Sony LinkBuds Open: two-minute review
The Sony LinkBuds Open are yet another contender in the trendy and ever-expanding world of open earbuds – but they still stand out from the crowd.
This model succeeds Sony’s first attempt at open earbuds, which launched three years ago now, and combines a slightly unorthodox design with a broad feature-set, tuneable audio, and modern controls. With a price of $199 / £149 / AU$249.95, though, there’s a lot of expectation on Sony’s latest open buds – so, can they hit all of the right notes?
Well, I’ll start by talking about my first impressions out of the box. As soon as I unboxed the Sony LinkBuds Open, I was struck by their unusual yet enticing looks. Unlike a lot of the best open earbuds, these adopt neither the clip-on nor the hooked designs that most of their competitors adopt. Instead, each bud has a ring-shaped driver, which lets ambient sound in easily. The batteries are housed in an orb-shaped casing, and wings are attached to these for a more secure in-ear fit.
I’m a fan of the ring-shaped in-ear components – these fit nicely and let in ambient noises without a hitch. Admittedly though, the spherical exterior looks a bit clunky, and although the wings ensure a pretty secure fit, they felt a little peculiar in my ear, which took comfort levels down a bit for me personally. Overall, these should still feel fine in-ear for a few hours, but there are comfier alternatives out there, like the Apple AirPods 4 with ANC, for instance.
Something I loved was the charging case. The white color variant has a glossy, marble-like appearance and I appreciate the attention to detail here. It’s worth noting that you can also grab these buds in Black or Violet – the latter being a special edition produced in collaboration with singer Olivia Rodrigo.
Another thing that really impresses me about these buds is their feature-set, which is bursting at the seams with user-friendly goodness. There’s multi-point connectivity, 360 Reality Audio support, voice assistant integration, and services such as Spotify Tap – all accessible via Sony’s Sound Connect app.
But there’s more! There’s customizable, and surprisingly effective touch controls, DSEE upscaling for lower-quality music files (still looking at you, Spotify), and depth-filled EQ options. There’s Find Your Equalizer – a gamified way to uncover the best tuning for you – as well as presets and a five-band custom option. Combine that with Scene-based listening, head gesture controls, and a wearing condition check-up, and you’re looking at a highly talented pair of buds.
Still, it’s worth flagging that some competitors offer features that have been omitted here. There’s no active noise cancellation – something you’ll spot on a model like the Edifier LolliClip or Honor Earbuds Open – though you probably want to hear your surroundings clearly if you’re buying open-style earbuds. There’s also no LDAC, Sony’s ‘hi-res’ Bluetooth audio codec, but again, the open design here does limit audio capabilities.
Finally, there aren’t any health monitoring options – think a heart rate or blood oxygen tracker (you'd need to look to the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 for that). But still, you have plenty to play with on the LinkBuds Open, and the companion app is super easy to use.
When I started testing the Sony LinkBuds Open, I encountered some issues, such as a rattling noise in one bud and connectivity issues. Thankfully, we were swiftly presented with a fresh, fully functional unit, but for transparency's sake, I wanted to flag such quirks. These issues have not influenced my final scoring of the model.
By now, then, you must be wondering how the LinkBuds Open sound. Well, I have mixed feelings about this model. Firstly, it’s worth pre-empting this by emphasizing that an open design means a likely hit to audio fidelity, and typically weaker bass response than you’d expect from earbuds with a seal or over-ear headphones, for example.
Still, I was relatively impressed with the low-end performance of the LinkBuds Open. I tried listening to AAAAA by Kiefer with EQ set to ‘Off’ (flat), and found that the bass rippling through the track was meatier than what the impressive SoundCore AeroClip could offer with default tuning. Was it the cleanest low-end replication I’ve heard? Well no.
In Stepping Out (feat. $Ha Hef) by Jay Worthy and LNDN DRGS, the funky bassline clashed slightly with vocals, which didn’t have quite enough space to breathe. Meanwhile, the palpable sub-bass is pretty understated in The Boys Are Back In Town by Yung Gravy – though that’s almost to be expected from a pair of open-ears given their technical limitations.
Elsewhere, highs sounded pretty prominent out of the box – but perhaps a little too prominent at times. On occasion, sounds in the treble-frequency edged towards the harsh side of things – though this can be remedied with EQ adjustment in the Sound Connect app.
It’s in tracks more focused around vocal performances, then, where the LinkBuds Open truly shine. For instance, when tuning into Déchire la Toile by Lorien Testard and Alice Duport-Percier, gliding keys and emotive vocals sounded clear and controlled, with a pleasing openness to the sound creating a decently immersive listen. Even at higher volumes, there was a solid level of detail on display, though my colleague did note significant sound leakage – not ideal if you’re in the office or on public transport.
All in all, you won’t get that perfectly balanced, beautifully layered audio – and you might want to tinker with that out-of-the-box sound profile. But for a pair of open earbuds, the LinkBuds Open are certainly solid in the audio department, with generally clear, weighty sound.
A few final notes on this open-ear option from Sony. Firstly, you get a pretty standard serving of playtime. You should get around 8 hours from the buds alone, plus an additional 14 with the charging case. During my testing, I found this to be about right – putting them about on-par with modes like the aforementioned Soundcore AeroClip.
And one more thing: there are optional fittings that you can purchase to customize the LinkBuds Open to your liking. These include multi-colored covers for both the buds themselves and the charging case, if you really wanna jazz things up. This level of customizability is admirable, but you’ll have to spend extra to access it.
