Linkbuds Clip - Sony's Take On Open-Fit! ( Unboxing & Review )
You know what the problem is? Sometimes people are listening, but they ain’t really hearing. And that is precisely why products like this — the Sony LinkBuds Clip — exist. These are open, free earbuds. And really, there are two big advantages that these types of earbuds have over regular earbuds. One — based on the fact that they don't go in your ears — means that they're much more hygienic, especially if you're going to use them for the gym.
And the second big advantage is, if you are the type of person who does a lot of street running with earbuds in, or rides a bike to work whilst listening to music… with these types of earbuds, you can listen, and you can hear, avoiding that plugged-in feeling. So you could be more like Agent Smith in The Matrix.
UNBOXING
So let's do a quick unboxing. As usual, we're trying to come up with fully recyclable packaging. There is a QR code for the app on the front, up top. A few of the key features for these earbuds are shown, and also the battery life is displayed here — you get up to nine hours on a single charge in each bud, and up to 28 hours with the charging case combined. So as always, we get a whole bunch of paperwork, including Sony's map of the Midwest. And here is something quite interesting. These are little adjuster slider things to adjust the tension of this C-clip that wraps around your ear.
When it comes to the setup process, it is super simple. You just download the Sony Sound Connect app, clip the LinkBuds Clip onto your ears, and then you're ready to go. First, let's get a look at the case design and the earbud design. So the case design is quite similar to other LinkBuds that I've seen in the past. This is kind of like a little hamburger shape, and it's two-tone. So you've got the nice shiny bit up top with a little bit of Sony branding, and then you've got the matte surface at the bottom, which makes the case a bit more grippy, which is nice. I really like how this is presented, and unlike some other popular open earbuds right now, the case on this one is nice and compact. So let's get one of these out of here so I can show you what Sony has done with the design.
DESIGN
So as you can see, they have a C-bridge. This allows the earbuds to clip onto your ears, as opposed to being plugged into your ears. And there are two parts to it — this part that houses the battery, and then there's the driver unit. And then there are these little pieces, which Sony calls the air-fitting cushions. These will literally just clip onto the C-band, and they can be adjusted backwards or forwards to increase or reduce the strength of the grip.
Alright, so let's try this on. It just clips onto my ear there, and then I can adjust the little air-fitting cushion. And if I want to, I could really make this tight onto my ear. So if I go for a run or anything like that, it's not going to fall off. So you can see how these are firmly gripped onto my ears.
THE APP
And something else that is important to know about these earbuds is that they do have an official IPX4 water resistance rating, which makes them splash-resistant and, more importantly, sweat-resistant — and this makes them perfect for outdoor activities. And if you are on Android, you'll see the pop-up pairing options straight away on your phone. As you can see, Gemini is supported via the earbuds, allowing you to have a full-on conversation with AI if you want to. So when you pair them up for the first time, it walks you through how to fit them correctly, and then it talks you through the touch operation. So you tap the main unit at the back of the earbud, and you can also tap on the band. And here are the inputs that are recognised: double tap, triple tap, and repeat taps. Tap on either side to raise or lower the volume. And this is how the app looks — at the top of the screen, you get the battery life in each bud, and also in the case. There are three different listening modes:
Standard
Voice booster (if you want to hear what people are saying around you)
Sound leakage reduction
So this is kind of a reverse noise-cancelling feature that reduces the amount of sound that other people can hear when they're sitting next to you. And you'll notice on the app the codec defaults to SBC, and if you scroll down, you can switch the codec to prioritise quality instead of stability. Quality is what you should switch to if you care about audio quality. And I will tell you guys, what I think of the sound quality in a minute. But before I do that, I should do this software update for the earbuds. So one of the exclusives that you'll get with the Sony LinkBuds Clip is Sony’s DSEE — Sony's Digital Sound Enhancement Engine — which can upscale lower-res audio to sound more like high-res audio. So if you listen to the radio or lower-quality audio a lot, you’ll appreciate that feature for sure. And my first impression of how they feel when wearing them is that they’re extremely comfortable.
SOUND TEST
Anyway, let's do a sound test of these earbuds. The touch controls are quite sensitive. Here are my opinions on the sound quality. The loudness and sound will change depending on how you position the drivers in front of your ear canals. So it might take a little time to find the sweet spot. But generally speaking, it’s pretty nice. It’s not the bassiest I’ve ever heard — and recently I’ve been spoiled by Sony’s XM6 earbuds — so that has affected my opinion. But compared to other open earbuds, they are definitely on par, and the bass is respectable.
For the sound test, please watch the video.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
So here are my first impressions of the Sony LinkBuds Clip. I really like these earbuds. I think they’re going to be very useful for anyone who needs to be aware of their surroundings at all times. I personally think these are really cool, really unique, really futuristic — and more stylish than a lot of other open earbuds out there right now.
The sound quality is exactly what you would expect from open earbuds. The loudness is more than enough for me. The comfort is incredible — very lightweight, very secure on the ears. The battery life is very good. The software features are also very good. And the case is nice and compact.
