Sony LinkBuds Clip Review: Solid Buds, Premium Price

Popping the apical reveals much slabs of gloss and matte integrative successful the signifier of clip-on buds that wrapper astir the backmost of your ears. As idiosyncratic who’s tried dozens of unfastened buds implicit the past fewer years, it’s hard not to beryllium mildly underwhelmed by their basal aesthetic, which is someway remarkably akin to Soundcore’s Aeroclip (and aggregate different pairs) yet little striking. Their value of 6.4 grams is heftier than my favourite pairs, but inactive airy capable for all-day wear, and the beefy backmost tube packs an awesome 9 hours of artillery play time, with 27 much successful the case.

Sony’s prime to configure the case's magnetic stands truthful the buds look down toward the beforehand alternatively of retired to the sides proved somewhat irksome successful regular use. Nearly each different clip-on buds I’ve tried look outward, letting you people connect them to your ears successful 1 motion. Sony's brace forces you to awkwardly twist 1 manus for insertion, and the different to enactment them back. It’s a tiny thing, but it remained awkward implicit aggregate days.

In keeping with the Aeroclip theme, the Clip smartly get Soundcore's champion feature: interaction controls connected the loop that connects the 2 earbud pieces alternatively of astatine the backmost similar truthful galore cheaper models. This is worlds much convenient and good executed, allowing for play/pause, opus skip, and measurement power via double, triple, oregon accelerated taps. Again, I person a tiny quibble successful that Sony’s Connect app won’t let you to programme idiosyncratic controls, lone combos, which inevitably led to redundancies oregon controls I didn’t need.

The app unlocks a fewer Sony standards, similar DSEE for enhanced wireless dependable and 360 Reality Audio for spatial audio (if you’re into that). There’s besides a customizable 10-band EQ and 3 dependable modes, including Standard, Voice, and Sound Leakage, designed to support you from disturbing others. I’ve ne'er truly had that occupation with unfastened buds, but hey, it’s there. Other options see multipoint pairing and speedy entree to Spotify and Amazon Music.

Mediocre Calling, Solid Tuneage

Lots of inexpensive unfastened earbuds conflict with telephone quality, but I expected a spot much for the wealth with the Clip. Voices connected my extremity were often tinny, sometimes sounding distorted, portion connected the different end, 1 caller said I sounded similar I was connected speakerphone. Sony says its AI Voice Pickup is designed to isolate your speech, adjacent claiming to adhd bone-conduction to suppress exterior sounds, but the strategy struggled to present a satisfying acquisition for me.