Sony LinkBuds Clip Review
The Sony LinkBuds Clip promise open-ear freedom but deliver subpar sound and terrible call quality. At this price, it's an easy pass.
The 30-Second Version
Skip these. You're paying for a gimmicky open-ear design and getting subpar sound, awful call quality, and mediocre battery life. There are better buds at every price point.
Overview
The Sony LinkBuds Clip are weird, and not in a good way. They're an open-ear design that tries to be everything to everyone, but ends up being a master of none. The one thing you need to know is this: if you're buying earbuds for sound quality, noise cancellation, or call clarity, you should look elsewhere immediately. These are a niche product for a very specific listener who prioritizes situational awareness above all else, and even then, there are better options.
Performance
Looking at our data, nothing here surprised us in a good way. The percentile scores are a brutal read. The mic quality is in the bottom quarter of all earbuds we track, which is a disaster for a product that advertises 'Crystal Clear Calls, powered by AI.' The battery life is also disappointingly low on the charts, despite the 37-hour claim. The only thing that performed near average was comfort, which is the bare minimum you'd expect from a clip-on, open-ear design.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The open-ear design works as advertised, letting you hear your surroundings perfectly. 91th
- They're lightweight and the clip is comfortable for all-day wear. 91th
- Multipoint connection is a nice feature to have. 69th
- IPX4 rating means you don't have to worry about sweat. 67th
Cons
- The microphone is terrible for calls, ranking in the bottom 20% of all earbuds. 10th
- Sound quality is mediocre and falls well behind the competition. 24th
- Battery life is unimpressive compared to other buds in this price range. 34th
- No effective noise cancellation, which is a deal-breaker for many.
Specifications
Full Specifications
Design
| Form Factor | open-ear |
| Weight | 0.1 kg / 0.1 lbs |
Connectivity
| Wireless | Yes |
| Multipoint | Yes |
Earbud Battery
| Battery Life | 9 |
Case Battery
| Case Battery | 37 |
Features
| Water Resistance | IPX4 |
Value & Pricing
At $230 to $298, these are not worth it. You're paying premium earbud money for a product that scores in the bottom half for sound, mic, battery, and build quality. It's a bad deal.
vs Competition
This is where the LinkBuds Clip get demolished. For the same money, the Sony WF-1000XM5 offers best-in-class noise cancellation and vastly superior sound. If you want an open-ear experience for situational awareness, the standard Apple AirPods (non-Pro) do it better for less money and with far better ecosystem integration. Even the Jabra Evolve2 Buds, which are focused on calls, will run circles around the LinkBuds Clip's microphone performance. There's no scenario where the Clip wins against these rivals.
| Spec | Sony LinkBuds Clip | Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds Bose QuietComfort Ultra True Wireless | Technics EAH-AZ80 Technics EAH-AZ80 Noise-Canceling True Wireless | Jabra Evolve2 Jabra Evolve2 Buds USB-C MS Earbuds with USB-C | Apple AirPods Apple - AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation - | Soundcore Liberty Soundcore by Anker Liberty 5 True Wireless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | open-ear | In-Ear | In-Ear | In-Ear | in-ear | In-Ear |
| Driver Type | - | Dynamic | Dynamic | Dynamic | Dynamic | Dynamic |
| Wireless | true | true | true | true | true | true |
| Active Noise Cancellation | - | true | true | true | true | true |
| Bluetooth Version | - | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| Battery Life Hours | 9 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
| Case Battery Hours | 37 | 18 | 16 | 25 | 25 | 24 |
| Water Resistance | IPX4 | IPX4 | IPX4 | IP57 | Water-Resistant | IP55 |
| Multipoint | true | true | true | true | true | true |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
| Product | Anc | Mic | Build | Sound | Battery | Comfort | Connectivity | Social Proof |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony LinkBuds Clip | 33.8 | 23.8 | 91.2 | 42.7 | 90.8 | 69.2 | 67 | 10.3 |
| Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds QuietComfort Ultra True Wireless Noise-Canceling Earbuds 2nd Gen Compare | 96.1 | 87.8 | 91.2 | 99.2 | 68.9 | 93.2 | 98.5 | 93 |
| Technics EAH-AZ80 Noise-Canceling True Wireless In-Ear Compare | 82.6 | 99.9 | 91.2 | 98.4 | 68.9 | 93.2 | 98.5 | 93 |
| Jabra Evolve2 Evolve2 Buds Compare | 82.6 | 98.9 | 99.3 | 87.9 | 94.1 | 93.2 | 97.2 | 98.1 |
| Apple AirPods Noise-Canceling Compare | 96.1 | 87.8 | 81.3 | 91.8 | 90.8 | 93.2 | 97.7 | 98.4 |
| Soundcore Liberty by Anker 5 True Wireless Noise-Canceling Compare | 98.7 | 98.9 | 95.9 | 95.2 | 93.2 | 93.2 | 98.5 | 99.6 |
Common Questions
Q: Are these good for taking calls at work or in a busy cafe?
No. Our data shows the microphone quality is a major weak point, ranking in the bottom 20% of all earbuds. You'll sound distant and background noise will be a problem.
Q: How's the battery life really?
It's not great. The 37-hour total with the case sounds okay on paper, but our benchmarks put its battery performance in the bottom 15% compared to other wireless earbuds. You'll be charging the case more often than you'd like.
Q: Can I use these for working out?
The IPX4 rating means they're fine for sweat and light rain, so yes. But the clip design might not be as secure during intense movement as a true in-ear sport bud with a wingtip.
Who Should Skip This
If you're looking for good sound, clear calls, or strong noise cancellation, this isn't it. Go get the Sony WF-1000XM5 for sound and ANC, or the Jabra Evolve2 Buds for call quality instead.
Verdict
We can't recommend the Sony LinkBuds Clip. They fail at the core functions of an earbud: good sound and clear calls. The open-ear design is their only trick, and it's not enough to justify the high price tag when everything else is so underwhelming. Save your money and buy a product that excels at what you actually need.