The Sony LinkBuds Open (WF-L910) is Sony’s latest venture into the open-ear earbuds market, offering a novel design and an array of advanced features. These earbuds aim to balance audio quality with situational awareness, catering to users who want to stay connected to their surroundings while enjoying music or calls. But does the product live up to its premium price tag? Let’s dive into the details.
Design and fit
The standout feature of the Sony LinkBuds Open is its unconventional donut-shaped speaker unit, a design that distinguishes it from traditional in-ear or over-ear headphones. The unique design features a hole in the centre of the speaker unit, allowing ambient noise to pass through and providing heightened situational awareness.
A soft, flexible rubber ear fin keeps the earbuds securely in place, even during active use. This thoughtful design minimises pressure on the ear, enhancing comfort. However, the one-size-fits-all approach might not work for everyone, particularly users with smaller ears. The plastic construction of the donut-shaped section may feel intrusive to some, detracting from long-term comfort.
The earbuds are finished with a soft-touch silicone coating, which contributes to a premium feel. Unfortunately, the charging case doesn’t quite match the earbuds in quality. Its lightweight, two-tone design—featuring a glossy marbled top and matte white bottom—feels flimsy, and the pairing button near the USB-C port has a slightly wobbly build.
Connectivity and pairing
The LinkBuds Open supports Bluetooth 5.3 and is compatible with AAC and SBC codecs, making it suitable for both Android and iPhone users. Additionally, LC3 codec support can be activated via Sony’s Sound Connect app when Bluetooth LE Audio is enabled.
Pairing is quick and intuitive, and the companion app offers a suite of advanced features, such as Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), which enhances the audio quality of compressed files. Multipoint connectivity allows seamless switching between two devices, adding to the earbuds’ convenience.
Audio and calling
The open-ear design of the LinkBuds Open is both its strength and its Achilles’ heel. While the design fosters a sense of connection to the environment, it lacks the noise isolation found in traditional earbuds, making it unsuitable for noisy settings like public transport or crowded streets.
The earbuds deliver a relatively flat sound profile, with subtle vibrations in the concha simulating bass, particularly at higher volumes. The audio experience is best in quiet environments, where the immersive quality shines. However, noisy surroundings significantly degrade the listening experience.
Call quality, too, is hit-and-miss. In quiet settings, the earbuds perform adequately, but in outdoor or noisy conditions, voice clarity and loudness falter.
Features
The Sony Sound Connect app, available for both Android and iOS, is packed with features that elevate the user experience. Highlights include:
- A robust equaliser with presets and customisable profiles.
- Spatial sound and 360 reality audio, which offer an immersive listening experience on select apps and tracks.
- Background music effect, which adjusts spatial audio to mimic environments like “My Room” or “Café.”
- Wide area tap, enabling users to tap the skin around their ears to control playback and volume.
- Speak-to-chat, which automatically pauses music when the user speaks (though it occasionally misinterprets sounds like coughing).
- Gesture controls, allowing users to nod to answer calls or shake their head to reject them.
Other features include adaptive volume control, LE Audio support, and Google’s Find My Device integration.
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Battery life
Sony claims an impressive 8-hour battery life on a single charge, with an additional 14 hours provided by the charging case, totalling 22 hours of use. These figures hold true during typical usage, though outdoor use at higher volumes can drain the battery faster. The fast-charging feature is a welcome addition, offering 50% charge in just 20 minutes.
Verdict
At £199 (Rs 19,990 in India), the Sony LinkBuds Open caters to a niche audience. Its innovative open-ear design and transparency features make it a compelling choice for users prioritising situational awareness. Advanced features like the Background Music Effect and Wide Area Tap add to its appeal.
However, the lack of noise isolation and the flat audio profile may deter those who often find themselves in noisy environments or prefer punchy bass. The build quality of the charging case also leaves room for improvement.
For those seeking a unique, feature-rich listening experience and prioritising awareness of their surroundings, the Sony LinkBuds Open is worth considering. But for commuters or audiophiles craving deeper sound immersion, alternative options might be more suitable.
