Xiaomi's shiny new open earbuds fix one massive problem with this kind of headphone design

Date:
Sun, 28 Sep 2025 10:00:00 +0000

Description:
The Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro fix the ever-present noise leaking problem of open earbuds, but they only sound okay and the design has some issues.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro: Two-minute review

I can hear your music, is something my mother used to tell me when I was young, worried that Id damage my hearing by cranking my music too loud, and its something Ive heard from multiple people since I started testing even the best open earbuds .

These safety-focused open-fit headphones dont put the earbud in your ear but just outside it, letting you hear surrounding sounds but until the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro came along, this also meant that people around you could hear the distant ring of your tunes too.

No more! Xiaomis sophomore open-ear offering fixes the problem, with a
bespoke 10mm driver thats designed to eradicate sound leakage, and does a decent job at stopping bystanders hearing your music. My local park was no longer regaled by early-morning Busted and Hansen sprints, which Im sure the community was overjoyed with.

That drivers just one of five nestled into each earbud, a surprising spec given that most earbuds have one and even top-end ones have only two or
three, and you can see them arranged in a flower-like pattern on each bud.
But my first-glance comparison between this layout and the look of the five-camera Nokia 9 PureView , which was the first smartphone to use this
many rear sensors, continues further than Id like. Just as that phone offered a packed spec-sheet that didnt deliver as promising results in testing, the OpenWear Stereo Pro may have the hardware but cant seem to make good on it to stand a cut above the rest.

For most of my testing, I listened on the default sound profile and the buds sounded awful, really tinny and compressed luckily I discovered that
changing to one of the other few audio presets clears up lots of my problems, adding depth and range, and I wish I hadnt written most of this review before discovering that! Oh well, a few hours of rewrites gave me more time to
review the buds.

That extra testing time didnt give me extra insight on the design, which isnt quite as robust or rigid as open-ears need to be for gym users. Doing exercises that dont see me stand upright like sit-ups, skull-crushers or anything reclined saw gravity drag the buds away from my ears, though thankfully they were okay when running or cycling.

Its in the feature set that Xiaomi goes some way in winning me over. Ive already mentioned the sound leak suppression system but the company has also brought back an easily-toggled voice note recording system, which Ive found really useful in quickly letting me leave reminders to myself.

Despite winning points back, though, the Stereo Pro level out as being fine buds, instead of the solid ones theyd need to be to compete in this rapidly-growing and hotly contested market. Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro
review: Price and release date (Image credit: Future) Available from
September 24, 2025 Costs 139.99 (roughly $180, AU$280) In line with most open-ears

The Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro were announced in September 2025 at a launch event by the company, which also included the Xiaomi 15T smartphone, some new versions of existing wearables and a few other bits and pieces.

The earbuds cost 139.99 (roughly $180, AU$280). A US release is unlikely
given precedent, and an Australian one is possible due to Xiaomi releasing some of its earbuds there, but not guaranteed.

That price puts the Stereo Pro in line with most other open-ears, which generally sit between 100 and 160 (or $/AU$ equivalent), though some of our favorite options sit at the lower end of that spectrum. More on that in the Competition section below. Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Specs

Drivers

Tweeter + 2x balanced armatures + 18x13mm dynamic driver + 10mm driver

Active noise cancellation

No

Battery life (ANC off)

8.5 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)

Weight

9.7g (buds) 72g (case)

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

NA Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Features (Image credit: Future) Two useful features Presets, but no equalizer 8.5 hours of listening per charge

Xiaomi puts the battery life of the OpenWear Stereo Pro at 8.5 hours for the buds, a figure which my own testing gave me no reason to doubt. The charging case bumps that up to 45 hours and both are slightly above average, the case figure to a commendable degree.

The Xiaomi Earbuds app for your phone or tablet gives you some extra control over your buds, with the ability to customise touch controls and jump between a few sound profiles (like EQ presets, but without there being an actual EQ). Ill mention these in more detail later but its not quite as much as customization as other buds give you.

The flashy feature thats designed to make the Stereo Pro stand out from the crowd is a driver which is designed to stop sound leaking. By leaking, I mean music from the buds that people around you can hear, which is both annoying for them and embarrassing for you (especially if your music taste is poor but trust me, were all judging you).

