Sony was an early entrant into the open wear stereo (OWS) earbuds market in 2022 with its original LinkBuds and its latest addition takes a different stylistic approach. The LinkBuds Clip comes with a trendy clip-on design as well as refined audio quality and claims of up to 37 hours of continuous use between the bud and its case.
Let’s take a closer look at what comes with the LinkBuds Clip.
They come packaged in the typical recycled cardboard box you find with all recent Sony headphones and earbuds. You’re greeted by the charging/carrying case, with the LinkBuds clip inside. There’s nothing else inside the box other than the usual set of manuals and a warranty card.
Taking a closer look at the LinkBuds clip, they’re made entirely of plastic and feature a C-shaped design, with the speaker on one end connected to a bean-shaped module that goes behind the helix of your ear.
They come in a wide range of colors, and we have black and lavender options.
The LinkBuds Clip was designed to fit a wide range of ear sizes, and we’ve tested several options using a similar design approach before. We can testify that it really does fit a variety of ear sizes and provides all-day comfort.
The LinkBuds clip are lightweight and easy on the ears, and we generally have no complaints in terms of fit. The buds remain attached without applying unnecessary pressure. The connecting cable between the two parts of the earbuds is quite flexible and easy on the ears.
This is what the LinkBuds clip looks like on the ear
In terms of specifications, the LinkBuds Clip have 10mm drivers with Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity. You get support for SBC and AAC codecs, as well as Sony’s DSEE upscaling algorithm and 360 Reality Audio, aka Spatial Audio. They also feature multipoint pairing and a fully customizable 10-band equalizer inside the Sony Sound Connect app.
sony linkbuds clip
$230 at Amazon US, €200 at Amazon DE, £180 at Amazon UK
The LinkBuds Clip have three listening modes – Standard, Voice Boost and Sound Leakage Reduction. Sadly, Sony hasn’t added wear detection sensors, so they don’t automatically pause media playback when you remove the buds from your ears. This feature is common on most entry-level earbuds, so it’s strange not to see it on a pair of earbuds costing $230/€200/£180.
Battery life from the buds is rated at 9 hours, and this increases to 37 hours via the charging case. The buds are rated IPX4 for splash resistance, while the case doesn’t feature any ingress protection.
