Cleer ARC 4 Plus and Cleer ARC 5 Review: Open-ear Earbuds Split Between Value and Ambition

Cleer ARC 4 Plus and ARC 5 Review

Open-ear earbuds succeed or fail on one question: do they make awareness feel like an advantage rather than a compromise? Cleer’s ARC 4 Plus and ARC 5 both try to answer that question with more technical ambition than most of this category usually brings. The ARC 4 Plus focuses on price discipline while still offering THX-certified sound, Dolby Atmos head-tracking, Bluetooth 5.4 multipoint, IPX7 protection, and a 34-hour total battery life claim. The ARC 5 takes the same core idea and pushes it upmarket with THX Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos optimization, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound S5 platform, LDAC, AI-enhanced call suppression, and a touchscreen case.

The difference between them is not cosmetic. Cleer is positioning the ARC 5 as a fuller rethink of the premium open-ear experience, not just a better-specced sibling. It sports a more compact, more useful case and a stronger sense of immersion. My own experience keeps the review grounded, though. The issue of ear size remains a challenge, with the speakers on the earbuds still floating above my ear canal. That fit issue matters more than any codec, certification, or screen. If the driver does not sit in the right place, the value proposition weakens. 

Specification comparison

Model	Price	Driver	Bluetooth / codecs	Battery	Quick charge	Weight	Key extras	Warranty
ARC 4 Plus	$109.99	16.2mm	Bluetooth 5.4; aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LC3, SBC, AAC	9 hours earbuds / 34 hours total	10 min = 2 hrs	10.8g each; 76g with case	THX Certified, Dolby Atmos with head tracking, IPX7, multipoint	1 year
ARC 5	$219.99	16.2mm	Bluetooth 5.4; aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LC3, SBC, AAC, LDAC	12 hours earbuds / 60 hours total	10 min = 4 hrs	11.5g each; 117g with case	THX Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos optimization, AMOLED touchscreen case, IPX7, multipoint	1 year

What we like

Pros

• Common: Open-ear design preserves environmental awareness without sealing off the listener from the surrounding world. 
• Common: Both models offer a serious feature set for the category, including 16.2mm drivers, Bluetooth 5.4, multipoint connectivity, IPX7 water and sweat resistance, adaptive volume control, gesture controls, and Cleer+ app support. 
• Common: Cleer continues to push open-ear audio beyond basic utility with spatial audio features, Snapdragon Sound, and Dynamic Bass Enhancement. 
• Common: The earhook design makes both models better suited to exercise and movement than many loose-fit open earbuds. 
• Cleer ARC 4 Plus: Better value at $109.99, with most of the experience intact at half the ARC 5 price. 
• Cleer ARC 4 Plus: Simpler case and lower overall weight make it a more straightforward everyday buy. 
• Cleer ARC 5: Meaningfully better battery life at 12 hours per charge and 60 hours total. 
• Cleer ARC 5: Broader codec support, including LDAC and aptX Lossless, gives it a stronger audio claim. 
• Cleer ARC 5: AMOLED touchscreen case adds direct control over EQ, playback, volume, and spatial settings. It is more compact and portable than prior ARC designs. 
• Cleer ARC 5: Spatial presentation and gaming performance stand out when the content takes advantage of them.

The common strength is that both earbuds feel like complete products rather than category excuses. Cleer did not stop at “open-ear” and call it innovation. Both models include the expected durability and connectivity features, but they also try to add listening credibility with larger drivers, Snapdragon Sound, bass enhancement, and a broad control layer through the app and on-device gestures.

The ARC 4 Plus is the budget option. At $109.99, it keeps the general ARC proposition grounded. The 9-hour earbud battery life, 34-hour total battery claim, THX-certified sound, Dolby Atmos head-tracking, and IPX7 rating give it enough substance to avoid feeling like the “cheap one.” It feels like the rational one. This is the model for buyers who want awareness, comfort, and a broad feature set without paying for Cleer’s more experimental premium ideas. 

