Popping the top reveals more slabs of gloss and matte plastic in the form of clip-on buds that wrap around the back of your ears. As someone who’s tried dozens of open buds over the last few years, it’s hard not to be mildly underwhelmed by their basic aesthetic, which is somehow remarkably similar to Soundcore’s Aeroclip (and multiple other pairs) yet less striking. Their weight of 6.4 grams is heftier than my favorite pairs, but still light enough for all-day wear, and the beefy back barrel packs an impressive nine hours of battery play time, with 27 more in the case.

Sony’s choice to configure the case’s magnetic stands so the buds face down toward the front instead of out to the sides proved slightly irksome in daily use. Nearly all other clip-on buds I’ve tried face outward, letting you naturally attach them to your ears in one motion. Sony’s pair forces you to awkwardly twist one hand for insertion, and the other to put them back. It’s a small thing, but it remained awkward over multiple days.

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

In keeping with the Aeroclip theme, the Clip smartly borrow Soundcore’s best feature: touch controls on the loop that connects the two earbud pieces instead of at the back like so many cheaper models. This is worlds more convenient and well executed, allowing for play/pause, song skip, and volume control via double, triple, or rapid taps. Again, I have a small quibble in that Sony’s Connect app won’t allow you to program individual controls, only combos, which inevitably led to redundancies or controls I didn’t need.

The app unlocks a few Sony standards, like DSEE for enhanced wireless sound and 360 Reality Audio for spatial audio (if you’re into that). There’s also a customizable 10-band EQ and three sound modes, including Standard, Voice, and Sound Leakage, designed to keep you from disturbing others. I’ve never really had that problem with open buds, but hey, it’s there. Other options include multipoint pairing and quick access to Spotify and Amazon Music.

Mediocre Calling, Solid Tuneage

Photograph: Ryan Waniata

Lots of cheap open earbuds struggle with call quality, but I expected a bit more for the money with the Clip. Voices on my end were often tinny, sometimes sounding distorted, while on the other end, one caller said I sounded like I was on speakerphone. Sony says its AI Voice Pickup is designed to isolate your speech, even claiming to add bone-conduction to suppress exterior sounds, but the system struggled to deliver a satisfying experience for me.