Sony's New LinkBuds vs. Apple's AirPods 3

[MacRumors]

Sony in February introduced the LinkBuds, a curious set of earphones that have an open design that's not quite like any other in-ear headphone product on the market. We picked up a set of Sony's strange LinkBuds to see how they measure up to Apple's third-generation AirPods.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Priced at $178, the LinkBuds have a naked donut-shaped earpiece that goes in the ear. Much like the AirPods 3, there are no form or silicone tips included with the LinkBuds.

The hole in the LinkBuds is an open ring driver that's designed to let users listen to music while also keeping an ear open to their ambient surroundings, similar to headphone products like audio-equipped sunglasses and bone conduction headphones. Sound quality is not at the AirPods level, but it's above average.

An Adaptive Volume Control feature optimizes music to the sound in the ambient environment, and playback is controlled by double tapping right on your ear. The double tap gesture can be used to play/pause music, adjust volume, or skip tracks, with settings available in the Sony app. There's also an option in the app for EQ adjustments.

A secondary bulb with a small fin holds the LinkBuds in place, and Sony has described them as ultra small and lightweight. In our testing, comfort is not too far off from the AirPods. They can be worn for a decent length of time before they irritate the ears, and are light enough not to be uncomfortable over a couple hours of use.

The battery in the LinkBuds lasts for 5.5 hours, and they come with a charging case that provides a total of 23 hours of listening time. The charging case is tiny and pocketable.

For those in the Apple device ecosystem, LinkBuds can't really measure up to the AirPods because they lack features like automatic device switching and quick pairing. People who don't care about those features and who are looking for earbuds that are ideal for biking, running, and other similar purposes might want to check out the LinkBuds, though.

What do you think of the LinkBuds? Let us know in the comments.

Article Link: Sony's New LinkBuds vs. Apple's AirPods 3

 

[44267547]

The only feature I want out of the link buds transferred to the Airpods is the automatic volume control.

Otherwise, I would say these are a great competitor to the AirPods, and the price is right for the options that it’s offering. The fit I would have to experiment with, but it’s fairly unique looking with the ‘donut shape.’

 

[Lucas Curious]

AirPods 3 are a terrible design. I gave up and bought the Beats Fit Pro. Better sound, better features and they refuse to fall out.

 

[44267547]

AirPods 3 are a terrible design.

Completely subjective based on your own personal experience. But it doesn’t make them a ‘terrible design’, because they don’t fit for you, and they do for others.

 

[newyorksole]

“LinkBuds”?! I’m sorry lol, but I could never. To each their own!

It just screams… p*verty.

 

[gaximus]

All those little little holes to fill up with ear wax.

 

[CausticSoda]

AirPods 3 are a terrible design. I gave up and bought the Beats Fit Pro. Better sound, better features and they refuse to fall out.

I agree totally! The AirPods 3 are too big. Yes, all of our ears are different... However, I would guess that the AirPods 2 are more likely to stay in larger ears than AirPods 3 are likely to stay in smaller ears? Anecdotally, there is more "chat" out there about AirPods 3 not fitting people. The Beats Fit Pro are brilliant all round, although I would prefer a smaller and more premium-feeling case.

 

[romaguyntx]

Air pod pros are the way. I have no idea why anyone would buy plain AirPods when the pros exist. Seems like a stupid buy. Just save the $250 and get something good. All these other buds are just wasting your money on trash. And Samsung?!?! Ick. They could charge 5K for a phone or buds and it would still look cheap…..

 

[skous]

Air pod pros are the way. I have no idea why anyone would buy plain AirPods when the pros exist. Seems like a stupid buy. Just save the $250 and get something good. All these other buds are just wasting your money on trash. And Samsung?!?! Ick. They could charge 5K for a phone or buds and it would still look cheap…..

Cause the pros are more expensive?
Cause the pros have this horrible silicon tip? Which gives you a headache when you have them on for hours.
Cause the pros isolate sound BUT you can feel your footsteps when there is no music?
Cause the pros are so hard to place on ears quickly for fastly reponsing to calls?
Cause the mic of the pros is just awful, and amplifies to the other caller the ambient sound rather your voice?

I don't know...
Maybe cause the pros just suck

Btw I do have Airpods 2 (for my laptop), Airpods 3 (for calls and walking around), and Pros ONLY when taking a flight due to the ANC (but for no other use anymore).

 

[CausticSoda]

Cause the pros are more expensive?
Cause the pros have this horrible silicon tip? Which gives you a headache when you have them on for hours.
Cause the pros isolate sound BUT you can feel your footsteps when there is no music?
Cause the pros are so hard to place on ears quickly for fastly reponsing to calls?
Cause the mic of the pros is just awful, and amplifies to the other caller the ambient sound rather your voice?

I don't know...
Maybe cause the pros just suck

Btw I do have Airpods 2 (for my laptop), Airpods 3 (for calls and walking around), and Pros ONLY when taking a flight due to the ANC (but for no other use anymore).

Also add because they might not stay in your ears...

 

[romaguyntx]

Cause the pros are more expensive?
Cause the pros have this horrible silicon tip? Which gives you a headache when you have them on for hours.
Cause the pros isolate sound BUT you can feel your footsteps when there is no music?
Cause the pros are so hard to place on ears quickly for fastly reponsing to calls?
Cause the mic of the pros is just awful, and amplifies to the other caller the ambient sound rather your voice?

