Sony LinkBuds Fit and LinkBuds Open review: Two designs, one clear champ

ony’s line of LinkBuds products has served two key purposes. First, it gave the company a playground to introduce wildly different designs like the donut-shaped first-gen LinkBuds. It also allowed Sony to develop the LinkBuds S, a more traditional set that offered a taste of its flagship 1000X products for $100 less. That model was certainly more compelling than the company’s basic models that go for $120 and below.

Two years after the LinkBuds and LinkBuds S, Sony is back with an all-new model and a revamped version of the original. With the LinkBuds Fit ($200), the company has developed a full-featured, comfy set of earbuds with impressive sound. And on the LinkBuds Open ($200), Sony tweaked its unique open-wear formula by updating some tools. Then there’s the third member of the 2024 LinkBuds trio, the LinkBuds Speaker ($180), which is designed to integrate seamlessly with the two new pairs of earbuds when you return home or to the office. Since Sony introduced these all together, I’ve reviewed them that way, so buckle up because you’re about to get three reviews for the price of one.

Sony’s LinkBuds S were a low-key hit in 2022. They have some of the great features from the 1000X line, with a similar overall shape, too. Small and comfy, they offer significantly more in terms of sound and tools than most $200 earbuds. With this year’s LinkBuds Fit, Sony has debuted the next progression in its active noise canceling (ANC) LinkBuds.