Sony LinkBuds Clip Open-Ear True Wireless Earbuds - Lavender

Light and with clear sound

Comfortable to wear, light and responsive to touch. I wear them in the gym and unless it it's unusually noisy they are clear.

biker_steve

Fitness and Form

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I already have Sony ear buds but have difficulty with them in my ears. I bought these as they are a clip on type rather than a plug in type. They fit really well and I have no fear of them falling out. I put them I whilst walking my dog and am really pleased to be able to hear surround noises as well. The sound from these are perfect for me in this environment. I find the in case charging really good and so easy. The use of QR codes to set up is so easy and I was connected to my phone in minutes. I can certainly recommend these earbuds especially when being aware of your environment is important.

LesJ57, South Wales

Transatlantic flight use

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] A compact head phone which is comfortable to wear for a extended period of time. Lack of instructions made initial use straight from the box awkward. Once paired with my Sony HiRes music player output was excellent accross all genre of music making them a good universal headset.

Bryan, South West UK

Outstanding Sound Quality

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Opening the box On first view the box is like a jewel my box, small and discreet Then out comes a small plastic case containing the link buds Lift the lid and it comes to life, take out a link bud and the connect in seconds via the Sound Connect app, but I also found they’ll connect to an I phone via Bluetooth. Next step is putting them in the ear, they look like they may be uncomfortable, but surprise! Once in, they’re comfortable, in fact you forget they’re there at all So small and light must equal poor sound? Think again, the sound quality is awesome, deep bass, clear treble, and speech is wonderful, and all the while you can still hear what’s going on around you. The sound connect app allows you to choose three different settings, and to change those settings just by tapping the link buds Personally having tried all three I prefer to just use the standard setting I use my phone to listen to listen to audio books and music as well as calls, but I’m of an age where I prefer to put the phone to my ear to make a call! Otherwise people may think I’ve lost my marbles! All in all, this is an awesome product from Sony. I would totally recommend this product to anyone. They’re superbly designed, and easy to use, even for for a man in their sixties. Also the product is competitively priced and in fact for the quality, it’s brilliant value Wonderful quality, superbly made, and Outstanding Sound Quality

davenray, London England

The niche earphone. Now mainstream! Perfected?

