Cleer ARC 3 Open-Ear Earbuds with Dolby Atmos and 50Hr Battery - Blue

I have been a fan of neck headphones ever since LG debuted the original design a very long time ago. Nobody had anything similar, and I was skeptical of them. Why would you want to wear headphones on your shoulders and hug your neck especially during working out? I gave it a try and fell in love (after making a few adjustments.) But LG Tone's headphones came with some annoying flaws with each successive model, one of which was audio cutting in and out, and the other being that they did not last very long: their headsets died within a year. I had three of them. All died within about a year. Customer service was terrible. LG was flying high on its exclusive design. Then came the copycats. They were even worse. Fast-forward 10 years later, and wireless headphones have become de facto, particularly with the introduction of Apple's AirPods. The problem with AirPods is that they could easily drop off during more intense workouts. I lost 2 during marathons. That made the races even more than I wanted. Alas, I was never able to locate them -- either they were swept away, taken by someone, or crushed by other runners or cars. Who knows? I tried over-the-ear, wireless headphones and all disappointed short of buying the very expensive brands. A running mate recommended I try out Cleer. And so I did. I never heard of that company, actually, but the feature set sounded good: sporty look and design, ability to connect to 2 Bluetooth devices at the same time (so I could answer both my personal and work phones without having to switch over), good sound quality (it had clarity and decent bass when I briefly tried my friend's), and looked to be able to stay on the ear better. PROS - Quality material - Sat comfortably and securely even during high-intensity workouts - Great sound with decent bass - 9.5 hours tested usage (takes about 2 hours to charge) - Reasonable pricing to LG Tone's neck headphones - Voice calls sounded good to other side (while drowning out background noise) - Connect up to 2 devices at the same time - Sweat proof at IPX7 (X means that it was not rated against dust protection. Second number is for water protection and is out of 9) - Bluetooth 5.4 - Carry case included that also acts as UV sanitizer and battery charger packing enough power for 3 more charges (Manufacturer claim. Didn't test this out) - Cleer+ App smartphone app allows additional customizations and controls and perform firmware updates CONS - Volume could be a bit louder, especially if you're going to use it on an airplane [EDIT: You can make it slightly louder on iOS by going to Settings > Sound > Headphone Safety > and turning off "Reduce Loud Audio"] - Bass could use some more power CONTROLS Taps: Earbuds can be tapped to control music and take/make calls Head Motion: Disabled by default, and I did not want to turn it on to test because I don't want my head to accidentally trigger things while working out. I just want the headset to play music and take/make calls, that's it. TIP: Should you need to reset the earbuds, put them into the charging case and long-press the "MFB" button for 10 seconds until it says "Restoring Bluetooth Setting" [sic] Overall, I really like this set of headphones after my disastrous experience with the LG Tone neckbands. LG's original was great, but LG's subsequent models, their poor customer service, and poorly-executed copycats made me stay away from this type of headphones. Cleer did great with their take on this headphone. Many thanks for the recommendation from my running mate!

