CMF Clip Pro vs Shokz OpenFit 2: Best Budget Open-Ear Earbuds August 2026

The open-ear earbuds market is heating up fast. CMF by Nothing just announced the Clip Pro at $99, shipping August 15, directly challenging the Shokz OpenFit 2 at $179 — a pair that's been the go-to recommendation for months. Both promise great sound without plugging your ears, but the price gap is significant. Which budget open-ear earbuds deserve your money?

What Are Open-Ear Earbuds and Who Should Buy Them?

Open-ear earbuds sit outside your ear canal rather than sealing it. Instead of blocking the world out, they direct sound toward your ear while letting ambient noise through naturally. This makes them ideal for runners, cyclists, and office workers who need to stay aware of their surroundings — you can hear a car approaching, a colleague calling your name, or a doorbell ringing without removing your earbuds.

The trade-off is straightforward: open-ear earbuds won't deliver the deep bass or noise isolation of sealed in-ear options like the AirPods Pro 3 or Sony WF-1000XM6. If you need noise cancellation for flights or loud commutes, open-ear earbuds aren't for you. But if situational awareness matters more than blocking the world out, the open-ear form factor is a game-changer — and the CMF Clip Pro and Shokz OpenFit 2 are two of the most compelling options under $200.

CMF Clip Pro: What You Get for $99

CMF by Nothing's Clip Pro is the brand's first open-ear earbud, and the spec sheet is aggressive for the price. The earbuds pack 10.8mm titanium-coated drivers paired with what CMF calls Ultra Bass Technology — a proprietary bass-enhancement system designed to compensate for the inherent low-end limitations of the open-ear form factor.

The standout feature is the Smart Dial on the charging case: a physical scroll wheel that lets you adjust volume, skip tracks, and control playback without touching your phone. It's a genuinely clever differentiator that no competitor offers. Battery life is excellent at 10 hours per earbud with a total of 32.5 hours including the case, paired with Bluetooth 5.4 and an IP55 water and dust resistance rating. Color options include Coral, Light Grey, and Dark Grey.

Currently available for pre-order at $79.99 (a $20 discount off the $99 retail price), the Clip Pro is undeniably tempting. The weakness? This is Nothing's first attempt at an open-ear earbud. The brand has earned a reputation with in-ear earbuds and phones, but OWS (open wearable stereo) is a different engineering challenge. Without a proven track record in this specific category, early adopters are taking a calculated risk.

Shokz OpenFit 2: The Established Contender at $179

Shokz built its reputation on bone conduction headphones, and the OpenFit 2 represents their refined take on the open-ear category. The headline technology is DirectPitch, which uses a precisely angled speaker driver to direct sound into the ear canal while minimizing leakage to people around you. The result is noticeably better sound isolation than most open-ear competitors.

Battery life comes in at 7 hours per earbud with 28 hours total including the case — solid, though the CMF Clip Pro edges it out by 4.5 hours. The OpenFit 2 carries an IP54 rating (slightly lower than CMF's IP55) and features OpenBass technology for improved low-end reproduction. The earbuds have been available for months, meaning reviews are plentiful and the consensus is positive: comfortable fit, good sound for the form factor, and reliable Bluetooth connectivity.

The weakness is price. At $179, the Shokz OpenFit 2 costs $80 more than the CMF Clip Pro while offering shorter battery life and no Smart Dial equivalent. You're paying a premium for Shokz's proven engineering, brand trust, and the peace of mind that comes with a product that's been thoroughly reviewed and validated by thousands of users.

How Do They Compare to Bose Ultra Open Earbuds?

Any conversation about open-ear earbuds inevitably leads to the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds at $299. They're the premium benchmark, featuring Bose's Immersive Audio with spatial sound and arguably the best audio quality in the open-ear category. But at three times the price of the CMF Clip Pro, the value proposition is hard to justify for most buyers.

Both the CMF Clip Pro and Shokz OpenFit 2 deliver roughly 90% of the open-ear experience for a fraction of the cost. The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds sound better — there's no denying that — but the difference is more noticeable in quiet listening environments than during a run or commute where ambient noise masks subtleties anyway. For most runners, cyclists, and commuters, saving $120 to $200 is worth the marginal audio trade-off.

If audio quality is your absolute priority and budget is secondary, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds remain the king. But for everyone else, the CMF Clip Pro and Shokz OpenFit 2 hit the sweet spot between performance and price.

Which Open-Ear Earbuds Should You Buy?

Here's our recommendation broken down by use case:

• Buy the CMF Clip Pro if: You want the best value in open-ear earbuds, you're intrigued by the Smart Dial case, and you're willing to take a chance on a newer brand's first entry in the category. At $79.99 pre-order ($99 retail), it's remarkably hard to beat on specs per dollar.
• Buy the Shokz OpenFit 2 if: You want proven reliability, polished build quality, and the confidence that comes from thousands of positive reviews. The $80 premium over the CMF buys you peace of mind and DirectPitch sound technology that's been validated by real-world use.
• Buy the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds if: Sound quality is your top priority and you don't mind paying $299 for the best open-ear audio experience available. Immersive Audio and spatial sound set these apart from everything else.
• Skip both if: You actually need noise cancellation. Open-ear earbuds are the wrong form factor for blocking out airplane engines, loud offices, or noisy commutes. Get the AirPods Pro 3 or Sony WF-1000XM6 instead — our best noise-cancelling earbuds guide has the full breakdown.

For a deeper dive into how the top ANC earbuds stack up, check out our Galaxy Buds 4 Pro vs AirPods Pro 3 comparison. And if you're exploring the full earbuds category, we track prices and deals on every major model.