I remember well when Bose announced the Ultra Open Earbuds. While I applaud the company for trying something different, I wasn’t sure if the clip design would stick. Well, here we are almost two years later and most of the earbud makers now have something like Bose’s fashion experiment. Now you can count Sony among those as the company unveiled its new LinkBuds ($230) earbuds today.
These aren’t the first open-ear earbuds in Sony’s LinkBuds lineup. The company has two generations of LinkBuds Open (originally called LinkBuds) under its belt, offering users a traditional earbud attachment and donut-shaped drivers that allow for better sound. Now Sony is taking a cue from Bose and others with a clip-on design that attaches securely and comfortably to the ear while leaving the ear unclogged. It’s clear that the companies believe that customers love this type of earbuds, but Sony’s challenge is to make the LinkBuds Clip stand out among the growing list of alternatives.
Sony
Sony tried its hand at a clip-on, well-fitting design, but it didn’t do enough to set the LinkBuds Clip apart from the competition.
- Comfortable, open fit
- All-day battery life
- Responsive controls
- Basic features
- No wireless charging
- Subpar bass performance
$230 at Amazon
Design and fit
Sony doesn’t offer anything different in terms of design here, but that’s okay. To be honest, I haven’t seen much innovation in terms of aesthetics in these clip-on-style earbuds. For the most part, they all have the same shape: two cylindrical cases connected by a short, flexible cable. In line with its predecessors, Sony has placed the drivers in housings that sit on the road while most of the components are large enough to sit behind your eardrum.
Sony kept the weight of the LinkBuds Clip down, and avoided the bulk of the Ultra Open Earbuds. Both of these features contribute to a comfortable fit, so earbuds with an IPX4 rating can be easily worn all day without being a burden. And although I didn’t need them, Sony includes silicone “fit cushions” in the box. These attach to the short, flat cable of the new LinkBuds for a more secure fit. During my testing, the LinkBuds Clip sat well without them, but there was also no loss of comfort when I put them on.
The last design-related thing I’ll mention is the touch controls. On the LinkBuds clip, the flat connector between the two housings accommodates taps to control playback, volume changes, cycling through audio modes and more. You can tap around this area to make adjustments, and you don’t have to do so in the middle. The LinkBuds clip was delightfully responsive during this review, getting the job done quickly without lag or repeated taps. That is, without volume, because you have to keep tapping for that change to happen.
Features of LinkBuds Clip
The controls are located near the connector between the two cylindrical housings (Billy Steele of Engadget)
Sony usually throws a whole bunch of features into its earbuds. Despite being the company’s mid-range line, the LinkBuds family has a solid set of features that make it suitable for both productivity and entertainment. Unfortunately, the LinkBuds patch doesn’t have much to offer here. The company gives you the basics, like the ability to fine-tune tap controls or customize EQ, and there’s even an Adaptive Sound tool that lets you customize settings based on activity or location (Sony calls them “scenes”). But there are some useful features that I expect from Sony that are missing.
The LinkBuds clip doesn’t support talk-to-talk, Sony’s voice recognition feature that pauses audio and activates ambient sound when you start talking. Quick attention mode, a tool that lowers the volume and allows for quieter sound in short conversations, is not here. These earbuds don’t even have wear detection, and you have to be prepared for normal DSEE sound amplification instead of an enhanced version of that technology.
Sony has equipped the LinkBuds Clip with unique listening modes designed to improve audio performance in two situations. First, Voice Boost increases the volume of voices when you’re on the phone or listening to podcasts or audiobooks. The company says this is designed for noisy environments where the ambient noise is too loud. During my testing, I found the setting to be too high in treble and too high in volume – something that’s just not right for the music.
Next, Reduce Sound Leakage by dialing back high tones to avoid annoying your neighbors in the office or coffee shop. For me, this is the opposite of Voice Boost, removing the highs for a mid- and bass-heavy boost, but it doesn’t sound very good compared to the default setting. Also, my family couldn’t really hear any leaks from the LinkBuds Clip though, unless I turned the volume up obnoxiously high. I’ll also note that any EQ customizations/sets and DSEE boosts are only available in Normal (default) listening mode.
Sound and call quality
The LinkBuds Clip has both noise reduction and bone conduction technology (Billy Steele of Engadget)
Regular fit earbuds struggle to pack enough low-end tone, and the LinkBuds Clip meets the same fate. However, it’s not all bad in the audio department as these earbuds are very clear and offer a solid soundstage so the overall quality isn’t a concern to the point of being unpleasant. The lack of bass is more noticeable in emerging genres, such as hip-hop and synth-heavy electronic tunes.
The LinkBuds clip doesn’t go well with chaotic music styles like rock and metal. Spiritbox’s “Holy Roller” doesn’t have the depth that earbuds like the AirPods Pro 3 or headphones like Sony’s WH-1000XM6 do. As such, the band’s songs are unlikely to have much focus or impact without adequate amounts of bass. So if clean, immersive sound quality is your primary goal, you’ll want to look elsewhere, and you’ll want to tread carefully with any other open-type earbuds.
The open nature of the LinkBuds clip makes them ideal for phone calls. Since your ears are not plugged in, you can hear your voice clearly so you never feel like you need to shout. Sony says these earbuds have AI noise reduction and a bone conduction sensor for voice pickup, both of which should keep you sounding good. During this review, I found the background noise reduction to work well without making me sound overly processed. However, the overall voice quality is average, which means you can get by with using these phones, but there are better options if you really value clarity here.
Battery life on the LinkBuds clip
When it comes to battery life, Sony says you can expect nine hours of operation on a single charge and up to 37 hours on a charge. That means the LinkBuds clip alone is enough to get you through a full work day, especially if you take a break from the occasional office chat or personal meeting. And you’ll get more if you attach the earbuds to their case once or twice a day. If you find yourself with a dead battery, a three-minute charge will give you an hour of playtime.
I’m still running battery tests on the LinkBuds clip. In my first attempt at a full, nine-hour run, I couldn’t beat the amount Sony stated, so I did some more testing before I gave any final comments here.
The competition
Including a “balancing cushion” (left) can help with a secure fit (Billy Steele of Engadget)
Based on my testing, the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are still the best in this emerging clip-on category. However, it is the largest and most expensive at $299. While it gives you all the benefits of open wear, sound quality can vary depending on how it fits your ears and the lack of multi-point Bluetooth may be a deal breaker for some.
If you’re hoping to pay less than Bose or Sony, Anker’s Soundcore line offers the AeroClip for $170. Or if you’re really ballin’ on a budget, JLab has the Flex Open Earbuds now for just $40. JBL recently announced a new $150 set during CES as well, but that won’t be available until March. I’ve only given these two a listen without in-depth testing, so I can’t make a definitive call on which one stacks better with the LinkBuds Clip. But they are also the only three options available right now, and there are many more if none of these seem compelling.
Finish it
The LinkBuds clip extends Sony’s mid-range system with a completely different design that comes with natural features. They are very comfortable and take advantage of the advantages of open type designs while doing the basic function of an earbud well. Subpar bass performance and the omission of some of Sony’s most attractive features (even some basic ones) mean the company hasn’t done enough to differentiate the Clip from the competition in an obvious way. Sure, these earbuds do what they’re intended to do without being flashy or overly complicated, but there are plenty of other options that do just that, too.