I've waited to review until I'd had and used these a good bit to be able to give my honest review and after a month of use I can say that I love these and would absolutely recommend them and buy them again. I have never found a pair of ear buds that don't cause me extreme pain in my ears, neck, shoulders, and head. I've tried all manner of ear buds, from super cheap to really expensive, and these are the first set of ear buds that I can wear all day without any pain whatsoever. It took a little getting used to the way that they fit because they did sort of feel like they were on the verge of falling out when I first got them, but this is just due to a different design than I've ever experienced and they're actually quite secure and not going anywhere. I do find myself forgetting that I have them on and will walk around with nothing playing, wearing them for hours sometimes. Even as a glasses wearer, I don't find myself having any problems with comfort or secure fit. The sound quality is honestly the best I've experienced in all ofthe ear buds I've tried. I'm super impressed with the bass they're able to achieve, and it is sort of a "sound is in your head" kind of experience. I've used them for listening to music, watching YouTube, watching TV shows and movies, and have never felt that I needed to adjust the EQ. They really just sound great for all uses, in my opinion. I love the way that you put them into pairing mode - I did have to look up a YouTube video on how to do it because I struggled to understand the instructions provided, but it's actually really easy and reliable, and one of the easier pairing experiences I've had. I have a few pairs of headphones/ear buds that are a major pain to pair and fall out of being paired randomly, and I've had none of those issues with these. I haven't had any issues with the touch controls not working right, though I don't use these for running and it seems the majority of reviewers having issues with the touch controls are runners who experience sweat, so that could be why I've had no issues. I'm a stay at home mom who works part time from home and home schools my kid, so my typical use of these is while sitting at a computer working, or while walking around my home doing school or chores. They're not super noise canceling and they don't have the longest battery life but that is exactly as advertised. Being open ear fit they couldn't possibly be noise canceling (though they do actually drown out most sound pretty well if the volume is up high), which is actually what I need in ear buds as a stay at home mom who needs to be able to hear my kid at all times. I don't want to give these a low review on noise cancellation or battery life because they're clearly advertised as not being noise canceling, and also clearly advertised that the ear buds themselves only have a 7 hour battery life and the case has a 28 hour battery life, so it would seem unfair to lower their rating over something that you're advertised before even buying. Maybe in future models they'll be able to increase the battery life, but until then it is totally fine with me as someone who is home pretty much at all times and able to recharge without issue. I am super happy with these, and so pleased to have finally found ear buds I can wear without pain. After years of searching, I finally found a pair that works for me and actually sounds great, too.

My ear canal is more egg shaped than circular and I have always had an issue with in-ear earbuds falling out despite design (wings, ear hooks, etc). For me it's either ear-clip or open-ear. I purchased the JLab Flex from Best Buy and the new Shokz OpenFit 2's from Amazon. The OpenFit 2's were wonderful and can be worn 24/7 as they feel weightless. However, they are almost $200 and don't have AptX Adaptive or LE Audio (LC3 Codec). For 2025 that's unacceptable especially at $200. I actually kept the JLab Flex ear-clip earbuds. They were only $40 and don't sound anywhere near as good as as the Cleer Arc III's, but because they are so cheap and comfortable they are good traveling and taking places where you won't feel awful if you lose them or they get stolen. The Cleer Arc III's provide and almost "in-ear" like experience while still being open-ear. They are bright and have excellent bass. I found the "Pop" EQ to be excellent for my preference. I have been using my Sennheiser BTD 600 adapter on my PC to use AptX Adaptive for gaming. Latency is great. Seems like a 5/5 star product, but I knocked off a star for these reasons. I hope that someone from Cleer Audio reads this and takes this feedback into consideration for the Cleer Arc IV: 1. I have normal sized ears. I noticed after a couple hours of wearing that there is a soreness to the antihelical fold of my ears. Even is I use the extension the Arc III's still touch it and it causes fatigue. If the next Arc's could be a few millimeters shorter and be away from the antihelical fold that would solve this. 2. The case is so feature rich it's almost to a fault. Some people might like it, but I feel like it's pointless and that some of the cost of the excessive case features was passed to me as the consumer. Every top-brand earbud company uses an app because it works great. Make a nice case and if you want to have the UV sterilizers that's great, but put all that money from the case into other things such as improving the quality of the Cleer app that appears to have very negative reviews.

Love these - sound quality and battery life have been great, they don't go inside your ear so they feel so much better to me, and they work pretty seamlessly with multiple devices (phone, tablet, computer). The case UV sanitizes them as well as charging them. The microphone seems to do fine as I haven't had issues on video calls. Been using them several months and have not regretted the purchase. I use them far more frequently than I ever did in-ear models.

