Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro review: Open-ear headphones with great sound and an interesting feature

When I found out that I would be the one from the Svět Androida editorial team to test the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro headphones, I was very pleasantly surprised. Firstly, I’m always happy to try out a product about which I can bring exclusive information even before its market launch, but most of all, I was looking forward to my first real experience with open-ear headphones…

To put you in context: when I’m not with my loved ones, you practically won’t see me without headphones. Since the launch of the premium Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 earbuds last year, I haven’t had any other headphones in my ears purely by my own choice. At home, I listen to music from speakers, for DJing I still use mediocre gaming headphones, and just a few weeks ago I treated myself to a new audio product – the wireless edition of Koss Porta Pro 2.0 headphones, purely because I like their design and they entertain me.

I’ll admit right from the start that I didn’t expect much from open-ear headphones, but the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro pleasantly surprised me after a short while of playback. So let’s take a look together at what these headphones offer, what kind of users they will satisfy, and what I think of them after more than a week of use.

Review contents

Package contents

Before we delve into more technical details, let’s take a look at the packaging. If you have any experience with Xiaomi products, its exterior won’t surprise you much. As for size, the Chinese manufacturer has learned to manage space better over time, so despite its small dimensions, it hides everything necessary, including a USB-A to USB-C charging cable. The essential paper minimum is also included, but what is missing, of course, are spare ear tips. Since the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro don’t go directly into the ears, there’s simply no need for such a thing.

Stunning case combining multiple materials

After unboxing the headphones, I was absolutely captivated by the case for several minutes; the designers clearly put a lot of effort into it. I received the headphones in a luxurious-looking gold variant. While the exterior could still be described as golden, the interior leans more towards light brown. My attention was most drawn to the artificial leather covering the upper half, in the middle of which we find the manufacturer’s glossy logo. The rest of the case is made of matte plastic, and on the back of the hinge, we find inscriptions commemorating the collaboration between Xiaomi and the American audio electronics company Harman.

Regarding the hinge’s durability, I’m always a bit skeptical about cases of this type. Not that I’ve had a specific bad experience in the past, but simply the design doesn’t feel as robust to me as with “egg-shaped” cases like the Pixel Buds Pro 2. Of course, I’m aware that a similar design would be difficult to use for open-ear headphones.

Upon first opening the case, besides the headphones themselves, your eye will catch the suede surface of the upper half, from which a rubber island with the inscription “Designed by Xiaomi” protrudes. The way Xiaomi designed the case simply impressed me immensely – I might even have been disappointed if, for a model costing less than 4,000, which seemingly presents itself as a fashion accessory, I had only received a boring piece of plastic.

Headphone design

Even more important than the case’s design is, of course, the construction of the headphones themselves. When we talk about an open-ear design, we mean that the headphones are not placed directly into the ear canal, but on the outside of the ear. This principle remains the same, but the specific implementation depends on the manufacturer. Huawei FreeClip, for example, clip onto the side of the earlobe, and Bose Ultra Open Earbuds work very similarly. Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro, instead, wrap around the earlobe, making them somewhat resemble a hearing aid. The part with the drivers (speakers) ultimately sits in front of your ear canal, and the part containing the battery practically touches your earlobe.

Before putting them on for the first time, I was worried whether I would put the headphones on correctly and wouldn’t spend five minutes figuring out how to place them on my ear. The reality, however, was that I placed them correctly on the first try, and by the second day, I could put each one on with one hand. Essentially, if you feel that the earphone sits well, then you have 99% certainly placed it correctly.

You’ll get used to the open-ear design quickly. While almost every time I test classic TWS headphones, my ears suffer slightly due to different designs and slightly different ear tips, I didn’t have this problem with the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro. The headphones hold well during head movements and only “dangle” a little if you shake your head more intensely from side to side. Even that will stop bothering you after a while. Thanks to their low weight (around 10g per earbud), your ears won’t hurt even after several hours of wear. You can also listen while exercising or in the rain, thanks to the IP54 rating.

Main reasons why you should (or shouldn’t) want open-ear headphones

Open-ear headphones are specific in their own way, and as I’ve learned, they are not for everyone. The design, which does not directly enter the ear canal, is generally more comfortable even for extended wear. Moreover, they are suitable, for example, for the city, where it is desirable to be aware of your surroundings, or for work, where there is a potential risk that someone might suddenly start talking to you and you’ll need to hear them.

However, this naturally comes with a significant drawback: the fact that the headphones practically do not suppress external noise at all. Quite logically, they simply have no way to do so – at most, you can increase the volume yourself to make the music “drown out” the noise. As a spoiled user of Pixel Buds Pro 2 with relatively effective ANC, I didn’t particularly enjoy bus rides with the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro. One might argue that even the Koss Porta Pro I mentioned don’t filter out ambient noise, but I use those purely for show (and I didn’t really expect any special luxury from them).

Sound quality, or how do open-ear headphones sound?

