There’s a growing trend in earbuds that don’t plug up your ears, and Sony just joined the party. The new LinkBuds Clip go up against the likes of Bose, Shokz, and Soundcore with a design that hooks around the ear and leaves the ear canal open.

This style of listening isn’t about noise canceling or deep bass. It’s about staying connected to your surroundings while still being able to enjoy music, podcasts, or phone calls. And with features like bone conduction for clearer calls and different sound modes for different environments, Sony’s entry feels purpose-built for everyday use.

Sony’s earlier LinkBuds models, like the WF-L900 and LinkBuds Open, used a donut-shaped speaker that rested in your ear. The Clip version takes a different approach with a C-shaped band that loops around your ear. A speaker pod sits just outside the ear canal, while a small battery module tucks behind the ear for balance. According to Sony, this shape was designed to offer a more comfortable and secure fit, especially for people who found the earlier in-ear versions tricky to wear.

To help with that fit, Sony includes soft silicone “air fitting cushions” that add extra grip. If you want to customize even further, Sony is also offering optional silicone case covers and matching cushions in all four colors—lavender, greige, black, and green—for $24.99 on its website.

The earbuds are also rated IPX4 for splash resistance, so they should hold up fine during light exercise or getting caught in the rain.

Sony included three listening modes to make the LinkBuds Clip work better in different situations:

• Standard Mode is your go-to for music, videos, and everyday listening.
• Voice Boost Mode raises vocal clarity—helpful for phone calls or podcasts in noisy places.
• Sound Leakage Reduction Mode lowers high frequencies to avoid disturbing others when you’re in quiet spaces like offices or elevators.

You can switch between these modes by tapping the earbuds. The Clip supports basic touch controls, but doesn’t have the wide-area tap feature from the LinkBuds Open (where you could tap your cheek instead of the earbud). You can customize controls slightly using Sony’s Headphones Connect app, though you’re limited to preset groupings.

Like other Sony earbuds, the LinkBuds Clip support DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), which helps improve compressed music files. If you want more control, there’s a 10-band EQ in the app, and they also support 360 Reality Audio for spatial sound, if you’re using a compatible streaming service.

Sony says a future firmware update will add adaptive volume, which will automatically adjust based on your environment, raising the volume in noisy places and lowering it in quiet ones.

One of the challenges with open-ear earbuds is making sure your voice comes through clearly on calls, since the microphones sit farther away from your mouth. To help with that, Sony uses a bone conduction sensor that detects vibrations from your voice, along with AI-based noise reduction to filter out background noise.

Battery life holds up pretty well: you get around 9 hours of use from the earbuds, and the case extends that to a total of 37 hours. If you’re in a rush, a quick 3-minute charge gives you about an hour of playback.

One downside? The case doesn’t support wireless charging. It’s a compact USB-C case, similar in size to the one used for the LinkBuds Open, but without wireless charging built in.

The LinkBuds Clip supports Bluetooth Multipoint, so you can connect to two devices at once—like your phone and your laptop. They work with SBC and AAC codecs, but don’t support LC3 or Auracast, both of which are starting to show up on more new earbuds. That might matter to users looking for future-proof Bluetooth features, especially LC3’s promise of better sound at lower bitrates.

Compared with other open-ear clip earbuds, the Sony LinkBuds Clip sit squarely in the middle of the category on price and features. At $229.99, they cost more than the Soundcore AeroClip ($169.99) and Shokz OpenDots One ($199.99), but come in well under the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds at $299.99.

Sony’s approach blends a flexible clip-on design with multiple listening modes, a customizable 10-band EQ, Bluetooth multipoint, and a strong focus on call quality through bone conduction and AI noise reduction. Battery life is rated at nine hours per charge and up to 37 hours with the case, which is competitive for this class, though the charging case doesn’t support wireless charging.

The Soundcore AeroClip targets buyers looking for a lower-cost entry into open-ear audio. It offers a similar clip-style design and solid overall battery life at a noticeably lower price, along with higher water resistance, which may appeal to more active users.

Shokz’s OpenDots One lands closer to Sony’s pricing but adds wireless charging and slightly longer total playback time, making it attractive for commuters or anyone who values charging convenience. While Shokz doesn’t emphasize advanced voice processing the way Sony does, its lightweight build and open fit have made it a popular option for all-day wear.

At the top of the price range, Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds lean into comfort-focused design and premium materials, but typically deliver shorter battery life per charge compared with Sony’s offering. Taken together, these four models show how varied the open-ear category has become: Soundcore focuses on value, Shokz prioritizes comfort and charging flexibility, Bose emphasizes design and fit, and Sony aims to balance everyday usability with clearer calls and adaptable sound. Which one makes the most sense ultimately depends on whether you care more about price, battery life, call quality, or overall convenience.

With the LinkBuds Clip, Sony is offering a new take on open-ear audio, one that doesn’t block your ears but still tries to keep your calls clear and your sound flexible. The clip-on design should appeal to anyone who’s struggled with traditional earbuds falling out or feeling uncomfortable. And while it may not tick every box (like wireless charging or support for newer Bluetooth codecs), it feels like a thoughtful entry for people who want to stay aware of their surroundings without giving up wireless convenience.

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