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Sony LinkBuds Open · Photo source

Sony LinkBuds Open
Photo 1 of 26

Sony LinkBuds Open · Photo source

Sony · LinkBuds

LinkBuds Open

Released October 2024

The LinkBuds Open are Sony's open-ring earbuds, with a hole through the driver that lets outside sound in, for people who want to hear their surroundings all day instead of blocking them out.

Type
Open-ear
Noise cancelling
No
Battery
8 h
With case
22 h
Best codec
LC3
Weight
5.1 g

What reviewers say

Reviewers agree the ring design is comfortable and secure, lets in surrounding sound well and comes with plenty of features, and SoundGuys measured long battery life. All note the open design costs sound quality, with TechRadar finding bass strong but the sound less clean and balanced than it could be; the price and sound leakage are further complaints.

From soundguys.com, techradar.com and whathifi.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Sound

Type
Open-ear
Noise cancelling
No
Spatial audio with head tracking
Yes
Driver size
11 mm
Bluetooth codecs
SBC, AAC and LC3
Chip
V2
Drivers
11 mm ring-shaped driver with a high-compliance diaphragm and high-power neodymium magnet
Chip
Integrated Processor V2
Noise cancelling detail
No noise cancelling; the open-ring design lets outside sound through; Adaptive Volume Control adjusts the volume to your surroundings; Speak-to-Chat
Audio features
DSEE upscaling; 360 Reality Audio with head tracking; LE Audio (LC3); BGM effect; equaliser in the app

Battery

Listening time (maker's claim)
Up to 8 hours
With the case
Up to 22 hours
Wireless charging
No
Battery life detail
Up to 8 hours with AAC, SBC or LC3; 8 hours from the earbuds plus 14 hours from the case, 22 hours in total; talk time up to 4.5 hours; standby up to 13 hours; the equaliser, DSEE, Speak-to-Chat and Adaptive Volume Control shorten battery life
Charging case
USB-C; about 2.5 hours to fully charge the case, 1.5 hours for the earbuds; 46.0 × 46.0 × 29.4 mm
Fast charging
3 minutes of charging gives about 1 hour of playback

Design

Weight (each earbud)
5.1 g
Water and sweat resistance
IPX4
Bluetooth
5.3
Two devices at once
Yes
Controls
Wide Area Tap on the earbud or the face in front of the ear (tap twice to play or pause; three times to skip or answer calls; five or more times for volume), reassignable in the app; head gestures to answer calls; voice control; Quick Access; IR sensors pause music when an earbud is taken out
Microphones
A microphone on each earbud, with Precise Voice Pickup Technology and AI noise reduction for calls
Fit and ear tips
Open-ring design held in place by Fitting Supporters; either earbud can be used on its own
Case weight
About 30.6 g
Water resistance detail
IPX4 equivalent for the earbuds, excluding the sound outlet, ventilation holes and microphone holes; the charging case is not water resistant
Works with
Sony | Sound Connect app for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices; LE Audio with compatible devices; Auto Switch with the LinkBuds Speaker; Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa; Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair; Bluetooth 5.3 Class 1, about 10 m range
Colours
Black, White, Violet (Olivia Rodrigo edition)
In the box
Earbuds, charging case, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C), documents

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Open-ring 11 mm driver keeps you aware of your surroundings without an ambient mode
  • Up to 8 hours per charge, 22 hours with the case, and 3 minutes of charging gives about 1 hour
  • Multipoint, LE Audio (LC3) and head-tracked 360 Reality Audio

Cons

  • No noise cancelling, by design
  • SBC, AAC and LC3 only, with no LDAC
  • No wireless charging, and the case isn't water resistant

Closest rivals

Model
TypeNoise cancellingBatteryWith caseBest codecWeightReleased
BoseUltra Open Earbuds
Open-earNo7 h26.5 haptX Adaptive6.4 gFeb 2024
Anker soundcoreAeroFit 2
Open-earNo10 h42 hLDAC10 gOct 2024
JBLSense Pro
Open-earNo8 h38 hLDAC11.6 gOct 2025

Sources

  1. sony.com.au/headphones/products/linkbuds-open/spec
  2. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2964/v1/en/contents/TP1001300700.html
  3. sony.com.au/headphones/products/linkbuds-open
  4. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2964/v1/en/contents/TP1001298908.html
  5. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2964/v1/en/contents/TP1001298910.html
  6. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2964/v1/en/contents/TP1001298903.html
  7. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2964/v1/en/contents/TP1001300247.html
  8. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_Open
  9. electronics.sony.com/audio/headphones/truly-wireless-earbuds/p/wfl910-b
  10. sony.eu/presscentre/sony-expands-its-linkbuds-range-with-the-linkbuds-fit-linkb…
  11. sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/202410/24-1002
  12. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_Open/feature_2.html
  13. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_Open/feature_3.html
  14. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_Open/feature_4.html
  15. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_Open/feature_5.html
  16. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_Open/feature_6.html
  17. sony.jp/webapi/image/product_relate.php
  18. sony.jp/webapi/image/product_relate.php
  19. sony.jp/webapi/image/product_relate.php
  20. sony.jp/headphone/store/products/LinkBudsFit-LinkBudsOpen
  21. sony.jp/headphone/special/LinkBuds_Open
  22. sony.jp/headphone/special/styles
  23. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_Open/feature_1.html
  24. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2964/v1/en/index.html
  25. sony.co.uk/headphones/products/linkbuds-open
  26. sony.co.uk/electronics/support/wireless-headphones-bluetooth-headphones/wf-l910…
  27. sony.com/electronics/support/res/manuals/5056/210f99dc186cf8b31b190bc29933f3ad/…
  28. electronics.sony.com/audio/headphones/all-headphones/p/wfl910-b
  29. sony.co.uk/headphones/products/linkbuds-open/features-1
  30. sony.co.uk/headphones/products/linkbuds-open/features-3
  31. sony.co.uk/headphones/products/linkbuds-open/features-4
  32. sony.co.uk/headphones/products/linkbuds-open/features-6

Photo: sony.scene7.com

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