Before testing the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro, I was slightly concerned about how the headphones would perform in the most important area – sound quality. I was particularly worried that they wouldn’t satisfy me enough with low frequencies, which I, as a listener of drum and bass (and especially hard crossbreed), am dependent on. And in a way, I was right…

In the default settings, the audio delivery truly didn’t suit me; the sound felt flat, especially concerning low frequencies. The mid-range also lagged slightly in my opinion, and I wouldn’t hesitate to call the highs unnecessarily prominent. Fortunately, in the Xiaomi Earbuds mobile app, you’ll find a Sound Effects section where you can choose your preferred audio profile. I felt progress after switching to Harman AudioEFX, but after trying the Harman Master mode, I couldn’t go back. With it, the sound truly felt more balanced, and I started to enjoy listening – so thank goodness for it. However, it’s a shame that an equalizer is not available in the headphone app, which limits audiophiles.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro remember the sound profile, so if you connect them to a laptop, for example, you won’t get basic quality sound instead of Harman Master.

Technically, the headphones feature an 18×13 mm dynamic driver, complemented by dual Hi-Fi balanced armatures and a piezoelectric ceramic tweeter. After selecting the optimal sound profile, the resulting audio simply sounds quite good, and although the headphones don’t sound better than the Pixel Buds Pro 2 to me, they definitely exceeded my expectations.

Last but not least, Xiaomi mentions a system that should prevent sound leakage to the surroundings. The fact is that it doesn’t work entirely badly – at least according to what my friends told me when I was listening to music near them. However, it probably depends a lot on what you’re listening to. When rap was playing in my headphones, the sound didn’t leak much, but when listening to hard electronic music, others warned me that it was a bit audible. As someone who isn’t ashamed of the music they enjoy, this doesn’t bother me too much, but from the perspective of a technology editor, I had to mention it.

Smart features are great when they work as they should

Like almost all better wireless headphones, Xiaomi’s new product also has a number of smart features. First and foremost, I can praise the large touch surfaces, which allow for easy gesture control. These can also be conveniently customized in the app.

On the other hand, I was disturbed when using the adaptive volume feature. The idea itself is, of course, good – the content volume automatically adjusts to your surroundings, so if you’re in a noisy environment, you’ll hear music louder. The problem, however, is that the feature doesn’t work as one would expect. When the volume suddenly increases significantly, for example, when a bus starts or a toilet door opens (and this actually happened to me, even on the very first day), you won’t have a very pleasant experience. After unpleasant experiences, I turned off adaptive volume and didn’t turn it back on. Perhaps this shortcoming will improve in a future firmware update.

My attention and much greater favor were won by the recording function. By holding the touch surface on the headphones, you can start recording ambient sounds, which can be useful, for example, during meetings. Similarly, you can also record if the headphones are stored in the closed case – just press its control button three times. All recordings are saved to the headphones’ memory and can then be exported to a smartphone via the Xiaomi Earbuds app. The quality of the recorded sound is rather below average, but just for the integration of this feature alone, Xiaomi gets a thumbs up from me. However, I am surprised that in this era of AI craze, we don’t have the option in the app to have recordings summarized using artificial intelligence.

Battery life up to 45 hours

The Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro also impress with very good battery life. The headphones themselves can play music for up to 8.5 hours, which is respectable. With a fully charged case, the total time extends to 45 hours. In practice, this means that users who listen to music for 3 hours a day could theoretically only need to charge the case once every two weeks. Unfortunately, wireless charging is not supported.

Price and availability

The Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro are available on the Czech market for a recommended price of 3,899 CZK. They are sold in gray, gold, and black variants. Additionally, with the purchase of Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro headphones, you get 3 months of ad-free music with Spotify Premium.

Verdict: A successful piece of electronics that’s not for everyone

The Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro was a pleasant entry into the world of open-ear headphones for me. Although I wouldn’t use them as my main headphones, as I can hardly imagine commuting by public transport or walking through the busy streets of Olomouc without ANC, their build quality and very decent audio output pleasantly surprised me.

For a product of this type, it’s important to ask yourself if you fit its target audience. Do you want to be aware of your surroundings while listening to music? Do you dislike regular in-ear or over-ear headphones? Were you tempted by the ambient sound recording feature? If you answered “yes” to at least one of these questions, you should consider getting the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro.

Conversely, if you truly care about the maximum possible sound quality and have grown fond of ANC, like me, I would recommend sticking with classic in-ear headphones or over-ear models.

Overall, with the Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro, I can appreciate the build quality of both the headphones and the case, decent battery life, sound quality, and IP54 certification. I was disappointed by the adaptive audio, the absence of an equalizer in the app, or the complexity surrounding audio profiles – a regular user might not even stumble upon them. And the fact that the headphones look like a hearing aid isn’t exactly an advantage either…

Editor’s rating: 84 / 100 %

Do you have any experience with open-ear headphones?