I don't know...
Maybe cause the pros just suck

Btw I do have Airpods 2 (for my laptop), Airpods 3 (for calls and walking around), and Pros ONLY when taking a flight due to the ANC (but for no other use anymore).

I’ve never had any of these issues. Sounds like you got a lemon or perhaps are using the wrong size tips. I’m in customer service and use my pros everyday for professional use - I do hundreds of calls a week and have never had a problem. Noise cancelling is superior in an open environment. H1 chip is amazing. I would recommend getting with Apple and getting a different pair or new tips.

 

[lusty]

Otherwise, I would say these are a great competitor to the AirPods

They aren't a competitor to the Airpods, they're in a completely different (and unique) market. I have them and they are excellent as an open back ear bud which keeps you in the room. Airpods are just a cheap pair of wireless headphones. I also have the WF1000xm4 which offer the best isolation I've experienced, again a completely different market segment which shouldn't be compared. Understand the requirements and pick accordingly, there is no silver bullet for every occasion.

Unfortunately lazy journos looking for clicks ignore these things and compare them as if they are similar purely based on price. They are nothing alike.

 

[applicious84]

I’ve never had any of these issues. Sounds like you got a lemon or perhaps are using the wrong size tips. I’m in customer service and use my pros everyday for professional use - I do hundreds of calls a week and have never had a problem. Noise cancelling is superior in an open environment. H1 chip is amazing. I would recommend getting with Apple and getting a different pair or new tips.

I think this one is definitely about a different fit for different ears. I find the AirPods 2 really comfortable. They may not sound as good or have noise cancelling, but I walk down the street with them, and they just feel right. They're a lot more like the EarPods, which were very convenient as headphones. I bought the AirPods 3 and returned them. They fell out of my ears, and the AirPods 2 are usually $99.

 

[BigMac?]

That’s literally pineapples vs apples.

 

[tridley68]

Sony looks like they have another winner

 

[chucker23n1]

Air pod pros are the way. I have no idea why anyone would buy plain AirPods when the pros exist. Seems like a stupid buy.

You have no idea why someone would buy a $129 product over a $249 product?

And Samsung?!?! Ick. They could charge 5K for a phone or buds and it would still look cheap…..

Samsung?

Did you read the wrong article?

 

[NizNoz]

As much as I love all things Apple.. the Airpods Pro are sub-par. Sound quality is average, fit is aweful, and I've had sporadic issues with charging. I love the form factor, but I'd be tempted by a better product...

 

[lk400]

>Sound quality is not at the AirPods level, but it's above average.

Well at least this earphone review covered the most important topic of sound quality….

 

[Marshall73]

Got a pair of linkbuds as prolonged use of AirPod Pros irritate my ears (sweaty, itchy). Sound was less than stellar on the linkbuds so I returned them. Not particularly comfortable either. I tend to use my Pros for calls and just use one at a time so I can switch between ears before they become irritated.

 

[jwwy]

Got the Sony one a month ago. It's definitely not a replacement for AirPods Pro. But the natural transparent mode in Sony is better than Apple. It doesn't support any form of noise cancellation. I use it for running and cycling which is great because I'm not disconnected from the environment. It's a very compact design, fit inside the ear nicely.

 

[waterfta]

“LinkBuds”?! I’m sorry lol, but I could never. To each their own!

It just screams… p*verty.

some of us are concerned more with the function of something than worrying about being judged for the appearance of what is in our ears whilst walking around.

joking but not....do you feel embarrassed if people show up to your place and see your 4 year old iMac sitting there instead of the newest model? Or do you close that door of your place if guests are there?

 

[waterfta]

Got a pair of linkbuds as prolonged use of AirPod Pros irritate my ears (sweaty, itchy). Sound was less than stellar on the linkbuds so I returned them. Not particularly comfortable either. I tend to use my Pros for calls and just use one at a time so I can switch between ears before they become irritated.

I was surprised to have the same issue. Reviews were saying how they were so comfortable and felt could be in the ears for 6 hours without problem so I got excited just based on that. I have yet to find buds I can have for more than an hour at a time without bothering me. I must have overly sensitive ears or something.

 

[japanime]

AirPods Pro are great — until they develop the death rattle.

And except in very rare situations, they almost certainly absolutely WILL develop the death rattle.* Mine have been replaced seven times under Apple's official AirPods Pro Death Rattle Service Program. And the eighth pair, which I've only had for about five weeks, just started rattling.

The MacRumors forum thread about the death rattle is now 34 pages long.

AirPods Pro: Rattlegate

So there appears to be a widespread issue with the AirPods Pro: they seem to eventually develop a rattling noise when Noise Cancellation or Transparency is in use. It is believed to be a hardware problem at this stage and fairly widespread. Apologies for the use of yet another "-gate", but no...

forums.macrumors.com

Here's a link to the AirPods Pro Death Rattle Service Program:

AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues - Apple Support

AirPods Pro Service Program for Sound Issues

support.apple.com

*Edited my statement because one MacRumors member pointed out that he has never heard the death rattle and never had to replace his APPs, and so my blanket statement is not accurate. ?

 

[iGeneo]

Every review I have read has panned them.. no noise cancellation, low volume

They all sum up with.... "If you want to hear your surroundings over the music.. these are the ones for you"

pass

 

[ColdShadow]

they look very cheap for $178