The ARC 5 is the more ambitious product. Its spec sheet is better in ways that matter: 12 hours per charge, 60 hours total, 10 minutes of charging for 4 hours of playback, LDAC support, Qualcomm’s S5 platform, AI-enhanced call noise suppression, and a touchscreen case that can manage EQ and playback without pulling out a phone. Third-party coverage also reinforces that the case is not just a gimmick. It appears to be a real usability improvement, described as smaller and more portable while delivering Cleer’s best case experience to date. 

The ARC 5 also appears to improve the category’s entertainment credibility. Early review coverage describes the THX Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos combination as immediately noticeable and particularly effective for games and cinematic audio. That does not erase the limitations of open-ear acoustics, but it does suggest that Cleer is making a more serious run at immersion than most competitors in this format.

What could be improved

Cons

• Common: Fit remains the decisive issue. In my experience, the speaker modules still float above the ear canal.
• Common: Open-ear listening remains vulnerable in loud environments, especially for dialogue-heavy content. 
• Common: Spatial and high-resolution features depend heavily on placement, content, and listening context. 
• Cleer ARC 4 Plus: Battery life is solid, but no longer distinctive next to the ARC 5. 
• Cleer ARC 4 Plus: Simpler case means less direct control and less premium differentiation. 
• Cleer ARC 5: $219.99 is a steep ask for open-ear earbuds (no noise cancellation or sound isolation).
• Cleer ARC 5: Officially listed at 0 reviews on Cleer’s own site at the time of review, so the long-term verdict is still thin. 
• Cleer ARC 5: Even with a redesigned fit and stronger sound projection claims, open-ear physics still limit performance in noisy transit and crowded public settings.
• Cleer needs to continue to improve packaging to eliminate plastic.

The biggest issue remains fit. My experience did not change with the promise of a better design. The speakers still float above my ear canal. That matters because open-ear earbuds are unusually dependent on geometry. If the driver lands in the wrong place, sound quality, bass presence, and immersion all suffer. Cleer can refine the hooks, reshape the frame, and add more processing, but none of that solves the mismatch when the ear itself does not cooperate.

The second shared issue is environmental fragility. Open-ear earbuds are built for awareness, and that remains their value. It is also their weakness. In louder environments, outside noise can overpower dialogue and reduce the sense of intensity that sealed earbuds deliver more easily. That is not a Cleer-specific failure. It is the category’s standing bargain with the world. 

For the ARC 4 Plus, the main drawback is that it now looks more transitional. It still offers a strong set of features for the money, but once the ARC 5 became an option, the 4 Plus has become the value model rather than the aspirational one. That is fine for most buyers. It just means the ARC 4 Plus wins as a very good previous model, rather than the flagship. 

For the ARC 5, the primary issue is justification, not capability. Cleer added meaningful upgrades. The smaller smart case, longer battery life, richer codec support, and more assertive spatial story will all encourage new buyers seeking perhaps the best open-ear headphones on the market to make a purchase. But at $219.99, the product enters a tier where the fit and listening experience need to feel obviously superior. If the ear geometry is wrong, the premium argument collapses fast. Buyers will need to decide whether the Cleer ARC 5 is the right choice for them.

Cleer ARC 4 Plus and ARC 5: The bottom line

The ARC 4 Plus remains the smarter buy for most people. It preserves the essential Cleer proposition at a much more reasonable price. The ARC 5 is no longer best understood as a simple upgrade. It is a more serious premium redesign, with a better case, longer battery life, broader codec support, and a stronger immersion story. My fit issue stays at the center of the verdict. When the speakers float above the ear canal, both models lose some of their promise. If the fit works, the ARC 5 is the better product. If value matters more, or if the category’s fit variability already raises doubts, the ARC 4 Plus is the better decision. 

Cleer provided the ARC 4 Plus and ARC 5 for review. Images courtesy of Cleer unless otherwise noted.

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