Sony - LinkBuds Clip Truly Wireless Open Earbuds - Lavender

The LinkBuds Clip combines a great fit with a rich sound from earbuds that just don't fall out!!! Design I like the sleek easy to work with design of the case. The case is very easy to open and close. I've had earbud cases where sometimes it was hard for me to tell which direction it opened. The Sony logo on top, while sort of small and subtle, makes it easy for me to see which way to open it. The top half of the case is ultra-glossy. The bottom half is a smooth, matte, finish. There is a USB-C port on the back to charge it and a button on the back for pairing. The way the earbuds fit in the case makes it very easy to put them in and take them out. They fit in magnetically, going into position easily. The battery life is great, I'll talk more about that later. The earbuds clip over my ears very well. The part that goes behind the hear and the thin piece that attaches the two parts together are both touch sensitive. So both of those make one "button" on each ear piece. Everything is very rounded, the part in the ear, outside the ear, and the piece that connects them. They are all very smooth and rounded all over. They can be paired to two devices at a time. The app will show which devices they're paired to and which is active. It seems to switch gracefully between the two. I've included two pictures showing the earbuds and the case with a quarter next to them, to give you an idea of the look and size. One picture has the case open and one has the case closed. Fit and Comfort I'm loving the clip-around-the-ear design! I'm still getting used to putting them on, not because it's hard, it's just different. But they're not hard to put on and they stay on very well. I was even able to wear them for shoveling snow! I've never had earbuds that stayed in this well. These feel like they would never fall off, but they're also extremely comfortable. Once in a while they shift into a position that is not comfortable, but that doesn't happen often and then I can move them back into place easily, and even so, they've never been close to coming out. I think they would be excellent for sports, though I haven't been able to do much recently other than shovel. Controls The controls work as you would expect any capacitive touch controls to, like a phone screen. No swiping on these though, just tapping. It takes at least two taps for an action, which I think is good because it makes it harder to do things by accident, if you're just trying to put them in or out for example. To give you an idea of the controls, to Pause or Play you tap the right earbud twice, Next Song is three taps on the right, and Volume Up is four or more taps on the right. Two taps on the left side changes the Sound Mode. It's a three way toggle between "Standard", "Voice Boost", and "Sound Leakage Reduction". I'll talk about those more later. Three taps on the left side does nothing by default, for some reason. Four or more taps on the left is "Volume Down". You can use the app to customize the controls a little but it's kind of rigid. For instance I can't keep the default settings but set three taps on the left for "Previous Song". It also has a "Quick Access" option that sounds cool at first because it's configurable, but you can only set it to Amazon Music Play Now, Endel Quick Access, or Spotify Tap. To get Previous Song on three taps I have to select an option that also replaces the sound mode double tap with Next Song. Anyway, I do like the way the controls work and it's rare that I need to use "Previous Song". So while I would like to see some changes to the app, the controls work very well and I really like the defaults, I just wish it had "Previous Song" as a default for three taps on the left where it does nothing. Sound Being a new type of earbud, at least for me, with the way it clips around the ear, I was interested to see how good they would sound. I've been very impressed! I think the sound is excellent! I think that conventional in-ear buds can do slightly deeper bass, but these have still have very good bass and everything else is excellent! I think the biggest downside is also a design function. Because you're able to hear what's going on around you very well, since it isn't down in your ear, it's just not possible for them to do noise cancelation. So there is no option for that. But, it's great that I don't need to take them out/off to talk with people and I can hear well while driving with them in. So just some things to keep in mind. But yes, the sound is great. I've used them for listening to audio dramas (theatrical production of a book), podcasts, and different styles of music. Sounds are reproduced in a very full and rich way. There is a "360 Reality Audio" setup that in the app that has some test samples of surround audio. It sounds incredible! You can really hear the positional audio moving around you. And actually, one thing I noticed with these earbuds as opposed to some others, is the audio really sounds more like it's room filling. That may sound odd but I'm not sure how to describe it. It feels like there's extra depth to it. Anyway, it sounds great. There are EQs in the App and you can customize them. I noticed a little difference with them but not a lot. Everything still sounds great though. It will also take you through some steps to create a custom EQ for you. I wasn't very impressed by that, but I don't really care because the sound is excellent anyway. There is also a DSEE mode that I turned on (actually set to Auto) which is designed to improve the quality of compressed audio, which is what most people listen to most of the time. I also have them set to use a wireless connection that prioritizes sound quality over the connection stability. Both that and the DSEE can impact battery life but it's still been great. I do want to mention that they worked very well for voice calls also. The person I was talking with could hear me well and I could hear them loud and clearly. Also, the three sound modes are very noticeably different. "Standard" works great and, as you would guess is for general use. "Voice Boost" does just that, boosting the volume of vocals very significantly. If you're on a phone call in a noisy room, this could make a huge difference in you hearing the person talking to you. "Sound Leakage Reduction" sort of muffles the sound, you can still hear clearly, though that doesn't really make sense, but it's the best way I can describe it. It's designed so that people near you can't hear as much of what you're listening to. Battery Life The battery life has been excellent. I charged it (the case with the earbuds in it) one time, after unboxing. Since then I haven't had to charge it. The case is at 50% and the earbuds are at 100%. I don't know how long I've used them but I've used them a lot for phone calls as well as listening to various types of audio. They advertise 9 hours of battery life for the earbuds and an additional 28 hours by recharging in the case. That seems very possible to me. I was disappointed that the case doesn't support wireless charging, but as great as the battery life is and as easy as it is to find a USB C charger, I don't think I care. Summary To me, this was a new type of form factor. On one hand, I don't think there is one design that's best because different designs can allow for maybe a little better bass or add noise canceling, for instance. But if I could only pick one design, it would probably be this clip on design. The sound is excellent, they're so comfortable, and they just don't fall out! Sony has done a great job of with the LinkBuds Clip! If you're in the market, give them a try!

