Sony is refreshing its LinkBuds wireless headphones today, with the exercised-focused LinkBuds Fit and the open-ear LinkBuds Open earbuds. Apart from the new earbuds headphones, it has also announced the portable LinkBuds Speaker—all will be hitting shelves this October.
Sony’s new winged noise-canceling earbuds: LinkBuds Fit
The LinkBuds Fit are Sony’s new in-ear sports headphones for active users. While they share some looks with the more traditional LinkBuds S, the Fit come with ear tips and silicon air cushions called “Air Fitting Supporters.” Sony says the design of the earbuds adds extra grip and a better stability when doing workouts. Plus, it touts the lightweight build results in better comfort for extended use.
The buds have touch-sensitive controls with auto play/switch and triggers for app shortcuts. But what’s highlighted here is the “wide are tap” function that reads taps in the front ear area without touching the earbuds. Moreover, the LinkBuds Fit are IPX4 certified and rated with a battery life of up to 21 hours.
Internally, the earbuds also ship with Sony’s V2 processor, which is the same chip in the WH-1000XM5 over-ear headphones. This handles the noise-canceling functions and enables a new ambient sound mode that automatically controls the sound and ANC of the earbuds based on the surroundings.
As for sound capabilities, the LinkBuds Fit earbuds have a dynamic driver unit that should deliver comparable crisp audio and acoustics as the pricier headphones of the company. They also support Sony’s custom DSEE Extreme (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) tech for upscaling compressed tracks and wireless high-res audio.
Hear more about your surrounding: LinkBuds Open
The LinkBuds Open are more of a spiritual successor to the LinkBuds, carrying over the open-ring design, though the new Open buds are getting a “newly developed” 11 mm ring diver while compatible with the DSEE and high-res audio. They lack the ambient sound mode but feature adaptive volume control.
At the same time, Open earbuds have an extended wing on their round bud and a more ergonomic shape, which should offer a more secure fit and improved comfort. The ring also looks less busy and more streamlined here without the metal accents on it.
The new Sony open-ring earbuds boast the same automated control functions as the fit as well as the “wide area tap” function. They’re also splash-proof under IPX4 and enjoy a slightly longer 22-hour battery life.
Alongside the two pairs of LinkBuds, Sony’s first portable speaker under the LinkBuds series. The Japanese company adds that the LinkBuds Speaker has been tuned to output sound based on Sony’s headphones and supports seamless switching with LinkBuds headphones. It’s IPX4 water-resistant, too, and lasts up to 25 hours between charges.
Sony LinkBuds Fit, LinkBuds Open, and LinkBuds Speaker pricing
Both the Sony Link Buds Fit and LinkBuds Open are priced at $199 and available in a range of colorways, including white and black options, and will be offered in Olivia Rodrigo’s signature violet finish. Meanwhile, the LinkBuds Speaker retails for $149 and arrives in black and white hues.
