Sony LinkBuds clip review: Solid headphones at an excellent price

The top reveals more glossy and matte plastic panels in the form of clip-on buds that wrap around the back of your ears. As someone who’s tried dozens of open-back buds over the past few years, it’s hard not to be frustrated by their basic aesthetic, which is remarkably similar to Soundcore’s Aeroclip (and many other pairs) but less striking. At 6.4 grams, it’s heavier than my favorite pairs, but it’s still light enough for all-day wear, and the beefy rear barrel offers an impressive nine hours of battery runtime, with an additional 27 batteries in the box.

Sony’s choice to configure the case’s magnetic mounts so that the buds face down toward the front rather than out to the sides proved a bit annoying in daily use. Almost all of the other buds I’ve tried face outward, allowing you to attach them naturally to your ears in one motion. The Sony pair forces you to awkwardly twist one hand to insert and the other to bring it back. It’s a small thing, but it’s been embarrassing for several days.

Photography: Ryan Wanyata

In keeping with the Aeroclip’s theme, the Clip cleverly borrows Soundcore’s best features: the touch controls located on the loop that connects the two earpieces rather than on the back like many cheaper models. This is more convenient and well implemented, allowing play/pause, song skipping and volume control via double, triple or quick taps. Again, I have a minor quibble that the Sony Connect app won’t let you program individual controls, only groups, which inevitably led to duplications or controls I didn’t need.

The app unlocks some Sony standards, like DSEE for Enhanced Wireless Audio and 360 Reality Audio for spatial audio (if you’re interested). There’s also a 10-band customizable EQ and three sound modes, including Standard, Voice, and Sound Leakage, designed to keep you from disturbing others. I’ve never had this problem with open buds, but hey, it’s there. Other options include multipoint pairing and quick access to Spotify and Amazon Music.

Humble call, solid melody

Photography: Ryan Wanyata

A lot of cheap open-ear headphones suffer from call quality, but I expected more for the money with the Clip. Voices on my end were often weak and sometimes sounded distorted, while on the other end, a caller said I sounded like I was speaking through a speaker. Sony says its AI Voice Pickup software is designed to isolate your speech, and it even claims to add bone conduction to suppress extraneous sounds, but the system struggled to provide a satisfying experience for me.