After testing these earbuds out for a few days and using them daily, I can definitely say I am not disappointed with them. But I also have some gripes that could be deal breakers for some. For me, the negatives are just a nuisance but I still like the headphones overall. THE GOOD: Right off the bat I have to mention the unique design. These aren’t exactly “standard” wear (for the time being at least). Putting them on was a little challenging the first few times, something I never thought I would say about headphones, but once I got used to how they fit and feel, I could put them on pretty easily. The unique design allows your ears to still hear your surroundings and talk/chew without hearing yourself in your head like ear plugging headphones can do. I have a similar style of headphones from a different brand I won’t name but would not be shoking if you guessed it. They go with the larger ear clip design, sort of like the end of a pair of glasses, and I think both styles are comfortable but oddly these Sonys actually seem to stay put better, despite having less material. I think the clip design helps hold the headphones tighter in place, but at the cost of a little more pain in long term wear. At first, these headphones did not cause me any pain and I would wear them around the house and forget I had them on. Especially if the music was off. But after a few continuous days of wear, I did notice a slight soreness on my ear lobes. It was like fatigue from the weight and or pinch. It’s not ideal, but also came with a LOT of wear as I was testing them out. So I think there’s a happy medium. I also found there are different ways to wear these buds that result in better or worse audio quality as well as comfort. With a slight twist, I can get a better sound but it does pinch my ear lobe more. So again, perhaps the comfort is situational. The bottom line is I can wear them for a few hours no problem. Something I cannot do with my in ear noise canceling headphones from 4 other brands and Sony too. With these linkbuds, I could run and they would not fall off or even feel loose, but I could still hear the street noise and traffic. The audio quality is actually pretty good for the design. I actually wasn’t expecting such a clear and full sound. There’s still a noticeable bass and vocals come through clear. Again, I was able to move them around a bit and actually get a better sound by angling the speaker more directly into my ear, but this would sacrifice comfort and the ability to hear around me a little. But for sources like phone calls or podcasts, audiobooks, etc, the quality is plenty good. I also wanted to mention the case real quick. It’s not always the center piece but it’s worth noting this case is nice and small, although a little boxy. It still fits in a pocket fine, but may be a little tight in small pockets. But I love that it has a pair button so I don’t have to try to remember what magic pattern or LED light combos mean just to pair it. The case also gives you more charges like most wireless headphones these days, and I found the battery life to be very good out of the box. When listening at low volumes, I had no issues going a full work day with these on. The app is familiar to me as I’ve used many Sony headphones, but I think it’s pretty straightforward and has never really had major bugs over the years. Honestly, I don’t use it much unless I need to pair or adjust EQ. THE BAD: Like I said, there are a few negatives to come along with these, and it’s up to you to decide if you can deal with them or not for the price. Which is one negative. I know headphones are getting more and more expensive and I think these are worth the cost, but it’s still asking a lot for no noise cancelling (obviously by design), a unique target audience, and limited features. I can say, the much cheaper headphones that target the same needs are much worse quality too. I think that makes the price understandable, but I still wish it was under 200 at least. (230 at time of review) I already mentioned the comfort issues I had earlier, but to recap, I mostly think they are comfortable, but I have noticed more irritation over multiple day use. I also have ears that get sore from wearing a tight fitting winter hat too long, so if most people are saying these cause no pain, I would bet that’s more the average. Now, AFTER I wore these for a few days and was going back to the packaging to read over the paperwork included, I only then found the comfort tips hidden in the box. I was excited! “This should help!” I thought. But I quickly realized I was wrong. They’re useless. I’m just going to say it, most people will probably accidentally throw them away, some will not bother and the rest will actually like them but lose them because they slip off SO easy. I took one bud out and didn’t realize