Forget silicone earplugs and the feeling of underwater silence; Sony is introducing the Sony LinkBuds Clip, a pair of headphones that you wear as a fashion accessory while AI helps you hear the world and your music at the same time. If you’ve ever felt like traditional earbuds are little fingers that tech giants are persistently pushing into your skull, you’re not alone. Jeremy Clarkson would probably say that putting earbuds in your ears is like trying to park a Range Rover in a London phone booth – uncomfortable, tight and sometimes a little painful. But Sony, the company that gave us the Walkman and then sold us silence for decades with the 1000X series, has now realized that sometimes we might want to hear our neighbor’s dog reminding us of its durability.
We present to you Sony LinkBuds Clip. They're not in the ear. They're not over the ear. They're… on the ear. Like those earrings that rebellious teenagers wore in the '90s, except they're full of artificial intelligence and cost $230.
A design that even Milan Fashion Week would approve of
Sony has ditched its previous bizarre “donut” shape with a hole in the middle and gone with a C-shaped design. It’s a clip-on design that hugs the edge of your ear. Why? Because Sony realized that ears are like fingerprints—no two are the same. Instead of forcing you to use different sizes of rubber tips that you lose under the car seat in a second, the LinkBuds Clip simply clip on.
Comfort is key here. Since nothing penetrates your ear canal, you can wear these headphones all day without feeling like your head is going to explode from the pressure. And because they come in colors like greige (a mix of gray and beige for those who can't decide) and lavender, they actually look like a part of your style, not a medical device.
Technology: When bone conduction meets AI
The biggest problem with “open” headphones has always been call quality. Because the microphones are far from your mouth, you sound like you’re calling from inside an empty beer keg in the middle of a thunderstorm. Sony has used real “space” technology here. The LinkBuds Clip use a bone conduction sensor that detects the vibrations of your skull when you speak. These vibrations are then processed by an AI noise reduction system that separates your voice from the noise of a passing city bus. The result? Your grandmother will finally understand what you’re saying, even if you’re walking down Prešeren Square during rush hour.
As for sound, we have three modes available:
- Standard mode: For the “natural and spacious sound” that Sony has been drinking for decades.
- Voice Boost: Which emphasizes vocals – ideal for podcasts when there's chaos going on around you.
- Sound Leakage Reduction: An ingenious feature that cuts off high frequencies so that the passenger next to you on the train won't know you're listening to Taylor Swift for the fifth time in a row.
Numbers that are not just for decoration
For those of you who love specs more than Sunday roasts, here are the facts. The battery life is simply impressive. The headphones themselves can last for 9 hours of continuous playback, while the charging case adds another 28 hours, giving a total of 37 hours of autonomy. That's enough to drive from Ljubljana to the far south of Greece and back on a single charge (unless, of course, you have an electric car that takes longer to charge than these headphones).
But if you're forgetful, there's quick charging to save you: 3 minutes on the cable gives you 1 hour of music. The headphones are IPX4-rated, meaning sweat or light rain won't harm them. For high-resolution lovers, there's also DSEE upscaling, which tries to turn your compressed MP3 files into something that doesn't sound like sand in a mixer.
Conclusion: Do you need them?
Let's be honest. Sony LinkBuds Clip they are not for audiophiles who sit in darkened rooms with gold-plated cables and listen to classical music in 24-bit resolutionThese headphones are for people who actually live. For those who run around town, ride their bikes, or work in an office where they need to hear when their boss calls them for an “urgent” meeting.
Price $230 (around 215 euros) is not small, but for that you get a piece of top-notch engineering that doesn't destroy your hearing and allows you to stay connected to reality. My opinion? Sony has hit the nail on the head. They've created something that's simultaneously weird, innovative and incredibly useful. It's the automotive equivalent of a modern convertible - it may not be the most practical for transporting furniture from Ikea, but you'll feel fantastic while driving.
