Sony is giving its LinkBuds earbuds range an upgrade for 2024. While the new LinkBuds Open may cause some confusion with their donut-shaped body, and the LinkBuds Fit draw comparisons with Apple’s AirPods Pro, it’s a little rubber nubbin that might make the biggest difference. Each priced at just shy of $200, the AirPods rivals continue Sony’s approach of playing nice with both iPhone and Android. Compared to Apple’s buds, though, the rubber protuberance could be what wins wearers over.
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It’s a welcome update: the snug little fin of Beats’ Fit Pro are why they’re still my go-to earbuds. Sony’s silicone supporter is less firm than the Beats version, however, being filled with air rather than solid rubber. It left the earbuds feeling a little less stable in each ear, though still much preferable — to my tastes, anyway — than a beefier ear tip that has to wedge into the ear canal to stay in place.
Chris Davies/SlashGear
The upside to Sony’s design is that the silicone supporter is removable and replaceable; there’ll be a range of colors, at $9.99 per set. Sony will also offer silicone case covers, at $19.99, with support for mixing and matching the top and bottom cover individually. Select cases — which have a USB-C charge port on the back, though don’t support wireless charging — will have marble patterning, where different plastics are mixed during molding and allowed to swirl into a unique finish.
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