- TCL CrystalClip are some of the most surprising headphones to land at MWC
- They are open headphones launched under the Swarovski partnership.
- Despite their shiny nature, they actually have some decent specs.
They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend; Could they also be audiophiles? Perhaps for fitness fanatics (or lovers of the new and romantic ear cuffs of the 80s), think TCL, with its new and unusual set on our list of the best open headphones.
TCL has never been afraid to think outside the box to merge two product categories into one item; Who could forget the TCL Telly Table and four other conceptual design ideas that the company presented in Milan a few years ago?
The new TCL CrystalClip was unveiled at the annual MWC 2026 tech event in Barcelona, along with some new tablet and paper-like display technologies. However, the CrystalClip are by far the most striking new release: they come adorned with Swarovski crystals… sort of.
The model shown at MWC is a variation of 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 to stick very well if you use the CrystalClip while running (a typical use case here, since the open earbuds allow you to hear ambient noise, like traffic), and you can’t close the case while they’re attached.
I couldn’t hear friends at MWC, but I was able to play with them. You don’t have to buy the buds with these extras and you could probably save a few dollars by ignoring them completely. But since the base model is also called CrystalClip, I think my crystal music puns are justified.
TechRadar is on the show floor this year CMM (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona, Spain, and we will cover the latest news from some of the biggest names in mobile, computing, fitness and more.
Lucy in heaven with TCL CrystalClips
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Despite the shiny crystal design and attention-grabbing Swarovski accessory, the CrystalClip could, beneath the surface, be some pretty interesting new open ears.
They’re lightweight, weighing 5.5 grams each, and were more curved than most I’ve tried, which apparently helps mold them to an ear. I’ve always preferred the clip-on style open ear ones over the sport hook ones as they have a stiffer fit and sound better.
Speaking of sound, the CrystalClip has “dual magnetic dynamic drivers,” which are apparently different than “dual magnetic dynamic drivers”: there’s one driver per button, although at first glance at the spec list I thought the use of that first phrase meant there were two. You get support for 3D Spatial Audio and can play SBC or AAC over Bluetooth 5.4.
They last 8 hours per button and up to 36 hours with the case, and have an IPX4 rating.
Honestly, they look a little ridiculous, and I’d add a “very” for the Swarovski version, but beauty, of course, is in the eye of the beholder and my audio editor Becky Scarrott loves them, as does the somewhat similar Moto Buds Loop. But I get the impression that TCL has put a lot more thought into adaptation than other brands here, so I’m interested in trying these out and if they’re solid, they could be some of the best open-back headphones of the year so far.
The TCL CrystalClip is expected to hit the market in the coming days or weeks in the US, Europe and Asia, with the Swarovski version arriving later. Exact pricing is to be confirmed, but the glass model is expected to be more expensive than the standard one.
The best open-back headphones for every budget
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