Open Earbuds have always catered to a specific demographic for a while and its a category Sony has jumped in and out of going back to the first iteration of Linkbuds back in 2022. They have dabbled in what LinkBuds should be, but the latest LinkBuds Clip look to be their best form of it.
Style
LinkBuds Clip comes in four colors with the one provided by Sony is Greige. The charging case utilizes two different plastic materials with the bottom half being like a smooth matte while the top is glossy with the Sony branding. These are the same design cues they took from their LinkBuds Fit. The cases look the same size, but the Clip is larger. There is a USB-C port on the back, and it comes in at 42g.
The earbuds come in that same glossy finish. They have a dual piece design in which the earbuds are designed to clip around your ear with a flexible band to help. One portion sits behind the ear while the other half sits inside the ear cartilage but not actually going in the ear canal. Each earbud comes in 6.4g and doesn’t feel too heavy. They also have fitting cushions included inside the box if you need any additional securing.
Like the Linkbuds Fit, if you are looking to give your LinkBuds Clip some personality you can get case covers for the top and bottom. They come separate with the top coming with matching air fitting cushions and the bottom including a carabiner. There is a nice mix of colors so you can mix and match. Each one is $12.49 each.
Feature / Sound
With the Linkbuds Clip wrapped around your ears if you want to access controls you can easily do taps on the earbuds. If you feel like your taps aren’t responding correctly you can increase sensitivity. This can be done with the Sony Sound Connect App.
Also, on the app you can customize those tap controls, access the EQ, change listening modes, and adjust Quick Access if you want music apps to come on soon as you put them on.
There is also a variety of listening modes such as Standard, Voice Boost, Sound leakage reduction, and background music. Voice Boost will push the vocals to the forefront and they get louder too. Background Music will help resemble being in a coffee shop or café. I used this feature on the WF-1000XM6 here and there but didn’t see the use of it too much on open earbuds.
These earbuds are using 10mm dynamic drivers that support SBC / AAC codecs with DSEE. With them being open-ear you won’t get the usual bass from traditional earbuds, but they do have a bit of thump while I played “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See.” Turning on “Heavy” in the EQ added a bit more. The sound is nice and balanced when I use it at home or in the office where there isn’t a good amount of noise surrounding me. But with them being open-ear you won’t get deep bass no matter what.
Used mostly with a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro.
Experience
I have been using these for the past few months alternating between these and the WF-1000XM6. Of course, I couldn’t use these on my very noisy train commutes, but they did wonders in the office. Hearing my fellow colleagues and still being on Teams / Zoom calls with noticeably clear clarity on both sides of the conversation. Wearing them for lengthy periods of time didn’t add any fatigue or discomfort to my ears.
Battery life has them advertising 28 hours with case and sometimes I got that and other times a bit less than that. I also had issues with the app showing different battery percentages when I look at it on android or iOS.
Verdict
Having used a decent number of open-ear earbuds in the past few years, the LinkBuds Clip is a nice addition to the list. They have nice sound quality in mildly loud environments and excel in quieter areas. They also feel very secure when wearing them. You just must take your time getting them in the perfect spot as everyone’s ears do vary.
With a price of $229.99 it does put them in more expensive territory but sometimes can go on sale ranging from $179.99-$199.99.99.
You can check our quick unboxing of the Sony WF-1000XM6 on Instagram
