Lightweight and comfortable Ear cushions bring some benefits
A few minor charging case quirks Lets start with the case, shall we? Its a
52g pebble which charges via a USB-C port and comes in white, black or blue (like the buds themselves).

Im not sold on this case. It feels like its made from cheap plastic, and the lid feels a little fragile when you open it. I feel like I could snap it off if I'm not careful. The case is also a real fingerprint magnet, which admittedly wont annoy many people, but Id have liked something cleaner-looking.

The real annoyance of the case is in its magnets. You see, most cuff earbuds dont assign one as the left and one as the right bud; theyre identical, after all, so you can put whichever bud you want in whichever slot. Not on the Baseus, though. Magnets stop you putting the wrong bud in the wrong gap, so when you return them to the case, its a game of trial and error to get the right one in the right slot. A game which only takes a matter of seconds, admittedly, but its a minor annoyance that Ive not found in alternatives. (Image credit: Future) Now, onto the buds. Theyre pretty light, at 5.1g each, and thanks to the soft material making up the arch, theyre more flexible than many alternatives Ive tested. Theyre IP67-rated too, so they should survive full immersion in shallow water for a limited time, along with a healthy dose of dust.

Like all cuff-style open earbuds, they consist of a large-housing counterweight which sits behind your ear, the arch, and a bud which rests in your ear well (never into your ear canal). But theres something novel: the
bud comes with an ear cushion, to stop it rubbing when you run. Admittedly, this is a problem Ive never personally faced, but its good to see there are innovations yet to be made in this form factor. Like the case, the cushion picks up dirt, though. Swings and roundabouts.

There are touch controls on the earbuds, including a physical button, but I found it incredibly hard to press while on the go. Id invariably end up twisting the bud or pulling it off my ear, instead of triggering the
function. Design score: 4/5 Baseus Bowie MC2 review: Sound quality (Image credit: Future) Single 11mm driver per bud Bass tech gives low-end heft LDAC support, but only if you deactivate bass Baseus has loaded the Bowie MC2 with a custom-built 11mm dynamic driver, so youre not getting the dual-driver system of some alternative Baseus open-ears. Instead of using a dedicated low-end driver, the brand is using what it calls SuperBass 3.0 to solve the ear problem.

What ear problem? Well, while all open-ears use directional audio to beam sound into your ear, its a little harder with lower frequencies which arent conducted as well by air (and remember, there's no seal betwixt ear tip and ear canal in this design). Different brands use different solutions to ensure their open earbuds still offer some level of bass in playback, and Baseus has gone for something it calls SuperBass. This ramps up the power of the low-end frequencies, while trying to retain some clarity.

As you can imagine, then, the sound profile of the MC2 heavily favors the lower-end. Bass is prominent, and fairly well-rounded too, offering a reasonably energetic rhythm to accompany your workout. (Image credit: Future) I wont pretend that bass doesnt sit above other instruments here. In
something like Michigan Rattlers Time to Move On, the bass guitar is audible above the acoustic guitar its meant to accompany. Kasabians Superpowers
sounds like a duet between a man and his bass guitar. These buds arent for people who like a neutral sound profile.

Whether or not you use the EQ to remove some bass, youll be surprised to
learn that there are no significant audio trade-offs in the mid-range or high-end. Both retain more detail and clarity than youd expect from
bass-heavy buds mostly. They can sometimes struggle with dissonance from hi-hats or twangy guitars in certain songs, but for the most part, I was impressed.

If you have a good Android phone, you can listen via LDAC, but thisll drop
the battery life somewhat. However you cant use it if youve got that bass-boosting mode enabled, so youll have to make a choice about which you
opt for. Sound quality: 3.5/5 Baseus Bowie MC2 review: Value (Image credit: Future) Undercut key rivals from Shokz and Bose A few alternatives cost even less though These are some of the cheapest open earbuds Ive tested, and they do all the same things that premium options do. Theyre comfy, they last for a while, the play music. Tick, tick, tick. Why shell out twice as much for a name-brand model?

Honestly, theres not really much reason to pay more for other buds. However that goes both ways: theres a more affordable version of these called the Bowie MC2 Air, which is even cheaper, and its worth checking that model out too (though I havent tested it). Value: 4/5 Should I buy the Baseus Bowie
MC2? Swipe to scroll horizontally Baseus Bowie MC2 score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The fantastic battery life helps you forget that there's not a whole lot
else.

3.5/5

Design

The buds are comfy and lightweight, though the case isn't perfect.

4/5

Sound quality

It's definitely for bass fans, but music on these sounds pretty fine.

3.5/5

Value

Only a few options cost less, without cutting too many corners.

4/5 Buy them if

Youre on a budget for the clippers These are lower-cost open earbuds that work just as well as pricier ones. If youre on a budget, or would rather save what budget you do have, theyre a good pick.

You need something that lasts a while The 11-13 hour battery life per bud is certainly above-average, so if you listen for long stints of time, theyre a great option to consider.

You have sensitive ears Clip-style buds can sometimes be annoying for those with sensitive ears. But with its soft arch and ear cushion, these are probably the most gentle such options Ive tested. Dont buy them if

Youre fastidious about cleanliness Both the ear cushions and charging case noticeably picked up dirt and fingerprint smudges during my testing nothing major, but enough that clean freaks might be put off.

You need on-ear controls If youre, say, running without a smartphone, you might find that the on-bud button controls are too difficult to touch to give you control of your music. Other options work better this way.

You dont want bassy music Hey, some fitness fans dont just want bass. You
can strip it out to a decent degree in the Bowie MC2, but some other open earbuds dont offer as much in the first place. Baseus Bowie MC2 review: Also consider Looking for other affordable clip-style earbuds? Here are a few
we've tested and would recommend. Swipe to scroll horizontally Header Cell - Column 0

Baseus Bowie MC2

Soundpeats Clip1

Anker Soundcore AeroClip

Drivers

11mm

12mm

12mm

Active noise cancellation

No

No

No

Battery life (ANC on)

11.5 hours (buds), 55 hours (case)

8 hours (buds), 40 hours (case)

8 hours (buds), 24 hours (case)

Weight

5.1g (buds), 51g (case)

5g (buds), 55g (case)

6g (buds), 42g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 6.0

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

IP67

IPX5

IPX4

Soundcore Clip1 This pair of open-ears undercuts the Baseus, with with slightly lesser specs to match: the IP rating and battery life are both
lower. The bud is also more rigid, though fits perfectly well. Read our full Soundpeats Clip1 review

Anker Soundcore AeroClip These earbuds generally retail for the same price
as the Baseus nowadays, even if they launched in 2025 to a higher cost. They sound great and have an app full of features, even if other spec aren't as impressive. Read our full Anker Soundcore AeroClip review How I tested the Baseus Bowie MC2 Tested for two weeks Paired with Android phones for music, podcasts, movies and games Used during multiple activities, including sports
I tested the Baseus Bowie MC2 for just over two weeks to put them through our paces. That's the minimum time we'd take to test out an audio product like this.

Over this period I tested them for a range of activities including gym sessions and runs, as well as on walks around my local area and trips further afield on public transport.

The earbuds were paired to two different Android phones over the testing process, and were mainly used for Spotify and Tidal tracks. I did conduct
some calls, play some games and watch some TV using them though.

I've been reviewing tech for TechRadar since early 2019, and have tested countless open earbuds in that time. That includes past models from Baseus, and some of the rivals I cite in this review. First reviewed in August 2026 Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee Baseus Bowie MC2: Price Comparison 79.99 View 79.99 View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices powered by



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