Cleer ARC 5

The Cleer ARC 5 is an open-ear earbud with best-in-class sound quality, a 60-hour battery, and a touchscreen charging case with UV-C sanitization. It's perfect for runners and cyclists who want to hear their surroundings, but comfort and build quality are mediocre for the $220 price. If you don't need open-ear, sealed buds like the Sony WF-1000XM6 offer better overall value.

Sound quality is where the ARC 5 flexes. It's in the 100th percentile in our database, which means it's literally the best open-ear audio we've tested. The 16.2mm driver pushes out a frequency range of 65Hz to 40kHz, and with aptX Lossless and LDAC support, you're getting high-res audio over Bluetooth. Dolby Atmos and THX Spatial Audio with head tracking add a 3D layer that most open-ear buds skip entirely. Bass is fuller than you'd expect thanks to DBE 4.0 tech, though open-ear designs always sacrifice some low-end punch compared to sealed buds.

Battery life is also strong. The case holds up to 60 hours total, and a 5-minute quick charge gives you about 2 hours of playback. That's 89th percentile territory, which is impressive for something with a screen on the case. Connectivity is solid too, with multipoint pairing and Snapdragon Sound keeping things stable. The mic setup uses two mics with noise cancellation for calls, landing in the 81st percentile. Not class-leading, but perfectly fine for work calls and commutes.

The Cleer ARC 5 doesn't really compete with the Sony WF-1000XM6 or Technics EAH-AZ100 on noise cancellation, because it has none. Those are sealed buds with ANC, and they're better for blocking out the world. The ARC 5 is for the opposite use case. If you want to hear traffic while cycling or hear your name called at the gym, open-ear is the move. The Nothing Buds 2 and Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro are also sealed, so they're not direct rivals either. The JLab JBuds Pods ANC is a budget option with ANC, but its sound quality won't touch the ARC 5.

Where the ARC 5 wins is sound quality for an open-ear design. Nothing else in this category comes close to that 100th percentile score. The smart case is also a differentiator nobody else has. But if you don't need open-ear, the Sony WF-1000XM6 gives you better build quality, better comfort, and actual noise cancellation for a similar price. The ARC 5 is a specialist, not a generalist.

At $220 USD, the Cleer ARC 5 is priced like a premium earbud, and in some ways it delivers. The sound quality alone justifies a chunk of that cost, and the smart case is genuinely unique. But the build quality sits in the 34th percentile, which is disappointing for this price. In Canada, prices range from CAD 250 to CAD 300 depending on the vendor, so if you're buying north of the border, shop around. The lower end of that spread is the better deal. Compared to the Technics EAH-AZ100 or Sony WF-1000XM6, you're trading noise cancellation and build polish for open-ear awareness and a fancy case. Whether that's worth it depends on how much you hate having things in your ears.

The Cleer ARC 5 sits in a weird little corner of the earbuds world. It's an open-ear set with ear hooks, which means nothing goes inside your ear canal. You get a 16.2mm dynamic driver, Bluetooth 5.3, and a wild list of codecs including aptX Lossless and LDAC. At $220 USD, it's not cheap, but it's also not trying to be a standard noise-cancelling bud. It's for people who want to hear their surroundings while still getting decent audio.

So is the Cleer ARC 5 good for running? The IPX7 rating says yes, at least on paper. Sweat and rain won't kill it. But our comfort score lands in the 27th percentile, which is rough for something marketed as all-day wearable. The ear hooks keep it secure, but fit is personal. Some people love open-ear designs, others find them annoying after an hour.

What makes this thing stand out is the smart case. It has a touchscreen. A touchscreen on a charging case. You can tweak EQ, toggle Dolby Atmos, and check battery without opening an app. It also does UV-C sanitization when you close the lid. That's either brilliant or a gimmick depending on how much you care about clean earbuds. We lean toward brilliant, mostly because it's fun to use.

Skip the Cleer ARC 5 if you want active noise cancellation or a snug in-ear seal. Commuters on loud trains or people who work in noisy offices will be better served by the Sony WF-1000XM6 or Technics EAH-AZ100. Also skip it if comfort is your top priority, since the 27th percentile comfort score suggests the ear hooks won't work for everyone. If you're on a tight budget, the JLab JBuds Pods ANC gives you decent features for way less money, even if the sound quality doesn't compare.

Should you buy the Cleer ARC 5? If you specifically want open-ear earbuds with top-tier sound, yes. This is the best-sounding open-ear set we've tested, and the battery life is excellent. The touchscreen case is a fun bonus that actually works well. But if you're just looking for great earbuds in general, the comfort and build quality issues might push you toward something like the Sony WF-1000XM6 or Technics EAH-AZ100 instead.

For runners and cyclists who want to stay aware of their surroundings, the IPX7 rating and secure ear hooks make this a solid pick, even if the fitness score in our database is underwhelming. That low score mostly reflects the open-ear design's inherent limitations for gym use, not a fatal flaw. If you hate in-ear buds and want the best audio possible without sealing off your ears, the ARC 5 is the one to beat.