Sony LinkBuds WF L900 True Wireless Earphones Review: Unique design, reliable performance
Sony LinkBuds These are priced at Rs 19,990 in India and promise a comfortable fit all day long. These also have the facility of listening to the surrounding sound and the call and audio performance is also claimed to be better. True wireless earphones that you can wear all day and use in a variety of ways, the Sony LinkBuds are a far cry from the premium TWS headsets you typically find. Do they fulfill all the promises made? Let’s find out in this review.
Design and features of Sony LinkBuds
The design of Sony LinkBuds attracts the most. Many people, if they don’t already know, won’t realize that these are earphones. These have an outer ear fit and do not go inside the ear canal. There is no stem given in these. A donut-like hole has been provided in the driver chamber of the earpiece, so that the surrounding sound can be heard clearly even when the earphones are on.
This means that even with them on (without audio playing), I can still hear my surroundings. If it is equally important for you to hear the sounds around you, then you will not find a better design than this. This unique design also gives a comfortable fit, along with which Sony also provides arch support. The sales package comes with five pairs of tips for a customizable fit. I found the smallest size tips to be the most comfortable for my ear shape. But this affected security. There was a fear of the earpieces coming off when you moved your head a little, so you have to try them and choose the most comfortable and safe pair.
The earpieces of Sony LinkBuds weigh 4.1 grams and are rated IPX4 for water resistance. The outer sides have an interesting texture. These have been made touch sensitive for controls. Interestingly, you do not need to tap the earpiece, for this a feature called Wide Area Tap has been provided.
When enabled through the app, you can tap your cheek in front of your ear. This gives control over the earbuds. It worked well for me. This made on-device control much easier.
Its charging case is much smaller than most wireless headsets available in this price range. Due to this it takes even less space in the pocket. It has a lid release button and indicator light in the front. Pairing button and Type C port is provided at the back. The earpieces have to be fitted into place for charging but this happens automatically as soon as you close the lid, so it quickly gets used to. At this price point, you don’t get wireless charging in it, which is disappointing.
Its other features include support for Voice Assistant, Google Fast Fare, Spotify Tap and 360 Reality Auto. There is no active noise cancellation available in it, but due to the position and design of the headsets, it is not lacking.
Sony LinkBuds app and specifications
Sony LinkBuds, like the rest of the company’s headsets, work through the Sony Headphones Connect app, which is available for both iOS and Android. A long list of features has been provided in the app which includes Speak To Chat, Equalizer, 360 Reality Audio Configuration, Tap Control Customization, Adaptive Volume Control, Auto Play and Pause and Firmware Update etc.
Some of these features are also present in Sony’s older headsets. Adaptive volume control has been provided in Sony LinkBuds which adjusts the volume according to the noise or sounds coming from the surrounding environment. Wide Area Tap Toggle lets you use on-device controls without even touching the earpiece.
For connectivity, it has Bluetooth 5.2 with support for SBC and AAC Bluetooth codec. There is no support for advanced Bluetooth codec, which is disappointing at this price point. The earphones have a frequency response range of 20-20,000Hz. Apart from 5 pairs of arch support fittings, you also get a USB Type C cable in the box.
Sony LinkBuds performance and battery life
Sony’s LinkBuds have been designed in such a way that they cannot be compared with any other product in this price segment. There is no passive noise cancellation nor active noise cancellation. Still, the company offers a comfortable fit, a variety of functions and usability with awareness of the surrounding environment.
Initially it was a bit difficult to get used to them but overall they provide an overall good experience, as I look for in other earphones. The comfort of being used throughout the day, multipurpose nature and ambient awareness make these my favorite earphones.
It was challenging to hear the audio playing on the earphones without passive noise cancellation, but the earphones provided a good experience in terms of volume and audio. The sonic signature seemed a bit strange, with the sub-bass frequencies being very weak and the mid bass also quite dull.
Croatia Squad and Frey’s White Horse sounded fine at home at high volume. However, this aggressive house track lacked thump and attack and its deep and rhythmic beats sounded a bit hollow.
Still, the sound sounded quite balanced and details were good in the mid-range. The reason for this could be its form factor. Also, ambient sound accompanying audio play can also affect it. But it can also be said with certainty that in many ways it does not fit into the music of the genre.
These earphones seem to struggle a bit outdoors. By increasing the volume to 80 percent, I was able to listen to the audio playing in the earphones comfortably. But at this point the surrounding sound could not be detected. This didn’t pose much of a problem in a quiet area, but the sounds coming from the busy roads of Mumbai were quite disruptive.
Due to the tuning of these earbuds, they work well for voice-based content such as audio books, movies and TV shows, and YouTube videos. The voice sounds quite clear. Along with this, the quality of voice calls is also quite good. These provide good calling experience at slightly higher volume levels. In fact, having your ears open to outside noise during calls also makes calls more natural.
Their battery life will be considered average only. Neither battery-hungry active noise cancellation nor advanced Bluetooth codec support is provided, yet the average battery life is disappointing. It lasted 4 hours 35 minutes at moderate volume.
our decision
Sony makes the best wireless headphones and earphones. It has a wide range of products which can be chosen as per the need. Sony LinkBuds come among the unique products of the company. These are unlike the commonly found designs and have been created to provide a special kind of user experience.
Sony LinkBuds are successful in providing comfortable fit, ambient sound experience, sound quality. However, your music experience may be slightly affected in noisy environments. Also, due to weak bass level, some genre of music can have strange experiences. I really enjoyed using these earphones for calls, outdoor walks and for everyday work at my work desk.
Sony LinkBuds are expensive at Rs 19,990 and if we look at the unique design alone, they are expensive even at the pre-order price of Rs 14,990. These are good for users who want a good experience with voice-based sound and are looking for earphones with good ambient awareness. But, if you are more inclined towards music then I would recommend the Sony WF-1000XM4 which is in the same price range.