Update: 6/15 - these dont seem to irritate my ears like they did at first. I was hoping I just needed time to adjust. They still have the unpleasant smell, but it seems to be going away with use and time. The volume when connected to my computer is way lower than my phone, but i think thats a computer issue, not the headphones. Everything else remains the same. First thought when I opened the case to try them... they reek. They smell insanely strong of that weird plastic, dentist office smell. It's nauseating. I've had them for 2 weeks and the smell isn't getting any better. If anyone has any suggestions for getting rid of the smell, I'll take them because I'm thinking of returning them. The multi-point connection is a cool concept.. until you're listening to something on your computer and your phone gets a notification and then it cuts out from your computer for 5-10 seconds, then gets staticky when it reconnects, and you've missed out on whatever you were listening to. I understand that it likely can't play 2 sounds at once.. but I'm not sure what the benefits are of the multi point connection if it doesn't really work properly. To note, when im listening to something on my phone, the sound doesnt cut out when I type or get a notification, it just lowers. I'm not sure why it doesnt do that with my computer. Not really sure how accurate the battery life is, as I've used them on and off and the percentage on the case decreases whether you use the earbuds or not. So on a full charge, it doesn't really seem like you would actually get the full 50 hours.. but that's still a test in progress. They do charge pretty quickly though.. both the buds and the case. The case is heavy and bulky. Not a huge deal to me, but possibly to someone else. The comfort isn't there. I don't know if it's just because I'm not used it or what.. But they hurt after a while. I wear contacts and glasses. They do not interfere with my glasses when I wear them, but they do hurt whether I have my glasses on or not and I wear them for more than 30 minutes. Still trying to determine if I just need adjust to wearing them or not.. but it's a relief when I take them off and I might end up returning them because of that too. The sound (when working properly) seems really good! I haven't had to turn the volume up more than half way when using my phone, which means it gets pretty loud, so I like that.. but there is definitely going to be sound leakage at higher volumes. It's very clear most of the time, but I do get moments where there's random static and the connection skips out. It also makes a beeping sound in my ear sometimes, like its connecting and disconnecting, even when its still connected to the device im using. The app is weird.. when I open it, it says its pairing every time. Definitely different from my galaxy buds.. not a major issue, but also a little inconvenient. I don't like that I cant adjust the volume from the buds directly without pausing what's playing. I cant lay down with them either, because the touch from my pillow messes with what I'm listening to.. also not a huge deal, I can just use one, but still something to mention. I really want to love them because they are expensive.. they seem to be good quality, but I'm just struggling to get past the smell, discomfort, and connection interruptions. As I use them more (if I don't return them) I will make any updates ! Especially if I find fixes for the issues I'm having with them.

Update 5/19/26 can't use these phone calls echoing and no one can hear me other side , I can't recommended these for calls or music . Update 5/17/26 echoing ridiculous when on call and sound muffles . When earbuds charging overnight notice case battery dies . Yesterday charge fully then today case battery dead. Compare previous brand Arc volumes is 4 clicks lower there not loud . I place arc 3 back in box . There very comfy one best market but sound , volume and phone calls are downgrade for me from arc 2 . Custom EQ doesn't work , I use jazz best EQ found . Pro's very comfortable, Case screen. Kool honestly didn't use it . I do have previous model Arc 2 sound perfectly Con's . First let this say imnfan clever brand . My shokz open earbuds under Warrenty, so try these arc 3 , for me Arc 2 sound better louder . First issue is telephone calls her my own voice echoing tried do factory reset didn't fix issue , sound over 70% muffles sounds horrible . Custom EQ doesn't make difference so use jazz EQ that's best one . For me volume not as good previous version . For me use earbuds voicecalls frequently so these arc 3 not for me . For open earbuds sound decent still like version 2 better . I will say there as comfortable shokz very comfy . For sale price it's good deal but will be returning if this need good pair open earbuds good deal . I will say this cleer customer care top notch had speak them 2 years ago with Arc 2 replaced them within week still works 100%, version are much softer then version 2's very comfy . I do recommend them for music not phone calls , don't get loud Compre some competition. Cleer next version please use button control too sensitive touch control .