In the end, then, can we say that the LinkBuds open hit all of the right notes? Not quite – but they still put on a good show. I’m not totally sold on their design and sonically, they’re not as strong as some wireless buds in the same price-range. But still, commendable mid-range performance, fairly meaty bass given the design and lots of EQ options kept me satisfied overall.
Unfortunately, there's one area where these buds fall down for me: their cost. They're very pricey for open ears, which already come with some compromises in terms of audio. So, even though they have a deep feature-set and secure in-ear fit, this model's not quite a slam dunk. If you've got a good amount of cash to splash on some open earbuds, these may well be worth checking out, but otherwise, I'd suggest taking a peek at my other recommendations in the ‘Also consider’ section.
Sony LinkBuds Open review: specs
Waterproof rating | “IPX4 equivalent” |
Battery life | 8 hours (earbuds); 22 hours (with charging case) |
Bluetooth type | Bluetooth 5.3 |
Weight | 5.1g (per bud); 30g (charging case) |
Frequency range | 20Hz-20kHz |
Sony LinkBuds Open review: price and release date
- $199 / £149 / AU$249.95
- Launched in October 2024
The Sony LinkBuds Open – or Sony LinkBuds Open WF-L910 as they’re sometimes listed – released at the end of 2024. They have a list price of $199 / £149 / AU$249, which is by no means cheap for a pair of open-ears, though nowhere near as steep as the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds, which launched at $299 / £299 / AU$449.95.
On top of that, I’ve already spotted these on sale in some territories. For instance, they’ve dropped to under £130 / AU$250 on Amazon at the time of writing. You can pick the LinkBuds Open up in a variety of colors, including Black, White, or Violet. The latter is a collaboration with singer Olivia Rodrigo, and includes custom EQ options which were tuned by the artist and her producer.
Should you buy the Sony LinkBuds Open?
Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
Features | Wide suite of features and awesome in-app experience. | 4.5/5 |
Sound quality | Generally solid for open ear sound, imperfect yet fairly meaty bass, clear mids. | 3.5/5 |
Design | Not the most elegant looking, just OK comfort, but secure fit and appealing case. | 3.5/5 |
Value | Despite good overall performance, these are expensive against similar quality rivals. | 3/5 |
Buy them if...
You want access to excellent features
As is usually the case with Sony products, the LinkBuds Open are brimming with features. Bluetooth audio upscaling, EQ options, multi-point, and Scene-based listening are all here. And there’s a whole lot more too – just download the Sound Connect app to discover what’s on offer.
You want a secure open ear fit
Although I wasn't totally bowled over by their looks, I can’t deny that the LinkBuds offer a pleasingly secure fit. If you’re out on a run or at the gym, you won’t have to worry about them slipping out easily – and with their open design, you’ll be able to hear your surroundings easily too.
Don't buy them if...
You’re an audiophile
If you want a beautifully detailed, elegantly balanced, and effortlessly separated sound, the Sony LinkBuds Open probably aren’t for you. A lot of that is a result of their open design – aspects like bass response and detail levels won’t compare to that of the best wireless earbuds.
You’re on a budget
At $199 / £149 / AU$249.95, the Sony LinkBuds Open are hardly cheap. If you’re set on an open design, the Huawei FreeArc down below are our pick for the best budget option – more on those below.
Sony LinkBuds Open: also consider
Sony LinkBuds Open | Anker Soundcore AeroClip | Huawei FreeArc | |
|---|---|---|---|
Price | $199 / £149 / AU$249.95 | $129.99 / £129.99 (about AU$210) | £99.99 (about $130 / AU$210) |
Waterproof rating | “IPX4 equivalent” | IPX4 | IP57 |
Battery life | 8 hours (earbuds); 22 hours (with charging case) | 8 hours (earbuds); 24 hours (with charging case) | 7 hours (earbuds); 23 hours (with charging case) |
Bluetooth type | Bluetooth 5.3 | Bluetooth 5.4 | Bluetooth 5.2 |
Weight | 5.1g (per bud); 30g (charging case) | 6g (per bud); 42g (charging case) | 8.9g (per bud); 67g (charging case) |
Frequency range | 20Hz-20kHz | 20Hz-20kHz | 20Hz-20kHz |
Anker Soundcore AeroClip
I’m a big fan of the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, and they remain some of the best open earbuds I’ve tested. Out of the box, they’re not as bass-heavy as the LinkBuds Open, but a quick EQ tweak can give you a sound closer to your preference. With solid battery life, a comfortable clip-on design, and reasonable asking price, there’s a lot to like here. Read our full Anker Soundcore AeroClip review.
Huawei FreeArc
For a more "traditional" open-ear build, the Huawei FreeArc are a top-tier choice – and they’re pretty cheap too. With surprisingly good sound quality, excellent protection against the elements, and a comfortable fit, they’re well-worth checking out. Read our full Huawei FreeArc review.
How I tested the Sony LinkBuds Open
- Tested across the course of multiple weeks
- Used in the office and while out and about
- Predominantly tested using Tidal
I tested the Sony LinkBuds Open over the course of multiple weeks while in the office, at home, and out on walks.
For the most part, I listened to music with the buds via Tidal, though I occasionally dipped into a few tracks on Spotify. During testing, I made sure to run through the TechRadar testing playlist, which features tracks from a range of genres. I also listened to songs from my personal library.
Where appropriate, I compared the LinkBuds Open against rival models, such as the Anker Soundcore AeroClip, which helped me to assess aspects like audio performance and comfort.
- First reviewed: September 2025
- Read more about how we test
