Sony LinkBuds Fit are mid-range earbuds designed for comfort and also promise advanced noise cancellation, ambient sound control, and AI-powered call clarity. They even pack the same 8.4mm Dynamic Driver X found in Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM5 TWS. So, on paper, there are ingredients for quality earphones. But, do the LinkBuds Fit really deliver? We put the pair to the test to find out. This is the 91mobiles’ Sony LinkBuds Fit review, wherein you will learn if they are worth the asking price.
Let’s begin with the unboxing experience:
Table of Contents
In-box contents
The Sony LinkBuds Fit comes in compact packaging with neatly sliding compartments for the different size earbud tips, user manual, and charging cable.
- Charging case
- Earbuds
- Single ear wing pair attached to the earbuds
- Silicone gel tips
- Reference guide
- A rather short USB cable
Design
The case has a cutesy squircle shape and comes in three colours, viz., black, white, and green. Ours is the black variant, and it has a glossy top half and a matte lower half, and together, it vaguely resembles a bumper car. The distinct texture of the two halves may help you open the top half easily without looking, but it is prone to smudges and scratches. Although a little tall, the case can still be easily slid into the coin pocket in your jeans.
The front side has an LED indicator for charging and pairing status, and the back side of the case has the USB-C port and a reset pairing button. We’ll get to the charging and pairing process shortly. But first, let’s open the case.
You can easily open the lid with one hand. The top half feels slightly flimsy, with a noticeable internal movement. When you pluck out the buds from their magnetic cradle, you’d notice how light they are.
The buds have a stemless design with rubbery ear tips and ear fins or ear wings, or, as Sony calls them, Fitting Supporters. You get multiple ear tip sizes to swap, but no replacement for the ear fins. The bundled ones offer a secure fit if you poke them into the opening of the ear canal. It’s good to have while commuting in public transport, working out, washing your face, etc. Plus, its IPX4 rating means it can repel splashes of water.
As for how well the Sony buds can fend off noise or how responsive their touch gestures are, keep reading.
Audio, calls and ANC
As mentioned already, the Sony LinkBuds Fit packs an 8.4mm Dynamic Driver X. The driver size is compact when compared to the competition from Apple, Samsung, and Beats, which all have around 11mm drivers. Still, it is Sony’s custom designed drivers for the flagship, and you get a taste of that quality here. I had enabled LDAC format (for higher bitrate sound) and DSEE Extreme upscaling.
There is good channel separation, and sound staging is decent. The rain effects in the intro of the Riders On The Storm by The Doors, there is a clear separation between the rain effect, the thunder sound, and the different instruments. However, I couldn’t discern the varying movement and position of the raindrops, though.
The Sony buds give you the feeling of standing in the middle of the Queen’s ensemble, while the song, Bohemian Rhapsody plays. The panning and shifting vocals, coming from different directions, were crystal clear.
Similarly, the buds could capably handle the highs of the vocal chorales in Carol Of The Bells by John Williams and the operatic wailing by Lisa Gerrard in Dawn Of The Iconoclast.
The LinkBuds Fit won’t disappoint the bass lovers either. The sub-bass rumble in Limit To Your Love by James Blake is controlled but not atmospheric. But the beat drops in Acid Rain by Lorn were deeply and heavily thumping.
I also had a good experience listening to hours of podcasts, audiobooks, movies, and shows.
As for audio quality during calls, I could hear the other person clearly, but they said my voice sounded muffled and distant, as if I had a cold or if the sound was coming through a pipe. But the noise cancellation was working fine.
Speaking of which, with Sony’s integrated Processor V2 (the same as the Sony WF-1000XM5), multiple mics, and Auto NC Optimiser, you get a decent enough ANC. On the other hand, the ambient mode can help you be aware of your surroundings. There is also an Auto Ambient Sound option that automatically filters ambient sounds based on the surrounding noise level.
In case you want to tweak the Ambient Sound Control, spatial audio, equaliser, and other sound settings, you can do that within the Sound Connect app. More on the app in the following section:
Software features and tricks
The Sound Connect app offers several ways to customise the Sony LinkBuds Fit experience. However, the number of options can feel overwhelming. Some features are genuinely useful, while others are simply nice to have.