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Owned the original Sony LinkBuds (WF-L900) when first released 4 years ago. An interesting concept but although ok sounding, they tended to fall out too easily and were, for me, uncomfortable to wear. Sony have been improving & tweaking the design ever since and now we have the WF-LC900 with the C standing for Clip. These are now almost perfect. They come in a nice eco friendly small cardboard box. Please note:USB-C charge cable no longer provided in the box. Mine came in the gloss black finish. (There are other colours available- Violet, Green and Taupe/Beige). The square “mini hamburger” looking case (48mm x48mm x 30mm/ weight 54g), comes with a slippery gloss black upper half, which is a bit of a finger print magnet, and an easier to grip, matt finish lower half. The rear of the lower half of the case houses the USB-C charge socket and Bluetooth pairing button. Pairing, although straightforward and secure, means initially opening the case whilst leaving the LinkBuds in the case and pressing the Bluetooth pairing button. You see a blue colour pairing light on the front of the case after which my iPhone paired in 2-3 seconds. You can pair two items and the LinkBuds will connect automatically depending on which item you are using. The design of this generation of LinkBuds is interesting. The ball shaped speaker section now simply rests in the concha of the ear facing the entrance to the ear canal. And the larger battery/brains component sits behind the ear with both sections linked by a silicon/rubber “clip” to keep in place. To secure the grip of the clip to the ear pinna for some ears, two small attachments are provided in the box. I did not need these- mine sat on my ears very securely. They are initially a little fiddly to place them in/on your ears and requires 2 hands to place in position, as one half sits on the front of you ear, and the other behind you ear, which is an initial negative as with normal earphones, you just quickly push them in to your ear canals in a second or two. However over the first few days you learn how to site each LinkBud one handed! I thought that these would start to become uncomfortable over time but I couldn’t be more wrong. These are incredibly comfortable to wear. With each LinkBud weighing just 6.3g and how they sit in/on your ears, I literally forgot I was wearing them. I wore them for over 8 hours on Day 1. This was a big surprise for me and is basically a major advantage over normal earphones, as that is one of it’s main uses- As they allow you to listen to music or podcasts/phone-calls etc but still allow you to hear what is going on around you. They are perfect therefore if working from home. No more the feeling of hot sweaty ear canals or the gradual build of of pressure or discomfort in the ear which you get with normal earphones. Just 3 minutes of charge back in the case will give 1 hour of listening. Each LinkBud is IPX4 water resistant ie- safe from water splashes or sweat. Absolutely ideal for gym use. It should be noted that the larger rear section houses the battery. These can go over 9 hours before needing a re-charge in the case. Orange indicator light on case when charging. Green light when fully charged. The LinkBuds charging case gives up to 37 hours of use. Incredible for such tiny items. The main speaker section now features 10mm drivers and the sound is full, clear & excellent. A traditional Sony strong point. However they do still lack in full on base simply as they sit just at the opening of your ear canal, so there is no full seal to keep that base sound in. So if you are a “base addict” these may not be the earbuds for you. I found the Bluetooth connection (5.3) incredible. I could walk 20-30ft away and downstairs in my house away from my phone/laptop before I detected any crackles. You are instructed via QR code when you first open the box to download the “Sony Connect” app. This gives more precise control & information about the LinkBuds such as battery life of each earpiece & case and allow control of the graphic equaliser with 8 presets available. I preferred “Heavy” which gave a bit more bass. There is a Custom Equaliser choice also. Sound codecs SBC & AAC only are supported. Each LinkBud had touch or tap sensitive controls. 2,3 or 4 taps did different things. I found tapping the rear battery unit gave the best response. The LEFT LinkBud can control 3 main sound signatures of the LinkBuds: Natural, Voice Boost & Sound Leakage Reduction. Natural is self explanatory. I preferred the Voice Boost setting as it made the spoken frequencies more punchy/louder. Sound Leakage Reduction I found a bit pointless. It just reduces the loudness & pitch of the sound and is meant to be used in quiet environments when others near you may hear your music emanating from your LinkBuds. The Right hand LinkBud can pause or skip music tracks or take & end phone calls. In my tests the Right LinkBud ran out of battery after 8hr 43 minutes. You get a “Low Battery” audible spoken warning at 20% battery remaining. And then “Battery Empty” when at 0%. The Left LinkBud still had 18% battery left at that stage. The Right Link bud for me, ran out of battery sooner as that is the one I was tapping more to control my music and answering & ending calls. Both L & R LinkBuds can receive or end telephone calls via a triple tap. Call quality was excellent and clear. This was the same when out walking by a busy street. However due to the nature of the “open” design of the LinkBuds if the environment is very noisy you will simply not hear the music/podcast or phone call! That remains the biggest weakness of the LinkBuds. For that same reason there is no ANC (Active Noise Cancellation). So I would preferably not use these on an aeroplane journey for example. So to sum up, a truly excellent sounding earphone which is probably the most comfortable I have ever worn allowing you to listen to your personal sounds but remain aware of what is happening around you or even what people are saying to you. All at the same time. But they still lack in true proper base and would not be that useful in noisier environments.

MarkyMark, Cardiff, Wales. UK

It’s a good product does most things very well

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I originally didn’t rate the link buds clips , but the more I used them , the better I rated them What I like The concept and design , not being in ear buds , is a lot more hygienic, and they are comfortable , in my case a lower near ear lobe position is the best . Easy to forget when in place , and you can hear other sounds other than what’s playing … unless the volume is high , which is what you would expect The engineering is superb , the case acts as a charging unit , if the earbuds run out , put them in the case for a few minutes for a few hours of charge , the case itself will hold about 30 hours of charging ability for the earbuds The Sony sound app , will also on opening page show you the charge levels of each bud and the case. Lastly on charging , I received a notice on my IPad , to say that the case was running low on charge, and whilst listening to an audio book, the display shows how much charge is left in the device So well done Sony for covering the charging Do load the Sony sound connect app , it gives full instructions about the earbuds , allows you to change the sound , and add an equaliser , personally I like spoken word setting Connecting via Bluetooth is easy , and straightforward, button on the back of the case to press Obviously the device , phone , iPad , needs to be set up , but caused me no problem Tapping the device to connect to phone calls , adjust volume and other clever things Did not accept phone call on iPhone SE , did on iPhone 16 , was hit and miss on volume adjustment via tapping , I much prefer using the volume button on device , and on the at note definitely has a loud enough volume to drown out any extraneous noises What they don’t do is act as noise cancelling earbuds, the quality of listening to music is not as good as other earbuds On the other hand , I don’t think noise cancelling earbuds should be used outside the house , where you can get squished by traffic , the sound quality is okay for music , but excellent for spoken word And definitely more hygenic to use . So for me , they are very useful , and look forward to using them on my next long haul flight or long train journey , and not running out of charge