the rubber pad fell off and was on the floor. I stepped on it later. So yeah, not sure what the idea was there, but it’s not working for me. Not a big deal since I’m not having comfort issues in that area anyway. So one last negative that got to me. The tap settings. Like SO MANY headphones these days, there are commands for tapping the ear bud. One tap two tap three tap four, I feel like I’m on sesame street. None of the brands follow the same rules and it’s always a nightmare trying to remember what does what on which headphones. I wish they would just give us a list of commands available and let us decide which tap on which ear does what. Sony got halfway there with these buds, you can sort of decide how you want the taps to work. The app allows you to change from sets of commands. It’s a start I guess. But I’m still annoyed. I can key my video game controller to any command but headphones can’t. Like I said in the intro, these negatives are noticeable but not bad enough for me to say I don’t like these or I won’t use these headphones. I have yet to find a pair of headphones that can do everything, much like my closet full of clothes, I have headphones for different occasions and needs. Which seems like something that would blow my mind if I told 5 year old me that. OVERALL: I think the best way to describe these headphones is that they are not going to be your end all be all go to pair of headphones. They are designed for a very specific need, and when you’re in that need, these are the best headphones you can grab. They won’t make you happy if you’re trying to drown out plane noise, or crowds, or dudes grunting at the gym; but if you wish you could have a quiet soundtrack playing throughout your day while still being able to talk and interact with others around you, or you want to listen to podcasts while still being able to hear your kids scream from the other room that the internet is still slow, these are perfect. You can wear them all day comfortably, the battery lasts just as long, and you can still hear everything going on around you. I loved being able to put a playlist on at very low volumes and still be able to have conversations with others around me. For those looking to add audio to their life without subtracting noise around them, grab the Sony Linkbuds!

My first impression was and is really positive! The case looks okay, it’s kind of like a jewelry box in this cream color. A little too feminine looking for my tastes, but the design itself is nice. It’s small and very pocketable, and despite the ear buds looking the same you can’t put them on the wrong side. The bottom of the case is a soft touch plastic, and the top is a harder glossy finish. I don’t know exactly why that is, but my hunch is the bottom is more scratch resistant. Set up was super easy, it was easier on my Android device than it was on my iPhone. With my iPhone, I had to push the button to get it to recognize. On Android, it just popped up and then told me to download the app after it paired to it and took me right there. The sound, arguably the most important part of this review, was surprisingly good! I’ve used open earbuds before and I was underwhelmed by the sound. I didn’t feel that way with these! This could be a placebo, but it also sounds better on Android. Perhaps it’s just YouTube Music itself sounding better on Android than iOS. Or just my imagination. Either way, it sounds really good! It has really full sound, and can get loud enough to block some of the ambient sound. I took them on a walk and felt so comfortable and aware of my surroundings. I had my wife try and see if she could hear it, she said she could when it’s super loud. There is a feature to stop that. It seemed to work, but if you were in a library, I think you’re just gonna have to turn it down. The LinkBuds Clips are also super comfortable. My ears are kind of prone to getting earbud fatigue fairly quickly. With these not being fully in my ear, that isn’t quite a concern for me. On another day I decided to go jogging and I had zero worry of them falling out of my ears. That said, the tap controls are kind of confusing to me, not hard to get used to, but it’s a mix of numbers of taps to do things. When you’re jogging it’s annoying to do ‘that many’ taps to change tracks. I would have liked some swipes to change things. That said the important ones (play and stop) are super simple. And I’m glad that a single tap is nothing. Lastly, the battery life is nice as well. I had a really hard time making them die in normal use. Would I recommend them? Yeah I think I would. I wish the design of the case was different. What would be super cool is if they could disconnect the hook part and become in ear buds and the app and buds just knew and changes the audio profiles. That would be the best of both worlds.

