I tested Sonys latest open earbuds and they had plenty of bass but still didnt hit all the right notes

Date:
Tue, 09 Sep 2025 21:00:00 +0000

Description:
I tested Sonys latest open earbuds and I was impressed by their feature-set and bass output, but they weren't quite a slam dunk.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Sony LinkBuds Open: two-minute review

The Sony LinkBuds Open are yet another contender in the trendy and ever-expanding world of open earbuds but they still stand out from the
crowd.

This model succeeds Sonys first attempt at open earbuds, which launched three years ago now, and combines a slightly unorthodox design with a broad feature-set, tuneable audio, and modern controls. With a price of $199 / 149
/ AU$249.95, though, theres a lot of expectation on Sonys latest open buds so, can they hit all of the right notes?

Well, Ill start by talking about my first impressions out of the box. As soon as I unboxed the Sony LinkBuds Open, I was struck by their unusual yet enticing looks. Unlike a lot of the best open earbuds , these adopt neither the clip-on nor the hooked designs that most of their competitors adopt. Instead, each bud has a ring-shaped driver, which lets ambient sound in easily. The batteries are housed in an orb-shaped casing, and wings are attached to these for a more secure in-ear fit.

Im a fan of the ring-shaped in-ear components these fit nicely and let in ambient noises without a hitch. Admittedly though, the spherical exterior looks a bit clunky, and although the wings ensure a pretty secure fit, they felt a little peculiar in my ear, which took comfort levels down a bit for me personally. Overall, these should still feel fine in-ear for a few hours, but there are comfier alternatives out there, like the Apple AirPods 4 with ANC , for instance.

Something I loved was the charging case. The white color variant has a
glossy, marble-like appearance and I appreciate the attention to detail here. Its worth noting that you can also grab these buds in Black or Violet the latter being a special edition produced in collaboration with singer Olivia Rodrigo.

Another thing that really impresses me about these buds is their feature-set, which is bursting at the seams with user-friendly goodness. Theres
multi-point connectivity, 360 Reality Audio support, voice assistant integration, and services such as Spotify Tap all accessible via Sonys Sound Connect app.

But theres more! Theres customizable, and surprisingly effective touch controls, DSEE upscaling for lower-quality music files ( still looking at
you, Spotify), and depth-filled EQ options. Theres Find Your Equalizer a gamified way to uncover the best tuning for you as well as presets and a five-band custom option. Combine that with Scene-based listening, head
gesture controls, and a wearing condition check-up, and youre looking at a highly talented pair of buds.

Still, its worth flagging that some competitors offer features that have been omitted here. Theres no active noise cancellation something youll spot on a model like the Edifier LolliClip or Honor Earbuds Open though you probably want to hear your surroundings clearly if youre buying open-style earbuds. Theres also no LDAC, Sonys hi-res Bluetooth audio codec, but again, the open design here does limit audio capabilities.

Finally, there arent any health monitoring options think a heart rate or blood oxygen tracker (you'd need to look to the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 for that). But still, you have plenty to play with on the LinkBuds Open, and the companion app is super easy to use. (Image credit: Future) A quick note When
I started testing the Sony LinkBuds Open, I encountered some issues, such as
a rattling noise in one bud and connectivity issues. Thankfully, we were swiftly presented with a fresh, fully functional unit, but for transparency's sake, I wanted to flag such quirks. These issues have not influenced my final scoring of the model.

By now, then, you must be wondering how the LinkBuds Open sound. Well, I have mixed feelings about this model. Firstly, its worth pre-empting this by emphasizing that an open design means a likely hit to audio fidelity, and typically weaker bass response than youd expect from earbuds with a seal or over-ear headphones, for example.

Still, I was relatively impressed with the low-end performance of the
LinkBuds Open. I tried listening to AAAAA by Kiefer with EQ set to Off
(flat), and found that the bass rippling through the track was meatier than what the impressive SoundCore AeroClip could offer with default tuning. Was
it the cleanest low-end replication Ive heard? Well no.

In Stepping Out (feat. $Ha Hef) by Jay Worthy and LNDN DRGS, the funky bassline clashed slightly with vocals, which didnt have quite enough space to breathe. Meanwhile, the palpable sub-bass is pretty understated in The Boys Are Back In Town by Yung Gravy though thats almost to be expected from a
pair of open-ears given their technical limitations.

Elsewhere, highs sounded pretty prominent out of the box but perhaps a
little too prominent at times. On occasion, sounds in the treble-frequency edged towards the harsh side of things though this can be remedied with EQ adjustment in the Sound Connect app.

Its in tracks more focused around vocal performances, then, where the
LinkBuds Open truly shine. For instance, when tuning into Dchire la Toile by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier, gliding keys and emotive vocals sounded clear and controlled, with a pleasing openness to the sound creating
a decently immersive listen. Even at higher volumes, there was a solid level of detail on display, though my colleague did note significant sound leakage not ideal if youre in the office or on public transport.

All in all, you wont get that perfectly balanced, beautifully layered audio and you might want to tinker with that out-of-the-box sound profile. But for
a pair of open earbuds, the LinkBuds Open are certainly solid in the audio department, with generally clear, weighty sound.

A few final notes on this open-ear option from Sony. Firstly, you get a
pretty standard serving of playtime. You should get around 8 hours from the buds alone, plus an additional 14 with the charging case. During my testing,
I found this to be about right putting them about on-par with modes like the aforementioned Soundcore AeroClip.

