Wireless earbuds · Ranked #28 of 31 · Best for open-ear battery life

Sony LinkBuds Open

75
Mixed
Average of 4 professional reviews
2 of 4 recommend it · critics agree
Where the 4 reviews landedRange 70–80

Exact average 75.0 · all scores printed by the outlets

Sony LinkBuds OpenImage: Sony

4 professional reviewers tested the Sony LinkBuds Open, and 2 recommend it. Most praised: sound quality and battery life. Most common complaint: controls and app.

Reviewed by Trusted Reviews, Digital Trends, WIRED and 1 more

The catch: Calls are weak in noise, and the sound is not audiophile-grade.

Early score: only 4 professional reviews so far. Expect it to move as more reviews come in.

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What 4 critics said

Highest score first · all converted to 0–100
  1. 80
    Trusted ReviewsHands-on review · 2025

    A clear upgrade over the original with better sound, longer battery and useful new features; the open design has inherent limits in noise and call quality, but the reviewer enjoyed them.

    Read Trusted Reviews review
  2. 80
    Digital TrendsHands-on review · 2024

    Some of the best open earbuds available, with comfortable fit, much better balanced sound, excellent battery and many options; spatial audio and voice controls are weak.

    Read Digital Trends review
  3. 70
    WIREDHands-on review

    Better battery and bass with a secure, aware-of-surroundings design, but the default sound is darker and fuzzier, controls are spotty and the fit takes effort, so it is only a solid option.

    Read WIRED review
  4. 70
    TechRadarHands-on review · 2025

    Plenty of bass, a secure fit and a rich feature set, but the sound is not audiophile-grade and the price is high against similarly capable rivals.

    Read TechRadar review

"Est." means the outlet printed no score, so we estimated one from its verdict and checked our estimates against ratings outlets print. How we check estimates

What critics praise most

Sound quality4 of 4
Battery life3 of 4
Comfort3 of 4

What critics dislike most

Controls and app2 of 4
Call quality2 of 4

Other wireless earbuds critics rate highly

Sony WF-C710NImage: Sony
Top pick, narrowlySony WF-C710N4 reviews · critics agree94
EarFun Air Pro 4+Image: EarFun
Best budget earbud soundEarFun Air Pro 4+4 reviews · broad agreement91
Apple AirPods 5Image: Apple
Best for open-fit comfortApple AirPods 55 reviews · critics agree90
Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2Image: Jabra
Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 24 reviews · broad agreement88

Also reviewed, not yet scored

Common questions

Is the Sony LinkBuds Open worth it?

Critics are divided: 2 of 4 recommend it. Calls are weak in noise, and the sound is not audiophile-grade.

Do critics agree about the Sony LinkBuds Open?

Critics agree: scores range from 70 (WIRED) to 80 (Trusted Reviews), a spread of 10 points across 4 reviews. Reviewers broadly agree.

What do critics dislike about the Sony LinkBuds Open?

Controls and app (2 of 4 reviews), Call quality (2 of 4 reviews).

What is the best alternative to the Sony LinkBuds Open?

The Sony WF-C710N (critic score 94), top pick, narrowly.