Sony's Newest Earbuds Are Clip-Ons

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It took me a while to get comfortable with wearing earbuds. I grew up in the era of headphones, and never quite liked the idea of sticking something into my ears on the regular. If that sounds like you, Sony's got your back. Its newest earbuds, the Linkbuds Clip, are clip-ons.

Sony's not the first brand to take this idea to market—Anker's Soundcore brand has a number of more affordable options. But for premium clip-on earbuds, it's pretty much this, the slightly more expensive Bose, and the slightly sportier Shokz.

Compared to that competition, Sony's new model is looking like a solid choice. These earbuds fit snugly around your ear with an adjustable ear cushion, and include the niceties that Sony's Linkbuds have become known for. That means an optional built-in voice boost mode to help you hear vocals better; adaptive audio that can raise or lower your volume based on your environment; a motion sensor for tapping gestures (which you can actually perform near your ear instead of on the earbuds themselves); and—new with this model—a bone-conduction sensor.

Sony's pitching that last bit as being especially good for calls, as the bone conduction sensor will be able to detect specifically when you are speaking, and, working alongside some "AI noise reduction," should be able to reduce background noise.

Battery life has also been improved over Sony's last Linkbuds, the Linkbuds Open. There, you got 22 hours of battery life with the case, but here, Sony is promising up to 37. The buds themselves should provide up to nine hours of battery life.

Speaking of the Linkbuds Open, that model also had a unique design, as the bulk of the earbud was designed to sit in your upper ear, while a ring that actually produced the sound sat just outside your ear canal. It was a design that aimed for an experience akin to "open-back" headphones, meaning you'd be able to completely hear your surroundings with the earbuds in without needing a transparency mode.

The Linkbuds Clip want to keep that same open-back experience, while allowing for greater comfort and flexibility. Sony told me that the Linkbuds Open do sit closer to the eardrum if worn correctly, which can provide a better listening experience, but that differing ear shapes made it hard for some customers to use as intended. I was sent a pair of Linkbuds Clip for review, and while I haven't had much time to test them yet, I can confirm that they fit pretty snugly on my ears right out of the box.

Over the next week, I'm excited to try the Linkbuds Clip both while out and about in New York City, and while exercising. Aside from enhanced comfort over in-ear earbuds, you'll be fully aware of your surroundings while wearing these, which should help with safety or any spur-of-the-moment conversations you might need to have (Sony is also marketing these towards parents who might need to constantly keep an ear out for their kids). I also sometimes feel like my in-ear earbuds can block airflow while I'm doing cardio, which I worry makes it harder for me to cool off, so I'm curious to see if these can help with that.

The one downside is that, as is the case with open-back headphones, there can be some sound leakage, which means others might be able to hear whatever you're listening to. That's something I'll need to test over time, although Sony does say it has an optional sound leakage reduction mode.

There's also no noise canceling, but that's to be expected when the idea is to stay aware of your surroundings.

I've been a big fan of Sony's audio products over the years, especially its software and listening modes. My full review of the Linkbuds Clip will be coming soon, but if you're already convinced, you can snag your own pair for $230 over at Sony's website, or through stores like Amazon. The case comes in four colors, but you can also grab a silicone case cover, which covers half of the case, to help you mix and match over on Sony's website for $12.50. Extra air cushions of any color are also available alongside upper case covers, while bottom case covers come with a keychain.