I just tested one of the best fitting wireless earbuds ever — and they're a great AirPods 4 alternative

The $150-$200 price bracket is a busy one for noise-canceling earbuds. Every manufacturer out there has an offering in the range, from Sennheiser’s Accentum buds to Apple’s ANC-equipped AirPods 4. Sony has always had some skin in the game, and its latest buds sit slap-bang in the middle at $179. These are the LinkBuds Fit, replacing the Sony LinkBuds S, and they’re a solid, if slightly mixed, bag.

From the moment you pull them from the package, you realize that they are just as much a fashion accessory as they are an audio device. From the almost pearlescent finish that adorns the lid of their case to their jewel-like shape and finish, they are a nice thing to look at. But do they bring the noise where it counts, or are they all style over substance, and do they rank amongst the best wireless earbuds? Let’s find out.

Sony LinkBuds Fit review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? Sony’s latest mid-range in-ear buds
• Who is it for? People who want jewelry like earbuds, and people who like to move.
• What does it cost? $179/£179/AUS$299
• What we like: Great fitting options, the good price, and the way they look
• What we don’t like: The sound could be better

Sony LinkBuds Fit review: Price and Availability

You could never call the Linkbuds Fit expensive, but neither are they budget either — like Goldilocks' search for the best bed, they are ‘just right’. They sit between the Sony WF-1000XM5, the top-of-the-line buds, and then the likes of the CF700N, and other cheaper options.

They have good company at this price range. There are the AirPods 4 with ANC, although you get a much better fit, sound, and ANC with the LinkBuds Fit. The Sennheiser’s Accentum buds, offer better sound and battery but the looks and the ANC won’t be quite as good.

Crucially, the Linkbuds Fit are cheaper than the AirPods Pro 2 by around $70 — and that saving is worth it considering the Linkbuds Fit feature list.

Sony LinkBuds Fit review: Design and Build

• Funky, stylish design
• Comfortable fit
• Slight fit and finish issues

Personally, I really like the design of the Linkbuds Fit. They have a funky, marbled top, a fun chunky-looking case, and the small, jewel-like buds that lie within. I think it's new, different, and well-considered. Apparently, though, some disagree — I had someone take a look at the top of the case and say "Is that clean? It looks like it's picked up all your pocket lint." Now, while I don’t think the top of the case looks dirty, your mileage evidently may vary.

The build of the whole package feels pretty good, although there is one thing that gives me pause. While the lid shuts with a nice ‘click’, it does have a certain amount of both lateral movement and rattle that make them feel slightly less sturdy than I might otherwise like. As yet I’ve had no breakage issues, and it’s likely not much of a structural weakness, but it does feel slightly wobbly.

Fit wise there’s absolutely nothing to complain about. There are plenty of tips in the box, so you’ll be sure to find the option that suits you and your ears. Then there are the silicon-fitting wings that sit on the outer edge of the buds, and they make it very easy to get the buds situated in your ears and comfortable in the fact that they are going to stay there. They’re soft, so they don’t cause undue irritation, and they provide a much firmer and solid fit than you might get with something that lacks them.

Sony LinkBuds Fit review: Controls

• Touch controls
• Strange, head-tapping controls

I am not a massive fan of touch controls on any kind of headphones, let alone in-ear buds. The touch controls on the Linkbuds Fit make them easier to control than other options out there — and while I think they’re an interesting way of skipping tracks, I ultimately find them more annoying than useful.

The idea is that you tap your head just before your ear, on your temple, and then the earbuds register it as a tap. It just about works, but it also feels really, really weird. There’s something uncanny about not touching the buds themselves, and it also leaves the controls more restrictive.

You can’t slide up or down for volume control, and you have to rely on multiple taps for most options. You also have to tap hard for them to register; a light press isn’t going to do anything. I just stick with controlling music and ANC with my phone — that way I don’t look odd tapping the side of my head while I walk down the street.

Sony LinkBuds Fit review: Features

• Full, premium feature gamut
• Solid Sony Connect App
• 3D sound isn’t great

Sony is very well known for packing its buds full of features, and the LinkBuds Fit are no different. There’s the Adaptive sound control modes from the XM-series buds, a custom equalizer, multipoint connection, and then some cool extras that are new for the Linkbuds S.

The equalizer works well, with many ways to dial in the sound of the buds. There’s a standard 5-band EQ, and then some easier setup options like the ‘Find your equalizer’ setting. That guides you through a process of beeps and boops to work out how good (or not, as the case may be) your hearing is. Adaptive sound control changes the way your music sounds depending on what you’re surroundings are like, such as how noisy they might be.

