These clip-style earbuds come from a brand you might not expect

The fledgling open-fit wireless earbud category is barely even potty trained at this point, but we can now add another big name to the growing list of contenders. Sony has just pulled back the curtain on the LinkBuds Clip, a debut open effort with a clip design that you’ll either love or hate.

Pop a pair of these around your ears and it’ll look like you’re wearing tiny hoop ear rings, in either black, lavender, green or greige (is it grey? is it beige? You be the judge!) colours. The open design is meant for all-day wear, keeping your ear canals free for maximum situational awareness and letting you have conversations without taking the buds out.

Removable Fitting Cushions aim to let the widest range of ear sizes and shapes find a comfortable fit, while also letting you mix and match colours to match your style. IPX4 water resistance should then keep them safe from sweat and splashes.

The “socially friendly” styling isn’t all that far removed from the Huawei FreeClip 2, though they look a lot sleeker than the chunky Bose Ultra Open Earbuds.

Sony is talking a big game around sound quality – not something open fit earbuds are renowned for – claiming “rich, balanced” audio with the firm’s DSEE upscaling tech and a customisable 10-band equaliser. A ‘Find your Equaliser’ setting will help novices pick the tune they like best rather than mess about with sliders. There’s even a preset designed specifically to cut down on sound leakage, for keeping private conversations private. Bone conduction microphones should also help deliver clear calls.

Other goodies include touch controls multipoint Bluetooth, but interestingly no support for the Sony-developed LDAC high quality codec.

Buyers can expect a competitive nine hours of listening per charge from the buds themselves, with the charging case pushing that total to 37. A three minute stay inside the case should add another hour of listening time.

The LinkBuds Clip are on sale right now in the UK and Europe, for £180/€200. There’s no word on US pricing or availability just yet.

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Tom Morgan-Freelander Deputy Editor

About

A tech addict from about the age of three (seriously, he's got the VHS tapes to prove it), Tom's been writing about gadgets, games and everything in between for the past decade, with a slight diversion into the world of automotive in between. As Deputy Editor, Tom keeps the website ticking along, jam-packed with the hottest gadget news and reviews.  When he's not on the road attending launch events, you can usually find him scouring the web for the latest news, to feed Stuff readers' insatiable appetite for tech.

Areas of expertise

Smartphones/tablets/computing, cameras, home cinema, automotive, virtual reality, gaming