Just last month, both Bose and Apple released new mid-range earbuds, offering upgrades to noise cancellation, sound quality, Bluetooth connectivity, and device integration. To add to the list, Sony today announced two pairs of earbuds that compete in a similar vein. There’s a new speaker, too.
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The new Sony LinkBuds Open, LinkBuds Fit, and LinkBuds Speaker are promised to offer users high levels of customization, improved comfort, new features, and a redesigned companion app. The LinkBuds Open succeed the original LinkBuds from 2022, sporting the same open-ear design.
The LinkBuds Fit succeed 2022’s LinkBuds S, improving upon the original model’s noise-canceling properties, comfort, and sound quality. The new LinkBuds Speaker is a personal speaker that integrates with the Sony LinkBuds for enhanced interoperability and controls.
Like the originals, the new LinkBuds Open feature a looped design and fit, allowing ambient sound into the wearer’s ears for increased environmental awareness. The opening is slightly smaller this time around for improved comfort, Sony says.
The LinkBuds Open also have a more prominent bass response and elevated sound quality than their predecessors. Sony claims they can deliver up to eight hours of continuous playback and an additional 22 hours with the charging case. That’s a few hours better than what the latest AirPods and other competing earbuds offer.
The new Sony LinkBuds Open.
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
On the other hand, the new LinkBuds Fit sport silicone tips instead of plastic to enhance comfort, in-ear stability, and noise-canceling performance. Sony fitted the LinkBuds Fit with what the company calls a V2 audio chip that should offer more stable Bluetooth connections and improved sound quality. That all sounds promising, and we’re excited to see how the performance fares in the real world.
Both earbuds debut with a small tail (or wingtip) on the top of the buds, which Sony considers the secret sauce to creating a more comfortable wearing experience. The tail sits in the ear concha, the bowl-shaped part of the ear that opens into the ear canal.
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Software is another major component of the new audio devices, with Sony unveiling a new companion app. The new Sony Sound Connect app replaces the Sony Connect app, and supports added features like Head Gestures to answer or decline calls, Auto Battery Save, and Built-in Voice Control for the LinkBuds.
One of the more exciting features of the LinkBuds is an “expanded operation area” for touch controls. Instead of executing a series of taps on the earbud to complete commands like play and pause music, control volume, or toggle audio modes, users can tap around the earbuds to complete commands. Thus, the skin along your jaw hinge can be used to control the earbuds. This feature was first introduced with the original LinkBuds.
The new Sony LinkBuds Fit.
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
Lastly, the new LinkBuds Speaker is a small portable speaker equipped with an Auto-Switch feature that allows users to switch audio and voice calls between it and compatible Sony headphones and earbuds. According to Sony, both new LinkBuds models, the WH-1000XM5 over-ear headphones, and WF-1000XM5 earbuds are compatible with the feature.
As for endurance, the LinkBuds Speaker boasts 25 hours of continuous audio playback and an IPX4 rating to survive drops and splashes of water. It features one woofer for low-frequency sounds, a passive radiator for extra bass boom, and a tweeter for high-frequency sounds.
The LinkBuds Open and LinkBuds Fit are available for preorder on Sony’s website for $199, and the LinkBuds Speaker is available for $179.
