Sony LinkBuds Open Truly Wireless Earbud

The Sony LinkBuds Open are a uniquely transparent earbud with a literal hole in the driver, delivering crisp sound while keeping you 100% aware of your surroundings. The fit is a love-it-or-hate-it affair, and they're useless on a loud commute. But for fitness or home-office use, the $228 price on Amazon makes them a compelling niche pick. Just don't expect any bass thump or noise isolation.

Sound quality is a pleasant surprise for an open design. That ring driver, paired with Sony's Integrated Processor V2, pushes out a well-balanced sound that's especially crisp in the mids and highs. Our sound score puts them in the 77th percentile, which is well above average. You're not going to get thumping, chest-rattling bass since there's no seal, but the audio is clear and authentic. It's perfect for podcasts, acoustic sets, and anything where vocal clarity matters.

Call quality is another strong point. Sony's voice pickup tech does a solid job, earning a 71st percentile mic score. The person on the other end will hear you clearly, even with some background chatter. Battery life is about average for this class, with 8 hours in the buds and 22 total with the case. The quick charge is a lifesaver, though, giving you an hour of playback from just 3 minutes of charging. Connectivity is reliable with multipoint for two devices, but it's nothing class-leading, sitting in the 66th percentile.

The most direct comparison is with standard open-ear bone conduction headphones, but the LinkBuds Open are a different beast. They use an actual dynamic driver firing into your ear, so the audio quality smokes something like a Shokz. But they're also more fragile and less secure for intense workouts. The Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Apple AirPods Pro 3 are the opposite end of the spectrum, offering best-in-class noise cancelation and a sealed fit. They'll demolish the LinkBuds on a plane or train, but they'll also leave you totally isolated, which is exactly what Sony is trying to avoid.

Then there's the Technics EAH-AZ100, which is a more traditional earbud but with excellent ambient sound modes. It's a strong middle ground if you want the option to seal out noise sometimes and let it in other times. The LinkBuds Open don't give you that choice. They are transparent, all the time. For a budget-conscious alternative, the Soundcore P31i offers a decent open-style experience, but it won't touch Sony's sound processing or call quality. You're trading away refinement to save some cash.

Pricing on these is a bit of a wild west show. We're seeing a spread from $228 all the way up to a frankly absurd $7,989 across different vendors. Obviously, ignore the crazy high end, that's likely a third-party marketplace anomaly. The real price to pay attention to is that $228 mark from Amazon, which is where you should be buying these. At that price, you're getting a very unique piece of audio tech that no one else really offers.

Compared to something like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra, which seals you off from the world for a similar price, the value proposition is completely inverted. You're paying for the ability to hear your surroundings clearly, not block them. If that's your priority, the $228 entry point is fair for the tech and sound quality you're getting. Just don't pay a cent more.

Sony's LinkBuds Open are a weird, wonderful little experiment in a world obsessed with noise cancelation. Instead of sealing you off, they use a literal hole in the 11mm driver to let the outside world pour in. The idea is you stay present, whether you're working from a coffee shop, jogging on a busy street, or just need to hear your partner ask what you want for dinner without pausing your podcast. It's a niche, but for the right person, it's a game changer.

Comfort is the big swing here, with Sony including those new 'Air Fitting Supporters' and a tiny, hollow nub that tucks into your ear. The whole package is featherlight at 41 grams for the case and buds, and they kind of just float there. But that's also the catch. Our database shows comfort scores landing in the 74th percentile, which is solid, but the real-world feedback is a total mixed bag. Some ears love 'em, others find them irritating after an hour, and a few folks just can't get a secure fit at all.

At the end of the day, these are for a very specific person: someone who prioritizes environmental awareness above all else. They're a strong pick for fitness, scoring 66.4 out of 100 in our tests, but they fall apart on a noisy commute, hitting a rough 51.4. If you want to block out the world, look elsewhere. If you want to invite it in with surprisingly good audio, the LinkBuds Open are one of the most unique options on the market.

Commuters and travelers should absolutely skip these. The 51.4 commute score isn't just a number, it means you'll be fighting engine roar and train clatter by maxing out the volume, which is bad for your ears and still won't sound good. If you spend any significant time on public transit or planes, you need noise cancelation. Grab the Bose QuietComfort Ultra or Apple AirPods Pro 3 instead. They have transparency modes that can mimic this open feeling when you want it, but critically, they can also seal out the world when you need silence.

Also, if you're a bass head, move along. The physics of an unsealed earbud mean the low-end is naturally rolled off. No amount of digital signal processing can replace the physical thump you get from a proper in-ear seal. A pair of Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro will serve you much better for bass-heavy genres.

If you're a remote worker who needs to be tuned into your home life, or a runner who refuses to sacrifice situational awareness, the LinkBuds Open are a top-tier choice. They're one of the best on the market for fitness thanks to their stable, airy fit and IPX4 rating. The sound is genuinely good for what it is, and the quick charging is a feature you'll use daily. Just make sure you buy from a retailer with a solid return policy, because the fit is a total coin toss.

For anyone with a commute that involves a bus, train, or plane, just walk away. A score of 51.4 for travel is a dealbreaker. You'll be cranking the volume to dangerous levels just to hear a podcast over engine noise. In that case, grab a pair of noise-canceling buds like the AirPods Pro 3 or Bose QC Ultra and use their transparency mode when you need to hear the world. The LinkBuds are a brilliant second pair of earbuds for specific situations, but they're a risky and often frustrating choice as your only pair.