From my testing (and my partners, due to her being my guinea pig) the feature does a decent job at reducing sound leaking. It doesnt totally remove it and sound leaking is still apparent, but it downplays open earbuds natural tendency to spread music around (due to the design). Its most efficient in public areas where it brings your music just quiet enough to be drowned out
by background noises.

Another feature present, that Xiaomi has ported over from its standard earbuds, is a recording mode. You can enable this with a gesture command, and it records audio from the buds or, apparently, a built-in speaker in the
case.

Its a useful feature for people who like to record their own voice notes on the go (lets be honest: its a lot easier than using your phones notes app)
but many countries have laws against recording unawares people, so youve been warned.

Throughout testing, I bumped up against a problem that seemed to be a connectivity one, rather than a sound one, though it did affect the audio.
Now and then the buds would jump between tunings, from the usual one to an extra-compressed one and back again after a few seconds. There was no way of controlling or pre-empting this. I put it down to a connectivity issue
because from time to time the buds would also lose connection for a few moments, a problem likely linked. Features score: 4/5 Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Design (Image credit: Future) Very shiny earbuds Comfortable to wear but unreliable hold Hardy carry case

If youre familiar with the look of open earbuds, the thing thatll hit you about the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro is just how shiny they are. The counterweight and bud both come with a sheen so clean you can do your hair in them, making them look really rather premium. You can pick up the buds in gray, white or, like my test unit, rose gold.

And if were making judgements based on appearance, seeing the five drivers on the other side, complete with the text 5-driver sound system, designed by Xiaomi makes a loud statement about the buds audio quality.

Each bud weighs 9.7g, which is a little more than some rivals Ive tested, but it doesnt tell. Theyre comfortable to wear for long gym sessions or trips, though when I wore them for my workout the bud would often move away from my ear if I leant down or lay down. Ive found this problem in a few other open-ears and it seems to happen most when the material connecting the bud
and counterweight is weak, and therefore unable to hold the bud rigidly.

The case is an oval clamshell that retains your color choice from the bud
and again, has a little designed by Xiaomi in case you forget who made it
(the name appears four times across the case and buds, not counting a little removable information sticker on the case).

Strong magnets grip the Stereo Pro when you put them in the case, so I never needed to fuss much about putting them in perfectly, which was handy when I wanted to sheathe the Xiaomi in a hurry. Features of the case include a USB-C charging port and pairing button but not much else.

Pre-release information provided to TechRadar didnt mention an IP rating for the buds or case, so keep them safe from rain. Design score: 3.5/5 Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Sound quality Five drivers per bud Default sound profile is bad Low max volume (Image credit: Future)

A glance at the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pros specs list sets up high expectations for the buds audio chops, and thats because each bud has a startling five drivers (most rivals have one).

Theres a tweeter for refining treble, dual balanced armatures aimed again at higher-frequency tones, an 18x13mm dynamic driver thats targeted at bass and the aforementioned 10mm sound leak reducer. And if that overwhelming hardware list somehow doesnt impress you, perhaps the support for Hi-Res Audio and LDAC, SBC and AAC codecs will.

After reading all those specs, seeing the five drivers individually presented on the earbuds in a distinct way, and setting up my expectations fittingly, I was pretty shocked to discover that the Stereo Pro dont sound good at all. In fact, I wrote a pretty scathing review of the sound and then connected the buds to the phone app (not available immediately because I had early access
to my review sample), changed from the default sound profile and found most
of my issues vanish. If youve just bought these buds, make this change straight away .

In their default sound profile, the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro sound tinny, compressing a multitude of instruments into one sound and losing the details from almost all of them. In rock songs instruments like rhythm guitar, accompaniment keys and backing vocals are muddled and drum lines and more prominent guitar lines are akin to sleigh bells for how jangling they sound. Reverb fills the space that a detailed soundstage should take up.

Changing from the default sound profile really widens instruments, as well as the soundstage (though if youre a masochist, the in-app toggle to increase
the dynamic range turns the tinniness up to 11). It doesnt make audio sound great , but it brings it in line with other open-ears.

