Sony’s LinkBuds are ‘the most unique headphones’ on the market

The idea of a hole in the middle of your earbuds doesn’t sound practical, but Sony has created a truly unique product with its new LinkBuds.

Sony’s LinkBuds are the most distinctive headphones on the market, there’s not many that compare.

Great sound, promising battery, comfortable and stylish. They can be controlled by a tap of your cheek, offer 360 audio and have water resistance. All of this tech is crammed into just 8 grams a bud – quite impressive!

They look great out of the box, but they’re a bit fiddly to pair and setup. You need to download the Sony Headphones app then there’s a string of other setup steps to fully optimise them to your device.

All else fails, there’s a manual pairing button on the back of the case. Android users shouldn’t have any issues, the LinkBuds are Google Fast Pair enabled.

They’re the most unique headphones in recent times, a significant leap in design from any other brand. 

The ring-shaped design is unlike any other, almost like mini donuts for your ears – just slightly less delicious. 

The hole in the centre of the earpiece allows you to still be present while listening to music, a podcast, or making calls.

Changing songs, pausing or launching Spotify is as simple as a tap on your cheek, vibrations triggering the earbuds.

The Linkbuds are IPX4 water resistant, which basically means, should you forget an umbrella, you won’t need to worry about a few raindrops splashing on your tech – but they may not fair too well in the washing machine.

The case the LinkBuds are stored in is lightweight and compact. Both LinkBuds sit snug inside, and can be charged via a USB-C port on the back of the case.

The case itself (tech aside) is made from recycled plastic.

The biggest claim by Sony is the LinkBud’s “Never Off” design. And I attest – they can be worn all day without issue. I put them in at 9AM, and by 5PM I was still wearing them comfortably. 

Answer my desk phone was still possible with the LinkBuds in my ears, while it didn’t feel natural in any way, the “never off” experience was evident. 

There’s nothing blocking your ears from taking in any sounds, after 30 minutes you almost forget they’re there. 

A silicon loop acts as a support hook, holding onto your outer ear and keeping the LinkBuds from slipping out. In the box you’ll find a few different sizes for any shaped ear. I have never had an issue with them slipping out.  

The LinkBuds are seemingly the opposite of noise cancelling. That said, they still produce huge sound from such a tiny package. Blasting high quality music through Tidal,

But phone calls are on the nose in some circumstances. While in low-noise environments I experienced no issues, calls were clear as day, but making a phone call in a busy supermarket was a struggle for the person on the receiving end. 

The “Speak-to Chat” feature on the LinkBuds enables you to pause music from your voice by simply speaking. Meaning you can start a conversation at any point without have to turn down your tunes – just start talking and it’ll pause it for you.

The LinkBuds do support Sony’s 360 Reality Audio, but only through select apps and at a cost.

Music service TIDAL charges the user $16.99 a month to experience high Sound Quality through the LinkBuds and other devices. They offer a 30-day trial, and if you’re a music buff it’s worth it.

High fidelity music tracks are limited to streaming services, you won’t get this quality with Spotify.

Despite the donut design, you’ll be able to hear everything on offer.

The LinkBuds, while offering a great audio range, slightly lack in the bass department.

What’s in the box, price and availability 

Having only just launched in Australia, the LinkBuds are sure to impress.

What’s in the box? In addition to the warranty information and quick setup guide, there’s also 5 sizes of ear supporters for different shaped ears and a USB-C charging cable.

Recycled plastic may sound cheap, but they look and feel excellent. The plastics used in the LinkBuds is surprisingly made from car parts.

A pair of LinkBuds can now be picked up for $249 – similarly price range Apple’s 2nd Gen EarPods. They come in grey or white and are available now from most retailers or online.

9News.com.au was supplied a pair of Sony LinkBuds by Sony for the purpose of this review.