Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: stylish open-ear headphones with high-end features
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Xiaomi’s new OpenWear Stereo Pro headphones combine long battery life, balanced audio and a lightweight design for everyday use
As part of a series of launches, tech giant Xiaomi has just lifted the lid on a new set of open-ear headphones, the Openwear Stero Pro. It's another stylish wearable from Xiaomi, aiming to blend all-day comfort with a professional-grade sound experience.
Available for £139.99 on the Xiaomi website, and in three colours, they're a sensibly priced option for anyone demanding high-fidelity audio without sacrificing situational awareness.
That's the beauty of open-ear headphones, they conduct sound rather than drive it straight into your ear. The downside is sound leakage, but Xiaomi claims to have sorted this with a trick leakage reduction system.
It's driven by a dedicated 16mm driver that actively emits reverse sound waves to counteract audio spill-over.
Xiaomi says it offers a improvement in performance compared with the previous generation and I haven't personally tested the previous generation, but I can confirm it is impressive the technology definitely works.
They're also incredibly comfortable. More secure than traditional earbuds thanks to their loop, but light and flexible, they sit on your ear without exerting too much pressure.
I wouldn't say they're ready for extreme sports, but running and cycling is fine, and they're certainly comfortable enough to wear for long stints.
Those long stints are boosted by the battery life, because these buds have 8.5 hours of playback on a single charge and an impressive total of 45 hours when used with the charging case. A quick 10-minute charge provides up to two hours of listening. There's no wireless charging though, which is a shame at this price point.
Sound quality is often compromised with open-ear headphones, but Xiaomi has drafter in Harman to provide a tunable soundstage, which is easy to set up to your preferences.
What it lacks in punch over a high-end set of in-ear buds, it makes up for in overall balance. The definition is suited well to voices, so podcast addicts will love these, and while heavy metal fans might find them lacking in depth, the overall clarity is quite lovely. And it's easy to configure through the app.
Bluetooth 5.4 is a nice addition, and an audio recording feature is nice to see. All of the features are, of course, accessible through touch controls, and it takes a while to set these up to your liking, but once you sort everything out, it's good to go.
The overall impression you get from the OpenWear Stereo Pros is quality. From the titanium parts that help it sit so comfortably, to the plush lining of the case, it just feels like a robust, high-quality setup.
In the world of personal wearable audio, there's plenty to choose from at this price - and Xiaomi has now made your choice even harder.