A.Gent, Faversham, Kent

Great product!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Excited to receive my new Link-buds Clip! First impressions were great. Love the deign of the case. Very stylish. Link buds fit like a glove. Very easy wear with no adjustment necessary fit right on your ears. Not intrusive and don't make your ears ache . Now these Link buds are designed to keep you aware of your surroundings as well as delivering great sounds. However in noisy environments sound leakage is inevitable . One of my favourite features of these earphones is they actually stay in your ears. I have had a few of this type of in ear headphones and during exercise especially they are prone to coming loose or even falling out. With these Link buds clip I have had regular gym sessions with lots of jogging and they don't move an inch! sound quality is superb as you have come to expect with any Sony product. The Sound Connect app which accompanies this product is very useful. You can toggle between listening modes, Standard, Voice Boost, ideally for podcasts or audio books and Sound leakage reduction, suited for quiet environments like library's, study areas or quiet areas on trains. With this product you can connect the Link buds to 2 devices at once. Ideal for phone and tablet/laptop use seamlessly. Text to speech feature also is a nice touch so you don't need to keep reaching for your phone to stay up to date. Various equaliser settings are also available in the app with 2 custom settings so you can set up your sound exactly as you would like it to be. Battery life so far is excellent they simple keep on going with several hours of continuous use and you can charge them in the case several times over . Very great product if your in the market for some comfortable secure headphones that stay in your ears and look great

Jamie293, Corfe Mullen Dorset

The Earbuds I Didn’t Expect To Love This Much!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I’ve been using the Sony LinkBuds Clip for a few days now, and they’ve quickly become my go‑to earbuds for everyday life. They’re designed for people like me who are constantly juggling calls, podcasts, and music throughout a long day, without wanting to feel shut off from the world. And honestly, they deliver on that promise. Setup is genuinely smooth. You flip open the box, scan the QR code, and the Sony Sound Connect app sorts everything out for you. From there, you get full control of the three listening modes - Standard, Voice Boost, and Sound Leakage Reduction - each actually useful depending on where you are. What I really appreciate is the open‑ear design. Because the earbuds don’t block your ear canal, I can still hear traffic, conversations, and announcements - super helpful on commutes or when working around other people in the office. They clip on securely, stay comfortable for long stretches, and never give me that plugged‑up feeling I get with traditional buds. The audio quality is solid, and call clarity is surprisingly impressive thanks to Sony’s AI noise‑handling tech. I even recorded a voice‑over with them for my review video and had no complaints. Battery life is another strong point - up to 9 hours on one charge, plus 28 extra hours in the case. Quick charging is a lifesaver too. A few downsides: there’s no active noise cancelling (expected for open‑ear buds), no support for Sony’s higher‑quality LDAC codec, and the case doesn’t do wireless charging. Also, there is no USB‑C charging cable in the box. I was fine with this as I have plenty of USB cables lying around, but it is something to be aware of. Still, despite these little quirks, these Sony LinkBuds absolutely nail what they’re built for: comfort, awareness, and surprisingly strong audio for everyday life. If you want earbuds you can wear literally all day without feeling cut off from the world, these are a bit of a game‑changer.

Marktoon

Impressive Open Earbuds!