The drivers emphasis on higher-end audio helps vocals and guitar solos stand out, and while theres sufficient bass it sounds ill-defined and loose unless you fix it in the equalizer. Most of the time, it turns songs into a wall of distorted sound in which you cant make up the textural details. I can see
some listeners being okay with this aspect of the buds, especially ones who like high-powered metal music, but bear in mind that if you try head-banging these buds are going to go flying.

The buds dont even go very loud, so I sometimes struggled to hear music when
I was nearby a road. Sound quality: 3/5 Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Value (Image credit: Future) Your money could go further unless you want
those features

As mentioned before, the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro sit around the average price of open earbuds, and also as mentioned, theres lots of competition.

In fact, some of our favorite options are cheaper, making Xiaomis offering feel hard to recommend given that its performance also doesnt match up.

The exception to this is whether or not the buds features sound enough to win you over, but for me, the sound quality is a sticking point. Value: 3/5
Should I buy the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro? (Image credit: Future) Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro score card

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

The decent battery life and useful extras make up for the wobbly connection.

4/5

Design

The buds are flashy and shiny with handy touch controls but the buds aren't held in place reliably.

3.5/5

Sound quality

The Stereo Pro gives unconvincing sound, even when youve turned off the poor default mode.

3/5

Value

There's bound to be something that works better within your budget... unless the features appeal to you.

3/5 Buy them if

You're worried about sound leakage
The new anti-sound-leak driver reduces how much of your music people nearby can hear, so you don't have to feel ashamed when you listen to your guilty pleasures any more.

You take frequent voice notes
If you're the kind of person who likes to record their thoughts, either for voice memos or just to keep notes, the quick recording feature will be useful..

You want something flashy
Not literally flashy, but the Xiaomi's shiny design makes them stand out from the crowd. View Deal Dont buy them if

You want refined audio
You've hopefully already read the sound quality section of this review. Suffice to say, the buds aren't for audiophiles.

You plan to mostly wear at the gym
I found the buds fit mostly well when I was walking, running and cycling, but gym workouts brought the fit problems when I'd bend over or lie down a lot. Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro review: Also consider

Xiaomi Openwear Stereo Pro

Huawei FreeArc

Honor Earbuds Open

Technics EAH-AZ100

Drivers

Tweeter + 2x balanced armatures + 18x13mm dynamic driver + 10mm driver

17x12mm

16mm

17x12mm

Active noise cancellation

No

No

Yes

No

Battery life

8.5 hours (buds) 45 hours (case)

7 hours (buds) 28 hours (total)

6 hours (buds) 40 hours (total)

7.5 hours (buds) 38.5 hours (case)

Weight

9.7g / charging case: 72g

8.9g / charging case: 67g

7.9g / charging case: 52.5g

9.6g / charging case: 88g

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.2

Bluetooth 5.2

Bluetooth 5.4

Waterproofing

NA

IP57

IP54

IP54

Huawei FreeArc
Our top-rated open earbuds stand out from the crowd for sounding better than any of their rivals. Theyre also solid in build and understated in design
and, most importantly, undercut the Xiaomi (and most other rivals).

See our full X review

Honor Earbuds Open
Another open earbud that excels in the features department and roughly matches the Xiaomi in terms of price comes from Honor. However again the fit is better and the presence of noise cancellation works wonders.

See our full Honor Earbuds Open review How I tested the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro (Image credit: Future) Tested for two weeks Tested at home, in the office, on runs, at the gym and while cycling

I used the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro for two weeks before writing this review, which is the standard TechRadar testing time.

During the testing period I used the buds at home, on walks around my neighborhood, on runs, at the gym, while cycling and on busy public
transport. I paired them to my Android smartphone and most of the testing was done on Spotify and Netflix.

I've been reviewing gadgets for TechRadar for nearly six years, which has included lots of Xiaomi gadgets in the past. For the last year I've been reviewing countless open earbuds, and so have a lot of experience in the area with which to compare the Xiaomis. First reviewed in September 2025 Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/earbuds-airpods/xiaomis-shiny-new-open-earbuds -fix-one-massive-problem-with-this-kind-of-headphone-design


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