Two weeks ago we reported on a leak that said Sony was about to expand its weird and wonderful LinkBuds range of headphones. And now it’s official, and even more interesting than the leak suggested: in addition to two new sets of LinkBuds headphones, there’s a LinkBuds speaker too.
The new Linkbuds range features the new LinkBuds Fit (which replaces the Sony LinkBuds S), the new LinkBuds Open (replacing the original Sony LinkBuds), and the new LinkBuds Speaker. They’re all keenly priced, with the LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open at $199.99 / £179, and the LinkBuds Speaker at $179.99 / £139.
All three products are available to order now and will ship during October. Here’s what’s new.
Sony LinkBuds Fit, LinkBuds Open: key features
Both pairs of LinkBuds earbuds come in new colors and a wide range of custom cases and have been made with comfort in mind, with a teardrop shape and a squishy ‘supporter’ to really hold them in your ear. The LinkBuds Fit have a new eartips too, which are slightly shallower than those in the Sony WF-1000XM5, again improving comfort compared to many of the best wireless earbuds – something we praised the LinkBud S for.
The LinkBuds Open still have an iconic circular design to their driver, so they’re closer to the best open-ear headphones, allowing outside sound in naturally.
As expected, the Fit are water and sweat resistant with an IPX4 rating. The Open earbuds have the same certification – though the cases aren’t IP certified.
Sony says that the LinkBuds Fit have Sony’s best ambient sound and auto adjustment, with an automatic noise canceling optimizer and a new app to configure it all. There’s a new transparency mode that’s more like what you get on AirPods Pro 2, where it adjusts exactly how much sound is allowed in depending on the ambient volume. Sony gave us the example of wanting lots of fine sound in if you’re out in a quiet park and someone calls your name, compared to needing some control over the sound if you’re at a train station.
They also support a new Background Music mode, which changes how music sounds to feel more like a speaker at the back of the room, rather than pumping right into your ears, with the aim of making it easier to concentrate if that’s useful. Bluetooth is 5.3 with multi-point and LDAC hi-res audio, plus DSEE upscaling.
The LinkBuds Open have the same Bluetooth 5.3 with multi-point, and Sony claims both louder sound and richer bass than before thanks to a new circular driver. Battery life is longer – 8 hours from the buds and 22 hours via the case – and charging is faster than before. They also support Background Music mode, and have DSEE upscaling to improve low-quality streaming music. There’s no LDAC support here, though.
Both the LinkBuds Fit and Open also have option silicon covers for their case and buds, meaning that you can add in more colors than they initially come with, and can mix and match tones. The covers cost a little extra: $10 / £10 each for earbuds covers, or $20 / £20 for a case cover.
Sony LinkBuds speaker: key features
The LinkBuds Speaker was designed based around data that 70% of younger headphones users have a Bluetooth speaker as well, and many would love to be able to flow from one to the other with no hassle. So the centerpiece here is an auto-switching feature that means your music will move automatically from the speaker to your headphones when you put them on, or will switch back to the speaker when you come home.
This feature will work with the both new LinkBuds models, plus the LinkBuds S, the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds, and the Sony WH-1000XM5 over-ears. Sadly, it won’t work with the five-star Sony WF-C700N or the brand-new and excellent Sony WF-C510.
The LinkBuds Speaker is small, and comes with a separate charging base and grabbable design with a loop on the back. The speaker is IPX4 splash resistant and promises up to 25 hours of play time with quick charging.
There’s a woofer and tweeter facing forward, with a passive radiator on each side to help provide oomph. It’ll have a 5-band audio equalizer, adjustable from the app. There’s also a built-in microphone so you can use it for calls.
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