And one more thing: there are optional fittings that you can purchase to customize the LinkBuds Open to your liking. These include multi-colored
covers for both the buds themselves and the charging case, if you really
wanna jazz things up. This level of customizability is admirable, but youll have to spend extra to access it.

In the end, then, can we say that the LinkBuds open hit all of the right notes? Not quite but they still put on a good show. Im not totally sold on their design and sonically, theyre not as strong as some wireless buds in the same price-range. But still, commendable mid-range performance, fairly meaty bass given the design and lots of EQ options kept me satisfied overall.

Unfortunately, there's one area where these buds fall down for me: their
cost. They're very pricey for open ears, which already come with some compromises in terms of audio. So, even though they have a deep feature-set and secure in-ear fit, this model's not quite a slam dunk. If you've got a good amount of cash to splash on some open earbuds, these may well be worth checking out, but otherwise, I'd suggest taking a peek at my other recommendations in the Also consider section. Sony LinkBuds Open review:
specs

Waterproof rating

IPX4 equivalent

Battery life

8 hours (earbuds); 22 hours (with charging case)

Bluetooth type

Bluetooth 5.3

Weight

5.1g (per bud); 30g (charging case)

Frequency range

20Hz-20kHz (Image credit: Future) Sony LinkBuds Open review: price and
release date $199 / 149 / AU$249.95 Launched in October 2024

The Sony LinkBuds Open or Sony LinkBuds Open WF-L910 as theyre sometimes listed released at the end of 2024. They have a list price of $199 / 149 / AU$249, which is by no means cheap for a pair of open-ears, though nowhere near as steep as the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds , which launched at $299 / 299 / AU$449.95.

On top of that, Ive already spotted these on sale in some territories. For instance, theyve dropped to under 130 / AU$250 on Amazon at the time of writing. You can pick the LinkBuds Open up in a variety of colors, including Black, White, or Violet. The latter is a collaboration with singer Olivia Rodrigo, and includes custom EQ options which were tuned by the artist and
her producer. (Image credit: Future) Should you buy the Sony LinkBuds Open?

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

Wide suite of features and awesome in-app experience.

4.5/5

Sound quality

Generally solid for open ear sound, imperfect yet fairly meaty bass, clear mids.

3.5/5

Design

Not the most elegant looking, just OK comfort, but secure fit and appealing case.

3.5/5

Value

Despite good overall performance, these are expensive against similar quality rivals.

3/5 Buy them if...

You want access to excellent features
As is usually the case with Sony products, the LinkBuds Open are brimming
with features. Bluetooth audio upscaling, EQ options, multi-point, and Scene-based listening are all here. And theres a whole lot more too just download the Sound Connect app to discover whats on offer.

You want a secure open ear fit
Although I wasn't totally bowled over by their looks, I cant deny that the LinkBuds offer a pleasingly secure fit. If youre out on a run or at the gym, you wont have to worry about them slipping out easily and with their open design, youll be able to hear your surroundings easily too. Don't buy them if...

Youre an audiophile
If you want a beautifully detailed, elegantly balanced, and effortlessly separated sound, the Sony LinkBuds Open probably arent for you. A lot of that is a result of their open design aspects like bass response and detail
levels wont compare to that of the best wireless earbuds .

Youre on a budget
At $199 / 149 / AU$249.95, the Sony LinkBuds Open are hardly cheap. If youre set on an open design, the Huawei FreeArc down below are our pick for the
best budget option more on those below. Sony LinkBuds Open: also consider

Sony LinkBuds Open

Anker Soundcore AeroClip

Huawei FreeArc

Price

$199 / 149 / AU$249.95

$129.99 / 129.99 (about AU$210)

99.99 (about $130 / AU$210)

Waterproof rating

IPX4 equivalent

IPX4

IP57

Battery life

8 hours (earbuds); 22 hours (with charging case)

8 hours (earbuds); 24 hours (with charging case)

7 hours (earbuds); 23 hours (with charging case)

Bluetooth type

Bluetooth 5.3

Bluetooth 5.4

Bluetooth 5.2

Weight

5.1g (per bud); 30g (charging case)

6g (per bud); 42g (charging case)

8.9g (per bud); 67g (charging case)

Frequency range

20Hz-20kHz

20Hz-20kHz

20Hz-20kHz

Anker Soundcore AeroClip
Im a big fan of the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, and they remain some of the
best open earbuds Ive tested. Out of the box, theyre not as bass-heavy as the LinkBuds Open, but a quick EQ tweak can give you a sound closer to your preference. With solid battery life, a comfortable clip-on design, and reasonable asking price, theres a lot to like here. Read our full Anker Soundcore AeroClip review .

Huawei FreeArc
For a more "traditional" open-ear build, the Huawei FreeArc are a top-tier choice and theyre pretty cheap too. With surprisingly good sound quality, excellent protection against the elements, and a comfortable fit, theyre well-worth checking out. Read our full Huawei FreeArc review . How I tested the Sony LinkBuds Open (Image credit: Future) Tested across the course of multiple weeks Used in the office and while out and about Predominantly
tested using Tidal

I tested the Sony LinkBuds Open over the course of multiple weeks while in
the office, at home, and out on walks.

For the most part, I listened to music with the buds via Tidal , though I occasionally dipped into a few tracks on Spotify . During testing, I made
sure to run through the TechRadar testing playlist , which features tracks from a range of genres. I also listened to songs from my personal library .

Where appropriate, I compared the LinkBuds Open against rival models, such as the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, which helped me to assess aspects like audio performance and comfort. First reviewed: September 2025 Read more about how
we test



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/audio/earbuds-airpods/sony-linkbuds-open-review


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