Sony has made open-ear earbuds before. The LinkBuds with donut-shaped drivers are one such pair of earbuds, but Sony, being Sony, never stopped exploring. The Japanese electronics giant must be wondering what the deal is with clip-on earbuds hype, and has decided it is time to give it a go. Enter the new Sony LinkBuds Clip Open Earbuds, Sony’s first clip-style earbuds.
Unlike traditional in-ear earbuds that try their best to seal off the outside world, the LinkBuds Clip are designed around what Sony calls an “Always-on clip design,” letting users hear both their music and surroundings simultaneously. Useful for commuting, office use, jogging, or pretending to listen during meetings while still being aware that someone just said your name. Ha! Take that, gossipers!
Sony says the earbuds feature a newly refined C-shaped clip structure that avoids entering the ear canal entirely. The company also included fitting cushions for different ear shapes, which is probably good news because ears, inconveniently, are not standardized hardware.
Audio-wise, Sony promises its usual balanced tuning alongside DSEE upscaling and a customizable 10-band EQ. Three listening modes are available too: Standard mode for everyday listening, Voice Boost for noisy environments, and Sound Leakage Reduction for quieter places where blasting your playlist to everyone nearby may not be socially ideal.
Call quality gets AI assistance as well, with bone-conduction sensors and AI voice pickup technology helping isolate the user’s voice during calls. Battery life is rated at up to 9 hours per charge, with the charging case extending total playback time to around 37 hours. A quick 3-minute charge can also provide about an hour of playback.
The Sony LinkBuds Clip is available in Black, Green, Lavender, and Greige, for US$229.99.
Images: Sony.
