Sony's Innovative LinkBuds Don't Look Like Any Earbuds We've Ever Seen And Here's Why

Noise-canceling headphones have become increasingly popular over the last few years, especially as more people work from home. One of the downsides to these kinds of headphones is that it can be a little too easy to ignore the outside world. There may be a happy medium between immersing yourself in work and returning back to reality. Sony recently introduced its wireless LinkBuds earbuds with an open ring design that allows users to tune in to the outside world whenever they want.

The LinkBuds’ “...newly-developed ring driver unit features an open central diaphragm for audio transparency.” This design will reportedly allow users to tune into what is going on in the outside world without “compromising” their listening experience.They have been integrated with Microsoft Soundscape as well. The combination of the spatial audio technology and the shape of the headphones are intended to make it easier to navigate in one’s surroundings.

They also include Sony's precise voice pickup technology, 360 Reality Audio, and Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE). The precise voice pickup technology was designed with a “AI machine learning, using more than 500 million voice samples to suppress ambient noise and extract voice clearly.” DESS restores soundtracks to high quality audio, while 360 Reality Audio “ [allows] music [to become] an immersive audio experience and evokes feelings of being in a music studio or live concert venue.”

There are also a variety of features that should make the headphones more user friendly. The Sony Headphone Connect app incorporates Adaptive Volume Control while the Wide Area Tap allows users to double or triple tap for playback. Speak-to-Chat permits users to pause a song as soon as they begin to speak with someone and resume the song once the conversation has ended. Quick Access makes it easier to resume Spotify playback. Fast Pair speeds up the processing of pairing the headphones with an Android device and Swift pair does the same thing with Windows 11 or 10 devices. Users can unsurprisingly call up Google Assistant or Amazon’s Alexa to answer questions, set reminders, etc.

Users will be able to get “5.5 hours of charge from the earbuds and up to 12 hours…from the case.” A ten minute charge is able to provide users with up to 90 minutes of use. The LinkBuds are “ultra small” and weigh a mere four grams. They are also IPX4 splash-proof and sweat-proof. Both the headphones and their case are made from recyclable materials. Sony claims that these features make the LinkBuds ideal for everyday use.

The LinkBuds are available in Gray and White from Amazon and other retailers. They ring in at $179.99 and can be preordered now. They will be officially released on February 17th.

Images courtesy of Sony