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Sony's weird 'Linkbuds' certainly don't look like AirPods (or anything else)

Like, we can't even really figure out how they even go into your ears.
By
February 8, 2022
TL;DR
  • A new set of earbuds could possibly land soon called Sony Linkbuds.
  • The ‘buds have a very unique design with a doughnut-style earpiece.
  • Judging from the leaks, these earbuds would not replace the flagship WF-1000XM4 but would still be quite premium.

Although there are plenty of great sets of true wireless earbuds out there, none can compare to the mighty AirPods when it comes to popularity. Because of how iconic AirPods are, there are tons of imitators out there that liberally borrow from the design ethos.

See also: Best Bluetooth headphones

If these rumors pan out, though, the upcoming Sony Linkbuds will not fall into that camp (via Twitter). As seen in the images on this page, the alleged Linkbuds (possibly known as WF-L900, per PhoneArena) could feature a design that we’ve never seen before.

Check out the images below.

Leaked Sony Linkbuds

By just looking at them, it’s not even easy to tell how the Sony Linkbuds work. We are pretty sure you’ll put the “doughnut” part into your ear, similar to how old-school Apple earbuds worked. But why, then, would the center of the ‘bud be open to the elements? Would this make the sound quality better?

What’s even stranger is that these would supposedly come with active noise cancellation (ANC). With that massive hole there, how would ANC even be effective?

Other specs, pricing, and feature information are unavailable to us at the moment, so we’re left to do a lot of speculating. However, rumors suggest the Sony Linkbuds would not be a new flagship product to replace the WF-1000XM4. Instead, these would exist just beneath those in a premium — but not top — position. In other words, expect them to be expensive.