- TCL CrystalClip are some of the most surprising earbuds to land at MWC
- They’re open earbuds released under Swarovski partnership
- Despite their blingy nature, they actually have some decent specs
They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend; could they be an audiophiles’ too? Maybe for fitness fans (or lovers of 80s new romantic ear cuffs), thinks TCL, with its new and unusual play for our best open earbuds list.
TCL has never been afraid of thinking outside the box to merge two product categories into one item; who could forget the TCL Telly Table and four other design concept ideas the company unveiled in Milan a few years ago?
The new TCL CrystalClip were unveiled at annual tech event MWC 2026 in Barcelona, alongside some new tablets and paper-like screen technologies. The CrystalClip are by far the most flashy new release though: they come bedecked with Swarovski crystals… sorta.
The model shown off at MWC is a spin on the ‘typical’ model, as TCL is releasing some CrystalClips with optional clip-on Swarovski crystal decals. You can see them in all the pictures, but they don’t seem like they’d stick on very well if you used the CrystalClip on a run (a typical use case here, since open earbuds allow you to hear ambient noise such as traffic), and you can’t shut the case while they’re attached.
I didn’t get to listen to the buds at MWC, but I got to play around with them. You don’t have to buy the buds with these extras, and you could probably save a few bucks by ignoring them completely. But given that the base model are also called CrystalClip, I think my crystal music puns are justified.
TechRadar is on the show floor for this year’s MWC (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona, Spain, and we’ll be covering the latest news from some of the biggest names in mobile, computing, fitness and more
Lucy in the sky with TCL CrystalClips
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Despite the blingy crystal design and attention-grabbing Swarovski accessory, the CrystalClip could, beneath the surface, be some pretty interesting new open-ears.
They’re light, at 5.5 grams each, and were more curvy than most I’ve tested which apparently helps mold them to an ear. I’ve always preferred clipping-style open-ears to sports-hook ones, as they’re more rigid in fit and sound better.
Talking of sound, the CrystalClip have “dual-magnetic dynamic drivers” which is apparently different to “dual magnetic dynamic drivers”: there’s one driver per bud, though at first glance of the specs list I thought the use of that first phrase meant there were two. You get support for 3D Spatial Audio and they can play SBC or AAC over Bluetooth 5.4.
They last 8 hours per bud and up to 36 hours with the case, and have an IPX4 rating.
Honestly, they look a bit goofy, and I’d add a “very” there for the Swarovski version – but beauty is of course in the eye of the beholder and my audio editor Becky Scarrott adores them, as she does the somewhat similar Moto Buds Loop. But I get the impression that TCL has thought about fit a lot more than some other brands here, so I’m interested to try them, and if they are solid they could be some of the best open-ears of the year so far.
The TCL CrystalClip are expected to come out in the coming days or weeks across the US, Europe and Asia, with the Swarovski version coming later. Exact pricing is TBC, but expect the crystal model to be pricier than the standard one.
The best open earbuds for all budgets
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tom.bedford@hotmail.co.uk (Tom Bedford)
