Testing Hisense’s New HiClips

By June Ramli

Perth, Sept 3: Hisense may be best known for televisions and home appliances, but the electronics brand is now making a play for your ears with the launch of the Hisense HiClips, its first product in the personal audio category.
Priced at $199 in Australia, the HiClips take a different approach to conventional wireless earbuds. Rather than sitting inside the ear canal, they use an open-ear, clip-on design that wraps around the ear.
Having recently returned home from an overseas trip, I was greeted by a pair of HiClips waiting for me to review. I received the grey-toned pair, and my first impression was that these are seriously good-looking earbuds.
But the design isn’t purely cosmetic.
The clip-on format makes the HiClips particularly appealing for exercise. They sit securely around the ears, meaning there is less of that nagging concern about an earbud working itself loose and falling out during a high-intensity workout.
Comfort was another immediate positive.
Each HiClip weighs just 5.5 grams, according to Hisense, and uses a flexible titanium-nickel C-bridge covered in soft-touch silicone. In practice, I found them extremely comfortable. After wearing them for a while, it was surprisingly easy to forget that I had anything attached to my ears at all.

Open-Ear Listening

Unlike traditional earbuds that seal the ear canal, the HiClips are deliberately open.
That means you can listen to music, podcasts or calls while remaining aware of what’s happening around you — something that could be particularly useful when walking outdoors, commuting or exercising.
Hisense says the HiClips use acoustically tuned hardware and anti-leak technology to provide good sound without completely isolating the wearer from their surroundings.
From my time with them, the sound quality impressed me. For an open-ear product, the listening experience was enjoyable and, combined with the comfort and unusual design, makes the $199 asking price feel reasonable.
The HiClips also include dual microphones with noise reduction for calls, intelligent wear detection and customisable controls through Hisense’s ConnectLife app.
There is even a tracking function for locating misplaced earbuds — potentially handy given how easy small wireless devices are to lose.

One Connectivity Problem

There was, however, one feature I couldn’t get working as expected.
Hisense promotes dual-device connectivity, which is supposed to make switching between phones, tablets and computers easier.
After successfully connecting the HiClips to my iPhone, I tried pairing them with my iMac as a second device. Despite several attempts, I wasn’t able to establish that second connection.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the feature won’t work with other device combinations, but it was a disappointing part of my own experience given that multi-device connectivity is one of the features Hisense specifically highlights.

The Verdict

For a company’s first move into personal audio, the Hisense HiClips make a strong impression.
The biggest selling point for me isn’t a complicated technical specification. It’s simply how comfortable they are.
The lightweight clip-on design feels secure without being intrusive, and that makes the HiClips particularly well suited to people who dislike having conventional earbuds pushed into their ears. The design should also appeal to gym users and people who want to remain aware of their surroundings while listening.
Sound quality is impressive, they’re stylish enough to stand out, and at $199, I think there’s enough here to justify the price.
I’d like to see the dual-device connectivity work more smoothly based on my experience, but it wasn’t enough to outweigh what I liked about the HiClips overall.
Hisense HiClips are available now in Vitality Orange, Cloud White, Graphite Blue and Midnight Black through Hisense Australia for AU$199.

Disclosure: Hisense provided the HiClips to DailyStraits for review purposes at no cost. The company had no editorial control over this review, and all opinions expressed are our own.