Sony LinkBuds Clip-on Review: Comfortable clip-on earbuds that strive to impress
Open ears are everywhere these days. One of the fastest growing categories of headphones, open-ear headphones are popular among runners and other athletes who prefer to hear what’s going on around them while exercising. These types of headphones can also work in office environments and on the go.
Sony isn’t new to the open-ear game. The LinkBuds WF-L900 of 2022 have handled the concept well, often attracting positive reviews from publications and users alike. The brand’s latest foray into open-ear headphones is the LinkBuds clip, reminiscent of the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which are among my favorite headphones.
Fortunately, they are on par with other open-ear headphones on the market in terms of price, but still, I expected better from Sony. Even after years of testing headphones, I was very happy when the brand gave me headphones to test. My high expectations probably didn’t help, but in a crowded space like open-back headphones, Sony might have to try harder. Or go back to the LinkBuds WF-L900’s (or LinkBuds Open WF-L910’s) form factor.
Sony LinkBuds clip review
Price and availability
The Sony LinkBuds Clip launched in January 2026 and are available now from Sony UK, Sony US , Sony EU and Sony AU in four colors for £179.99 / $229.99 / €199 / AU$329.95. The brand sells case cover tops and bottoms, as well as Air Fitting Cushions, small silicone pads that are said to improve fit and stability.
The Sony ones sell for the same price as the Huawei FreeClip 2 and the Shokz OpenDots one, and are significantly cheaper than Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds, the latter of which is priced at £299 / $299 / €349 / AU$449.95.
Design and build quality
The Sony LinkBuds clip uses a unique clip-on design, with each earbud weighing around 6.4g. Instead of sitting in the ear, the buds use an “ear-cuff” clip that wraps around the outer ear.
The bridge connecting the speaker and the control unit on the back is flexible, although not the same as that found on Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds. The LinkBuds clip provides a more secure fit, especially in workout situations, than your typical noise-canceling in-ear buds.
(Photo credit: Matt Kollat)
The earbuds are a combination of hard plastic and silicone materials, and have an IPX4 water resistance rating, which means they can handle sweat and light splashes, making them perfect for traveling or regular workouts.
Controls are handled by touch input on the connection loop, allowing you to play or pause music, adjust volume and change listening modes with a tap. You can change the function assigned to each bud in the Sound Connect app. I liked the continuous tap volume control.
(Photo credit: Matt Kollat)
The compact charging case measures approximately 50.4 × 50.4 × 32.6mm and weighs 42g, making it pocket-friendly but not all-around great. It is definitely stronger than the cases of Apple AirPods Pro 2 and Huawei FreeBuds Pro 5.
Sony offers several color options, including black, green, teal and lavender, with additional colored cushions and case covers available for enhanced personalization.
Sound performance
Because of their open-ear design, the LinkBuds Clip’s sound quality is unmatched by standard ANC earbuds. The 10 mm dynamic drivers in the buds can be powerful enough to provide an artificial signal, but since they let in a lot of ambient sound, the buds sound really good in quiet environments.
Even then, I used to listen to them with the volume turned up almost to the top, which is unusual for me. I rarely raise my voice more than halfway to protect my ears, I rely on the ANC to silence the world around me. That said, even open-ears tend to produce louder sound than the Sony LinkBuds Clip.
(Photo credit: Matt Kollat)
I found the best place to test Sony was the quiet office I used to work in. With no surround sound, I finally got around to the LinkBuds Clip. Clear and mid-range detail is excellent, with voices, podcasts and instruments sounding good.
Bass is lacking, as expected, but some of the blues songs I listened to during testing sounded fine. Sony offers four listening modes with the Sound Connect app, but I found only the Standard mode usable. Voice Boost boosts the midrange to ridiculously loud levels, while the Noise Leak Protection and Background music modes sound boxy and distant.
(Admittedly, background music mode i which is appropriate to have this effect.)
The in-app equalizer offers a subtle way to improve the sound, and indeed, the ‘Strength’ mode made songs sound perfectly balanced without pushing the buds to their limits.
(Photo credit: Matt Kollat)
The LinkBuds clip works well for casual listening situations. The open design allows ambient sound to be heard, making it useful for walking, cycling or office use. At the same time, it means that performance decreases in noisy environments where ambient noise competes with the music. I tried them in a tube with disastrous results.
Battery life and charging
Sony says the LinkBuds clip offers up to 9 hours of playback from the earbuds, with the included charging case extending the total listening time to up to 37 hours (9 hours from the buds and 28 hours from the case).
With fast charging, three minutes of charging brings about one hour of playtime, which is handy if you forget to top it up before going out. Charging via USB-C, and no support for wireless charging.
In testing, the battery output seems to be the same. From 90% at 10:09, the earbuds dropped to 58% at 12:10, suggesting a strong discharge curve that broadly matches Sony’s nine-hour average under moderate volume and mixed conditions.
Compared to similar clip-on open earbuds, Sony’s numbers are competitive but not class-leading. The Bose Ultra Open Earbuds are rated for about 7 hours per charge, while newer open-ear competitors like the Shokz OpenDots One claim 10 hours from the buds and up to 40 hours total from the case.
The decision
My initial excitement about the Sony LinkBuds Clip quickly turned to disappointment during testing, but I suspect my assumption that they would deliver stellar audio performance played a role. It’s hard – nay, impossible – not to expect the best from Sony, and on this occasion, it wasn’t.
(Photo credit: Matt Kollat)
The pricing strategy of mid-range buds can work, but only if they deliver equal or better audio performance to similarly priced headphones. Unfortunately, that’s not the case here, and with other powerful options from Huawei and Shokz in the same price range, the LinkBuds Clip is hard to recommend.
I would imagine that the price will drop soon, and once the LinkBuds Clip drops 30% off their asking price, which will likely be in November, around Black Friday, it will be much easier to recommend.
