Sony recently officially released its new ear-hook open true wireless earphones, LinkBuds Clip Open, which feature an open design that clips behind the auricle and incorporates a wearing concept that continuously senses ambient sound. It is designed to be worn comfortably for a long time and used in multiple scenarios. This new product is similar to open-back headphones such as Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, JVC Nearphones and Shokz OpenDots One. It does not close the ear canal and allows users to still hear surrounding sounds and other people's conversations when listening to music and podcasts.
The LinkBuds Clip Open is available in select markets starting today in black, grey, green and lavender, priced at $229.99. The price is between the $299.99 Bose Ultra Open and the $199.95 Shokz OpenDots One, and higher than the $149.99 Soundcore AeroClip. The top of the charging box supports changing the color shell, and users can customize the appearance to a certain extent according to personal preferences.
In terms of shape, LinkBuds Clip Open adopts a C-shaped earhook structure, which does not put pressure on the inside of the ear canal. Officials emphasize that it helps improve the comfort of long-term wearing. Sony also comes with replaceable "fitting pads" to fit ears of different sizes and shapes, which may become a new alternative for users who have previously had difficulty keeping traditional in-ear headphones firmly worn.
In terms of battery life, LinkBuds Clip Open can be used for about 9 hours in a single use, and the total battery life with the charging box can be up to 37 hours; when the battery is exhausted, charging for about 3 minutes can provide up to about 1 hour of playback time. Users can adjust the sound performance through the 10-band equalizer in the Sony Sound Connect mobile app, and switch between three sound modes with a tap on the headphones: standard mode, voice enhancement mode suitable for listening to podcasts in noisy environments, and "leakage reduction mode" that limits the volume in quiet environments and prevents sound from leaking out and disturbing others.
Despite the earhook design, which positions the microphone relatively far from the mouth, Sony says the LinkBuds Clip Open is still equipped with "high-precision voice capture technology." This solution combines bone conduction sensors and AI noise reduction algorithms to more accurately pick up the user's voice during calls and suppress environmental noise to maintain a relatively clear call effect even when it is difficult to find a quiet space.