Sony LinkBuds Clip Review: Decent, but Not Enough for the Price

THE SCORECARD

How the Sony LinkBuds Clip scored

• Comfort

  9/10

  The 6.3 g buds are chunky, but the clip tightness is well balanced for all-day use when positioned properly.

• Security of the fit

  9/10

  The wire tightness held them in place during my gym test, although the glossy finish may be less ideal for very sweaty users.

• IP Rating

  9/10

  They have an IPX4 water-resistant rating, but no dust resistance.

• Case and battery life

  8/10

  Sony advertises 9 hours in the buds and 37 hours total, plus a 3-minute charge for 1 hour of playback, but there is no wireless charging.

• Controls

  8/10

  Wide-area tapping is handy while moving, but customization is limited to presets and there is no wearing detection.

• Connectivity

  9/10

  Bluetooth 5.3, SBC, AAC, mono single-bud use and multipoint work well, though there is no high-res codec or low-latency gaming mode.

• Call quality

  8/10

  Call quality is pretty decent overall, but I could not answer, reject or end calls, or adjust call volume, with the touch controls.

• App customization and extra features

  8.5/10

  The new Sony app is well laid out and includes a 10-band EQ, Find My EQ, listening modes and scene settings.

• How these buds sound below 60% volume

  8/10

  The stock tuning has basically zero bass, so I needed a substantial EQ bass boost to get the sound where I wanted it.

• Sound quality above 60% volume

  8.5/10

  At higher volumes, bass stays strong with no distortion on bass-heavy tracks, while vocals and treble also improve.

The Pros and Cons

Is the Sony LinkBuds Clip comfortable and secure?

I scored comfort and security of fit at 9 out of 10 each. At 6.3 g, each bud is on the chunkier side, but Sony has got the tightness of the clip wire nicely balanced. Get the position right and I think they are fine for all-day use.

They also stayed put in my gym test. The glossy finish may be less grippy if you are incredibly sweaty, where matte material or silicone can work better, but the wire tightness should keep them locked in place during exercise. Side sleeping is okay rather than great, because the driver housing pushed into my ear canal more than I wanted.

What do you get for battery, controls and connectivity?

Sony advertises 9 hours in the buds and 37 hours total with the case. A 3-minute charge gives 1 hour of playback. The case is chunky, though, and the lack of wireless charging is difficult to accept at this price. Next to the HUAWEI FreeClip 2 case, the LinkBuds Clip case looks almost like two of those cases squished together.

The tap controls are genuinely useful. I could tap the bud or even near it, such as on my jaw, which is handy while running. Double, triple and quad taps adjust volume, and continued tapping changes it faster. Sony's customization is still limited to preset left- and right-bud assignments.

For connectivity, there is Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC and AAC. There is no high-res codec, which is unusual for a Sony earbud, and no low-latency gaming mode. Multipoint works without takeover, so I needed to pause one device before starting playback on the other. A single bud can also play both left and right channels in mono mode.

Sony LinkBuds Clip call quality and app features

I gave call quality 8 out of 10. It is pretty decent all round in my quiet-room, crowd-noise and city-noise tests. I did run into a strange issue: I could not answer, reject or hang up a call with the touch controls, and I could not adjust volume on the buds. It could be a firmware issue, but it was there in my testing.

The app is one of the better parts of this package. I like the layout, with basic controls on the main page and a quick drop-down list for device settings. There is vocal mode, a sound-leakage reduction option, a 10-band EQ, Find My EQ, 360 audio connection settings and scene settings. Scene settings can read out the date and time when the buds come out of the case, and can automatically start a streaming service.

How does the Sony LinkBuds Clip sound?

Volume is the limitation to know about first. I measured the LinkBuds Clip at just over 100 dB. By open-ear standards, that may not be enough on a busy train, bus or in the city, especially with quieter video audio. Sound leakage is about average for a clip-on: from around 60% volume, people nearby may notice it in a quiet space. Angling the buds slightly down toward the ear canal improved clarity and bass for me.

Below 60% volume, the stock tuning has basically zero bass. My go-to EQ ramps the bass all the way up, with a slight treble and mid boost to compensate. That produces punchy rather than boomy bass, though it pushes vocals slightly back in the mix. Treble has a nice bit of sparkle, with detail that never got harsh.

Above 60%, these get better. Bass continues to rise up to around 85% volume, rather than flattening out as it does on many open earbuds, and I heard no distortion on bass-heavy tracks. The result is rich, detailed and pleasing, with vocals standing out more clearly. Higher-scored buds still provide a little more bass and clarity, but Sony's high-volume performance is impressive for its first clip-on earbud.