On the Sound Connect app’s home screen, you can see the current battery life of both buds and the case separately. Even when the buds connect to the phone, you will get a notification of the same on your phone.
You can try the various Equaliser modes to choose the one that suits your taste. I prefer the default tuning.
Spatial audio no longer works on Samsung phones because Samsung has removed Android Head Tracking support for non-Samsung earphones. Meanwhile, on iPhones, LDAC won’t work.
You can control the TWS using voice commands via Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, or your phone’s built-in voice assistant. I didn’t find this particularly useful. Similarly, I didn’t see the need for the Speak To Chat (which pauses music when you speak and resumes it when you stop) or the Background Music Effect (which spreads the audio to mimic the feel of a café, living room, or personal space).
You can customise tap-based playback controls to play the next or previous track, play a Spotify recommendation, adjust Ambient Sound Control, or activate the voice assistant. You can repeatedly tap the buds to control volume, and it worked reasonably well. Interestingly, tapping the area near the front of your ears also worked reliably.
On the other hand, the Head Gesture feature, which lets you take or cancel a call with simple head movements, didn’t work well.
You can read about other Sound Connect app features like Auto Power Save, Auto Pause, and Multipoint in the coming section:
Connectivity and Battery
Sony LinkBuds Fit supports Bluetooth 5.3, which works within a 10m radius.
The connection process is simpler on Android and Windows thanks to Google Fast Pair and Microsoft’s Smart Pair. The pairing process with iPhone and Mac was also fine.
The device can simultaneously work with two devices, thanks to Bluetooth Multipoint. You can enable it in the Sound Connect app.
Similarly, toggle on the LE Audio Priority option if you want a lower latency connection whilst playing games.
The buds can recognise when you have taken them off your ears or put them on. It automatically pauses and resumes the playback accordingly. The auto stop and start is rather quick.
When the buds are low on charge, the Auto Power Save feature can automatically disable some of the aforementioned power-consuming features.
Sony claims the LinkBuds Fit offers 5.5 hours of continuous music playback with noise cancellation enabled. In my case, with LDAC, DSEE Extreme, and several Sound Connect smart features turned on, and music playing at 88 decibels, I was getting around 4 to 4.5 hours. Your mileage may vary depending on your settings, and with fewer features enabled, you might get closer to Sony’s estimate.
The buds will take about 2 hours to fully top up with a wired USB-C charger (0.5 A). There is no wireless charging support, though, which is a miss at this price point.
And with that, it is time to talk about its overall value.
Verdict
Sony LinkBuds Fit offers a compact and comfortable in-ear fit that can stay secure even during workouts or while you are out and about. This design, combined with ANC, can block most outside noise, but not entirely, which I think is good if you’re outdoors. The automatic ambient mode can also be helpful in keeping you aware of your surroundings.
As for what matters most in a earphone, i.e., audio, the LinkBuds Fit delivers an enjoyable experience thanks to the flagship-grade hardware, Sony’s tuning, and enhancements like LDAC and DSEE Extreme. The Sound Connect app also lets you tune many of this experience to your liking.
The LinkBuds Fit’s pocketable case helps extend this experience outside, offering enough charge to get you through the day. Still, I think the battery life could have been better, especially when you compare it to some of its competitors. You also notice the lack of wireless charging, limited ingress protection, and an average calling experience when it’s compared against its rivals.
Some of these alternatives may offer comparable or better value, but you may find yourself locked into those companies’ ecosystems. And so, if you prefer what Sony is offering here, you can buy the LinkBuds Fit in India for Rs 18,990 to Rs 24,990, depending on different retail offers.
Editor’s rating: 8/10
Pros
- Lightweight and workout-friendly design
- Excellent audio quality
- Plenty of customisation options
- Decent ANC and ambient modes
Cons
- Call sounds muffled to the other person
- Lacks wireless charging
- Battery life could have been better
- Only IPX4 splash resistance