Those are all expected from a pair of Sony buds at this point, but there’s now a new feature for the Linkbuds S that’s super interesting, if not implemented all the way. It’s called “background music effect,” and the idea is to make it sound like your music is in a physical space, like a room or a concert hall. In essence, it seems to just add some more space and a little reverb, but it’s an interesting idea for making music feel less of a focus — would could be a great feature for work.

Sony LinkBuds Fit review: ANC

• Great for lower sounds
• Struggles with noise in the higher range

Sony’s ANC is generally top-notch, so you might hope for the same from the Linkbuds Fit. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t expecting better than we got in the long run, but what’s here is mostly fine. It is much better at blocking out engine noise than it is office sounds, but this tends to be a theme amongst other similarly price ANC earbuds.

Transparency mode does a good job of allowing the outside world into your earbuds, and you can activate it with speak to chat, which turns on when you start talking. It's excellent for when someone approaches you at the office, or when you want to talk to a bus or taxi driver. It works well too, although it can sometimes be slightly over-enthusiastic. “No, Linkbuds, I was cursing because I tripped over a crack in the pavement, not because I wanted to talk to someone.”

Sony LinkBuds Fit review: Connectivity

• Bluetooth 5.3
• Multipoint

As you might expect, there is only one way to connect the Linkbuds fit to your devices — Bluetooth. It’s a fairly new version of Bluetooth as well, 5.3, and that means you get multipoint, and quick pairing. Pairing them to Android devices is much easier than connecting to an iPhone. Open them next to your phone, and a quick prompt encourages you to get them connected. iPhone users will need to head into their Bluetooth settings and connect from there.

Connecting to another source is super easy as well — just hold down the little button on the back of the case, and find the buds in the settings menu of your chosen device. Simple.

Sony LinkBuds Fit review: Call Quality

• Solid Mics
• Reasonable sound isolation

Taking the Sony LinkBuds Fit out and about to test out the call quality revealed a competent pair of earbuds for taking and making calls. My call partner came through crisp and clear, and they could hear me well, without the outside world leaking in too much. There’s a side tone option you can turn on and off as well, which lets you hear yourself without the usual muffling that comes with wearing in-ear buds.

Sony LinkBuds Fit review: Sound Quality

• Solid bass
• Well rounded mids
• Some sibilance

At this price, you can’t expect the same kind of sound quality that you might find in the WF-1000XM5, but you might still expect slightly better than you get here. They’re not bad, per se — there’s still plenty to like.

They’re a bass-forward pair of earbuds, with a deep low end that packs in some surprising punch for their size. There’s some decent weight to the mid-range, and then when they’re good, the highs are crystalline and clear. Sometimes though those highs get a bit sibilant, with some unfortunate cymbals falling victim and making you wince. It’s not the biggest issue, and you can EQ most of the problems away, but it’s not ideal.

Vola’s Break My Lying Tongue brings the low end, with well-defined bass and crisp synth lines. The vocals are well replicated, with loads of body. The cymbals are a bit peaky, but it can be cranked down in the Sony app. I did notice one thing with this track — with ANC turned on it sounded slightly synthetic, which is a shame. Turning ANC off seemed to fix it, but I’d rather block out the noise and have a reasonable volume level than turn the ANC off and crank the volume to block out the noise of an office.

Joe Hisaishi and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra show off the reasonable soundstage the buds have on offer, with the orchestra panning wonderfully in Ponyo’s Sisters Lend a Hand. The build of the strings, the hits of the drum, and the choir all in their place and impactful. They do a great job with classical music in the end, although again, there is a little sibilance with some of the higher string sections and edginess to the crash of cymbals.

Sony LinkBuds Fit review: Battery Life

• 5.5 hours buds
• 15.5 hours case

Considering the likes of the Sennheiser Accentum with their massive battery life, the staying power of the LinkBuds Fit leaves a little to be desired. It’s more than you get from the AirPods 4 with ANC, but it would have been nice to see numbers more in line with some of the competition, which top out at 7 hours or more.

My testing showed that the battery life was around what Sony advertises, even at higher volumes – so there’s no padding the stats. I just wish those stats were slightly longer.

Sony LinkBuds Fit review: Verdict

Sony’s LinkBuds will continue to be a staple at this price point, I imagine. And there is plenty to like about this new model. They look great, and they’re some of the most comfortable earbuds that stay put once they’re in your ears. The ANC leaves a little to be desired, and the features are amongst the best for the price point.

I just wish they sounded a little better, and that they lasted a little longer. Now, these are likely compromises to fit in as many features as possible for the price, but I do find myself wondering how much better they might sound if Sony had forgone the audio-hand-off feature. If you want the most features for the price, you’ve got a great option here — but if you want superb sound quality, you might be left with a slightly bitter taste in your mouth.