I've struggled over the years to find good lightweight open earthat produce an overall good sound quality while providing comfort and stability. These open earbuds were a match made in heaven. SOUND: It's almost the same level of sound quality as you'd get from traditional over-ear studio quality headphones with dolbyatmos - both open-ear and in-ear style - it exceeded my expectation! The app allows you to choose from some EQ presets and create your own custom EQ presets so you can tweak the EQ bands to your liking, which is a great feature. COMFORT: The nice adjustable hinge “up & down” and “left & right” that go around the ear are very gentle against the skin (I have sensitive skin, so I was pleased with that). They're sturdy and keep these buds in place even when moving/exercising. They're easy to just keep on as you go about your day, which is the first for me - I've had other earbuds before, but my ears would always end up feeling sore after an hour of wearing them. With the ARC 3, I can keep them in for hours without feeling the urge to take them out. STABILITY: Their design is flawless - they fit nice and snug into the antihelix of the ear and loop around the back of the ear to keep them safe and secure. No issues! VALUE: They're more expensive than budget brands while less expensive than other highly rated open-ear options, making the price point reasonable. OVERALL: Best open-ear ear buds I've ever owned, I absolutely love them and recommend them to everyone.

The Good: The innovation and sound are fantastic with these Arc 3 buds. Very comfortable. Paired effortlessly with my Galaxy 24 Ultra. The case is also very cool. The Bad: It appears that the multipoint connection is nonexistent. The UV sanitization is annoying because it works even after only a few seconds removal from case and it takes more than a few seconds to run through the cleaning cycle. Super annoying when you're trying to troubleshoot. I didn't see a way to easily get help from tech support at Cleer, and the help section in the app is almost laughable. The Ugly: I spent several hours trying to get these to connect to my Windows 11 laptop. Unfortunately, this is a known issue with these. No amount of fixes or troubleshooting suggested by both Cleer's feeble 'tech support' on their site and Windows would get them to connect to my laptop (main purpose for me). I got them to show up in the list of Bluetooth devices for a few seconds, then they were never to be seen again. This is a deal breaker for me. After performing a factory reset on both the case and buds, then reinstalling the update, the case touchscreen would not open the controls at all making it useless for anything other than charging and UV sanitizing. I'm not one to give up easily, always looking for solutions with tech problems, but these shortened my lifespan with amount of frustration they put me through. I gave up and put them back in the box to return. Overall: I really wanted to like these open ear buds, but unfortunately, they are not market ready, in my opinion. At least not for using with Windows 11. I replaced these with the Bose Ultra Open buds...so far the Bose buds are outstanding.

Maravilloso

I had some issues with the fitting and had given a poor review originally. The company reached out to me to discuss the matter and is going to send out an replacement. It goes to show how good this company is dealing with its customers. I have now revised my rating to excellent.

I was excited to try these as I don’t get on well with in-ear headphones. My excitement quickly turned to frustration after struggling through an inexcusably bad onboarding process, during which the headphones repeatedly refused to pair with my iPhone 15. When I did manage to pair them, they “forgot” about being paired and this meant that I had to manually pair them back to my phone for each use. The app prompted me to upgrade the firmware and in case this might help with the Bluetooth pairing, I attempted to upgrade the firmware. Actually I attempted it 11 times. Each time the app would download the firmware (why not just download it to the app once?) and the fail to apply it to the headphones. On the plus side however, they look nice.

I had a minor issue with my order, but the customer service team handled it exceptionally well. They were quick to respond, professional, and offered a fair resolution with a partial refund. It’s clear they genuinely care about their customers and stand behind their products. I’m very satisfied with how everything was handled and wouldn’t hesitate to order from them again. Highly recommend for both product quality and excellent service!

Sounds good Amazing product But cannot wear it for longer than 1 hour starts hurting the ear