The Sony earbuds you might as well never take off

Wireless headsets have become an unmistakable emblem of our time – a functional accessory seamlessly woven into the uniforms that define our work, workout, and leisure activities. They serve countless purposes: listening to music, catching up on podcasts, scrolling TikTok during commutes on the subway, or managing the flow of voice messages and virtual meetings on platforms like Teams or Zoom. There are those who used them to silence the surrounding world; others use them to interact with increasingly more evolved AI-driven chatbots, reducing their screen time in the process. They are the minimal armor we wear against the entropy of this age of hyper-communication and nonstop notifications.

Two years ago, Sony introduced its first "open" earbuds, the original LinkBuds, marked by their unique donut shape – a design revived by the latest model, the LinkBuds Open. In the past two years, we’ve seen “open” earbuds that loop around the ear (from brands like Shokz, Nothing) or clip on it (Bose, Huawei, and Xiaomi). On the other hand, Sony’s design remains faithful to the original, with an open hole that naturally lets external sounds in. These are not meant to block out the external world but to keep wearers in a state of “presence” with their surroundings: the sound is added onto the real-world sound layer – an augmented audio reality. Conceptually, this design allows you to conceivably never take them off. Noise-canceling earbuds simulate this openness with their “transparency” mode, but ultimately that remains a digital filter.

The new LinkBuds Open have a slightly smaller diameter that makes them more comfortable for small ears; a rubber cap with a soft fin element offers a more stable fit. The redesigned case, now nearly a cube, is smaller than the original, and while the earbuds are a touch heavier, they boast a “fairer” battery: over 8 hours of listening time – against the previous 5.5 – along with 4 hours of talk time. In short, you can wear them all day long and they won’t feel uncomfortable or die on you. Powered by an upgraded 11mm ring-shaped driver and Sony’s proprietary V2 processor, the LinkBuds Open deliver a noticeably enhanced sound quality.

Sony also did a great job on the color offer. The Open LinkBuds are sold in the conventional black and white options, and in the purple Olivia Rodrigo edition. But there is also a wide range of delicate pastel colors for the rubber skin that protects the earbuds and for the case cover. They are cheerful, they are beautiful. They can be combined with each other by inventing disparate combinations. They are “open” even in their language.

The LinkBuds Open boast a highly evolved software, which is managed through the new SoundConnect app, with which Sony has tried to bring some order to the maze of options on its audio devices. There is a voice assistant to control the music (“hey headphones,” for now available in English, Chinese, and Japanese), but also a strange option that allows you to adjust the sound of the LinkBuds Open depending on where you are using them, like in a bar or living area; there's multipoint connection to pair the earbuds to two devices at once and switch between them, for example a smartphone and a laptop (we must say that sometimes that didn't exactly work smoothly for us). There is speak-to-chat mode, which pauses sound when you start talking; there is the button that automatically turns on a music service, including Endel, the app that creates relaxing and focus sounds.

The LinkBuds Open have an “adaptive” option that raises or lowers the sound volume automatically – although so far it doesn't seem to work perfectly – and an equalizer, which will come in handy because some reviews complain of a “darker” sound compared to the previous model, with some emphasis on the bass. After all, that Sony out-of-the-box level balance does not please everyone is old news. The list of all the possible customizations could go on forever: as a matter of fact, this app consolidates years of work on the user experience by one of the most relevant audio brands in the world.

So, what are the LinkBuds Open actually best for? They’re certainly not designed for isolating yourself at a café or for losing yourself in intricate, detail-rich music like a Godspeed You Black Emperor track on the subway or your favorite Herbie Hancock album, or anything else that might require attention to detail while stuck in traffic. For those immersive experiences, a noise-canceling headset like Sony's WH-1000X series – one of the best out there right now – or a solid pair of over-ear headphones would be more suitable. In fact, you could even layer them over the LinkBuds Open without any discomfort.

The LinkBuds Open are perfect when riding your bike or working out and you need to stay aware of your surroundings. The fully in-ear design also reduces the risk of accidentally losing them on public transportation or on the street. They’re ideal for podcasts, voice messages, and calls. After all, we all noticed that noise-canceling earbuds often distort the voice in a loud setting – it’s better to use a pair of “open” headphones.

Battery life, audio quality (particularly impressive in quieter settings), multipoint connectivity, and their barely-there feel all contribute to the appeal of the LinkBuds Open – you forget you’re wearing them, and they activate when you need them to. You can slip them on and comfortably wear them all day long, to avoid using the smartphone speaker in public or constantly putting in and taking out ANC earbuds. As we realized with the original release of the LinkBuds, and even more so with this model, these doughnut-shaped earbuds represent not only thoughtful design but also a window onto a future in which we’ll be even more connected through audio and basically “wired” to apps through ever-lighter, less obtrusive devices.