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] From unboxing onwards, this instantly looks and feels like a quality device from Sony (what else would you expect?). My daughter and I both tested the LinkBuds and found them very easy to use and comfortable to wear. After just a few minutes you don’t even know they are attached to your ears. I have previously found this type of device can be a fiddle to fit / adjust, depending on the size and shape of your ears. We both found they fitted just fine and didn’t need to use the supplied ‘fitting cushions’, which are apparently included to provide extra stability and comfort for those with smaller ears or to use them for more rigorous activities... Having said that, my daughter went horse riding several times whilst using the Buds and they remained firmly in the correct position the whole time. So, if you like saying no, you can shake your head all day long, confident the buds will stay in place! Perhaps here I should also say that an obvious advantage was noticed: Unlike ‘in ear’ buds, the LinkBuds Clip design allows much of the ambient noise around the user to be heard; Providing the volume is set to a sensible compromise, the audio (whether it be mp3 tracks, mobile phone dialogue etc.) does not obliterate outside noises. This is a particularly good feature in circumstances where personal awareness and even safety is a relevant consideration. We both quickly downloaded the ‘Sound Connect’ app to our phones and were able to access the various menus, including the 3 listening modes and 10 band equaliser for adjustment to suit application, taste and genre. I particularly like to make my own equaliser settings and found this was quick and easy to do. The result was excellent user aligned sound quality that surprised and delighted me, particularly when some of the previously unheard background instruments and sounds, that would be lost with other less able products, were realised. Note that the listening modes and many other features are also available just by simply tapping the left or right bud with the required sequence. Battery life was excellent. Sony state up to 9 hours available from the buds, and a short 3 minute charge from the case will provide 1 hour playback, sufficient for typical commuter journeys or sporting activities… In summary, the Sony LinkBuds Clip are great quality, easy to use with all the functionality you could want, whilst being super comfortable to wear and, perhaps most importantly, the sound is clean and impressive!

Capt Radar

Sony Linkbuds Clip Open Earbuds - Very Impressed.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] My First Few Days With the Sony LinkBuds Clip: Honest Thoughts. So, I’ve just started using the Sony LinkBuds Clip, and I am happy to give my honest opinion about them. I am a regular user of earphones and have owned several design types over the years. These Sony LinkBud clips are the first type where I don’t feel that I am stuffing marshmallows into my ears. I find that the open-ear, clip-on design is a breath of fresh air—no more sore ear canals after long use! I just clip them on, and they sit comfortably outside my ears, which means you can still hear what’s going on around you. Perfect for me on walks, in the gym walks, and use whilst in the house whilst still being able to hear when someone is ringing the doorbell. Comfort and Fit. First thing that I noticed was the comfort. These are lightweight, and because they don’t go inside your ear, I find that I wear them for hours without that annoying ache that I have experienced with other designs. Sony supplies removable cushions, so you can tweak the fit even more onto your ears. I’ve worn them during energetic gym sessions, and they stayed put with no fiddling or adjusting needed. I have experiences of in ear types falling out whilst undertaking this activity. Battery Life. Battery life is another win. I got about eight and a half hours on a single charge and then using the case to charge Sony states that you can get around 37 hours of charge. If you do forget to charge them, a three-minute quick charge gives you an hour of playtime. Sound Quality. Most importantly - the sound. If you’re after booming bass, these aren’t going to blow your socks off—they’re open-ear, the bass is still there and can be heard but is more subtle. The clarity of the sound is, however, fantastic, with options of adjusting the sound with Sony’s SoundConnect app. There are three listening modes, allowing you to boost voices or reduce sound leakage depending on where you are. Also, there are options to utilise a graphic equaliser within the app. There are several pre-programmed settings as well as options to input your own settings. This gives me total control of the sound you are hearing. With my settings I have I’ve found podcasts and calls sound crisp, and the playback of music is excellent. It is balanced enough for everyday listening. Calls and Connectivity. The earphones come with easy to follow set up and connection instructions and I was using them within minutes of opening the box. Calls are clear, even in busy places. Sony states it uses AI noise reduction and bone conduction tech, so people can hear you well. I have found this to be the case. Bluetooth connection is strong and the range is good. I have found that connection to the Sony SoundConnect app is instant and seamless. I do often misplace the USB cable for charging and I would love to see Sony develop and offer wireless charging technology for these ear buds. Final Verdict. The Sony Linkbuds clips are sleek and well designed and made. These earphones are perfect If you want to stay aware of your surroundings, without compromising the sound quality. I have worn them for hours at a time and they don’t hurt and feel comfy throughout. As mentioned, the sound quality for music, spoken word and calls (both sides) is excellent, this, coupled with the technology to fine tune the sound to your taste, make these earphones a great choice for quality sound and comfort of wearing. Based on my own experiences I really do like these earphones, they suit my lifestyle and would recommend them.

Graham35, Scorton, North Yorkshire, UK