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Sony LinkBuds1 / 9
Sony

Sony LinkBuds

The Sony LinkBuds makes a play for the teens-who-walk-around-with-one-airpod-in market, to varying degrees of success.

Current price · Amazon US
$124.95
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Price last checked 2h ago

Noise Isolation / ANC
0.4/ 10
0.4
0.010.0

A 0.4 puts its noise isolation / ANC in the bottom 10% of wireless earbuds we've measured.

Measured on 133 of the 271 we've cataloged.

Key specs

Battery Life Earbuds
5.68 hBelow average
5.68 h
3 h16 h

below average for wireless earbuds — based on 243 of 271 we've cataloged.

Battery Life With Case
21 hBelow average
21 h
7 h60 h

below average for wireless earbuds — based on 245 of 271 we've cataloged.

IP Rating
IPX4Most common
IPX433%IP5516%IP5415%IPX512%

IPX4 is the most common — on 33% of the 244 wireless earbuds we've cataloged (of 271).

Noise Cancellation Type
ActiveMost common
Active61%Passive14%None9%Adaptive8%

Active is the most common — on 61% of the 172 wireless earbuds we've cataloged (of 271).

Battery

Battery Life Earbuds
5.68 h
Battery Life With Case
21 h
Full Charge Minutes
5 min
Battery Life Anc On
6 h
Battery Life Wireless
9 h
Fast Charging
Yes

Build

IP Rating
IPX4
Sweat Resistance
Yes
Water Resistance
Yes
Material Chassis Primary
Plastic

Sound

Noise Cancellation Type
Active
Ambient Mode
Adjustable level
Anc Depth
35 dB
Anc Modes
Off, ANC on, transparency
Driver Count
1
Driver Size
5 mm
Driver Type
Dynamic

Connectivity

Bluetooth Version
5.3
Bluetooth Codec
SBC, AAC, LDAC
Connection Type
Bluetooth
Multipoint Devices
2 devices

Design

Earbud Form Factor
In-ear
Color Options
Black, green, violet, white
Ear Tip Material
Silicone
Ear Tip Sizes Included
4 sizes
Wearing Style
Ear hook, wingtip stabilizers
Weight Per Earbud
4.9 g
Weight With Case
42 g

Features

Certified For
Google Fast Pair
Companion App
IOS + Android
Control Type
Touch controls
Eq Customization
Presets only
Auto Pause
Yes
Mono Mode
Yes
Spatial Audio
Head tracking
Voice Assistant Support
Alexa, Google Assistant

Microphone

Type
Dual microphone

SoundGuys review

Read the full review ›
SOUNDGUYS rating
6.3/ 10
Worth a look
Sam Moore
Reviewed bySam MooreReviewed July 2022
Isolation0.4
Battery life6.0
Comfort & fit7.0
Connectivity5.0
Design6.0
Portability8.0
The verdict

The Sony LinkBuds is definitely the most unique audio product to release so far in 2022, and it largely executes well on it's unoccluded design. However, it's hamstrung by all the same things as other unsealed earbuds.

✓What we like
✓Unexpectedly comfortable
✓Novel (if absurd) tap control method
✕What could be better
✕Very little bass
✕So-so battery life
✕Automatic volume adjustment is obnoxious
Read the full SoundGuys review →

Lab data

How we test ›

Objective measurements from the SoundGuys test lab — overlay other models to see how this one compares.

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0 of 4 overlay slots used
Sony LinkBudsSoundGuys Headphone Preference Curve
Sony LinkBuds frequency responseMeasured frequency response (dB) against the SoundGuys house target — the dashed curve. The closer the measured line tracks the target, the more neutral the tuning; peaks ride above the target, dips fall below it.-48-36-24-120+12+24201001k10k20k

Measured frequency response (dB) against the SoundGuys house target — the dashed curve. The closer the measured line tracks the target, the more neutral the tuning; peaks ride above the target, dips fall below it.

Frequency response — measurement data
Sony LinkBuds: frequency response, as measured in the SoundGuys lab. Frequency in hertz.
Frequency (Hz)Response (dB)
20-42.5
25-37.1
32-32.6
40-29.1
50-25.2
63-21.5
80-17.8
100-14.6
125-12.0
160-9.8
200-8.7
250-8.8
315-8.0
400-5.0
500-2.9
630-1.6
800-0.7
10000.0
12501.0
16004.3
20006.9
25006.5
31502.8
40000.5
50003.4
6300-0.1
8000-6.1
10000-6.8
12500-6.0
16000-17.6
20000-42.9

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