Sony introduced its new TWS called the LinkBuds which are unlike most TWSs available in the market today. It has got distinctive features like an open-ring design, wide-area tap, and is extremely lightweight. In the crowd of ANC true wireless earbuds, the new Sony LinkBuds has got something special for you. Let’s find it out!
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Design
Sony LinkBuds is one of the lightest TWS that I have come across in the recent past. Even with the case on it is feather-ish and almost non-existent in ears. Sony has used the open-air design in the LinkBuds which is unique. We all have been using ANC earbuds that cut out the ambient noise to an extent, the range depends upon the pricing, but the LinkBuds lets you keep track of your environments. I personally feel this is a good thing to have and especially while we go out in crowded places with lots of traffic. The Sony LinkBuds easily fits into ears, but it might depend upon the shapes, sizes as well.
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The circular diaphragm or the driver is attached to the Sony branded buds while there’s a Silicone fin on top of the buds to make them fit into the ears. The circular design has a hole in the centre to allow the air to pass through it and thus the ambient sound. The buds itself are of negligible weight which is good for long wear.
Battery
Sony LinkBuds claims to offer around 17 hours of playback, but the buds don’t last that long. If you wear it continuously, the LinkBuds can go up to 5 hours, considering usage is limited to music and chat. The charging case is good to store power back up for the buds and can charge them fast. The battery goes on a bit fast when speak—to-chat and DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) features get enabled.
Performance
Sony LinkBuds is true to its philosophy of allowing ambient sound while maintaining quality. The LinkBuds produce clear sound up to an extent, but the clarity goes down a bit when the volume increases. Overall, the LinkBuds have good sound output even in chaotic environments with its adaptive volume control feature. Do not try to find ANC here because it’s not meant for that. The bass and precision could have been better, but it is not bad either.
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The LinkBuds come with this unique wide area tap that allows you to control the music without even touching the buds. You can just tap near the buds and the functions get started. The speak-to-chat feature pauses the music when you start speaking and resumes after you end it. I found it quite useful in daily conversations.
Connectivity
Sony LinkBuds are quick to connect. It becomes even great with Android devices thanks to the Google’s fast pair support. Have used it on Windows as well and the connection was smooth. Despite all, the LinkBuds faced challenge while trying to connect with an iPhone. For that we have to switch to the Sony Headphones Connect app. The buds support Blutooth version 5.2 and above and come with a range of 10 meters.
Conclusion
Sony LinkBuds do justice to their design. The open-air design makes you aware of the environment while having a good sound output at the same time. The speak-to-chat feature is something we need today in this hybrid work culture. The pairing is absolute quick while the entire packaging of the LinkBuds makes it a good choice in the TWS segment. The battery life depends upon the usage yet it can go along for a day at work. The pricing of the Sony LinkBuds (₹ 19,990) is something that will bother people as there are numerous good options available at this price point.