Clip-on ear buds are reasonably new compared to headphones and earbuds. Headphones typically cover your ears. Earbuds go inside your ear. Both are great but one disadvantage is that they prevent you from hearing what’s going on around you while you’re listening to something. The Sony LinkBuds Clip are part of that newer category of devices that clip onto your ear lobe area. They don’t cover your ear or sit inside – they sit ON the ear, clipped on to stay secure, so that the sound is directly into your ear, but also leaves your ears open so you can hear your surroundings as well. Definitely a lot safer when walking/jogging or driving (although use caution regarding local laws with anything around your ear when driving). The LinkBuds Clip come with a charging case that charges via USB-C, and they fit nicely inside onto the charging pins. A fully charged set of LinkBuds can go approximately 9 hours, give or take, and with a fully charged case, you can top them off enough to get around 37 hours total use time before everything needs to be charged again. If you’re in a crunch, you can charge the Buds for just 3 minutes and get around another hour of listening time. Volume levels do play a roll in battery time to a degree. The case is small and sleek and fits pretty much anywhere you need it to in order to carry it around. The LinkBuds clip onto your ear lobe area around midway down your ear. Everyone’s ears are shaped a bit different, so you may need to rest them down a bit. They are rated at IPX4, meaning that they should be able to handle some sweat if you’re using them during a workout, but not really rated to be dunked in water or worn during a heavier rain. Controls are on the half of the buds that rest on the back half of your ear, and via taps, can control playing and pausing music, adjusting volume, answering calls, and switching modes. With the Sony “Sound Connect” (Apple or Android) you can adjust Equalizer settings, balances, and more advanced settings – the app is not necessary for basic functions, though. You can also connect the buds to two devices at the same time. There’s a voice boost mode that in loud settings will boost your voice so phone calls are clearer, and a mode that helps adjust the amount of sound that others around you can hear while stilling letting you hear what you’re listening to, if you are in crowded places. So far, I really enjoy these. The sound is deep enough to get music and TV shows coming through well, as I use these on my phone and with my TV at night when I have a relative visiting, so I can listen to the TV louder without them hearing it in another room. I haven’t had any disconnects, do the Bluetooth seems really solid. Pairing was simple. The advanced controls work but so far I’ve mostly been fine with the default settings with just some tweaking here and there. Calls are good coming in; people on the other end can tell I’m using buds, and I do have to speak a little louder then if I were face to face with them so they can hear me in the same manner, but nothing obnoxious. They can still hear me fine. My only one issue so far is that I do have to wear them lower on my lobe, and I feel if I were jumping around, they might fall off, but then I have oddly shaped ears, and as I said earlier, everyone’s ears are shaped differently, so for a lot of folks this isn’t going to most likely be an issue. I definitely recommend these. They are not among the least costly of the clip-on type buds out there so while I give them 5 stars for their build and function, overall due to the price I give them 4 stars for affordability, but as always, look for them to go on a sale which will make them an excellent value for the money. Recommended.

Great fit, fantastic comfort. I have struggled with in-ears staying in my ears when active. I tried "hook over and around the ear" buds but even those slide out (but at least that style doesn't fall out and get lost). Clip-on, like the Sony LinkBuds Clip, offer a comfortable, snug fit even when very active or sweaty. Being an audiophile with fairly large ears, however, there is "depth of sound" loss especially when compared to earbuds that fit INSIDE your ear or headphones that completely COVER your ear. If I smoosh them into my ear canal a bit, they actually sound great. Nonetheless, the idea behind the clip-on earbuds is to get a great, comfortable fit that doesn't slide around or fall off while still hearing the ambient noises around you. These buds do that very well. I immediately tweaked the EQ on the Sony App (critical to achieve maximum satisfaction) into a V-like pattern. I tried the "find my sound" feature and was reasonably satisfied, but I also know that I tend to favor a modified V on my other headphones and home receiver for the music I listen to--grunge, rock, 80s rap, hip hop, classic rock, metal, and alt rock/punk. I flipped through Standard, Voice Boost, and Sound Leakage Reduction settings and believe Voice Boost will be very helpful if watching videos on your phone or while participating in a phone call. I think a double-tap by default on the "crossbar" of the left ear cycles you through the Standard, Boost, Leakage settings. Helpful if you have to switch from music to a call. Not certain I understand when/where I would need "sound leakage" mode, perhaps in a library environment--or maybe while watching a game on your phone at a wedding. :-) Leakage mode does seem to mute the overall tones, however. (i.e. cuts some of the treble and, for lack of a better way to describe it, muffles the overall tone.) I like that the app shows remaining battery on each clip independently...and the juice left in the case (which does all the charging through a usb-c cable--not supplied). Battery life is decent at 9hr for the buds. The case, which is nice and compact, can hold 37hrs of charging power. I wish the case had a small clip or hook eye to be able to thread a carabiner or wire cable through. I wish Sony included Google Find Hub capability since these buds and their case are so small. If there is a way to do that, it was not intuitive. My Sony Ult Wear noise canceling over-the-ear headphones are Find Hub capable. I cannot comment on the Scenic Listening feature. For whatever reason, even after modifying all the settings the app asked me to change, I kept seeing a request to update the software but it appears that there is nothing to update. Maybe I need to subscribe to or use a 360 Reality Sound service? For the record, I use YouTube Music. Dunno, don't much care as I don't think I need more AI in my life. Overall, I like these clips. My wife has a different brand of clips and honestly, the only real difference in my opinion is loudness between her "whatever" brand and my Sonys. Regardless, I would still recommend these clips for comfort and quality, plus the EQ and the ability of the case to charge the buds up to 37 hours (9 hours at a time up to 4 times) are better than average.