Sony Linkbuds Fit Review: Great for Workouts

In this article, I’m going to share my HONEST Sony Linkbuds Fit review for those who are wondering whether they are WORTH IT. I’ll also be comparing the Sony Linkbuds Fit vs Sony WF-1000XM5, AirPods Pro 3, Beats Powerbeats Pro 2, Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, and more!

I’m going to do my best to share whether these wireless earbuds are worth it, and ideally who these are perfect for. I’ve owned these for a while now and have quite a few thoughts.

I’ll be sharing my critical opinion with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, audio engineer, and tech journalist.

Let’s dive right in!

Sony Linkbuds Fit Review in Short

Holding Sony Linkbuds Fit earbud in hand

The Sony Linkbuds Fit is an interesting hybrid between their flagship Sony WF-1000XM5 and their open earbuds, prioritizing comfort and secure fit over pure noise cancelling. The sound quality is also decent, but slightly below the XM5. Competes in the wireless noise cancelling earbuds class with the likes of AirPods Pro 3, Sony WF-1000XM6, Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, AirPods Pro 2nd Gen, and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen.

Pros and Cons

8.2

Sony Linkbuds Fit

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PROS

Very comfy
Secure fit for workouts and running
Strong transparency mode
Decent sound quality

CONS

Average noise cancelling
A bit pricy
There’s better sound quality

Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):

Sony LinkBuds Fit Truly Wireless Noise Canceling Earbud Headphones, Small & Light with Newly Developed Air Fitting Supporters, Black

$198.00

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Comfort + Features

Comfort

The Sony Linkbuds Fit comes with 4 sizes of soft silicone eartips.

I find the Sony Linkbuds Fit to be more comfortable and secure-fitting than the Sony WF-1000XM5 and WF-1000 series in general, due to softer eartips and a more ergonomic and form-fitting design. These are some of the most comfortable earbuds I’ve tested to date, that also stay securely in place during a workout.

Unlike the Linkbuds Fit, Sony uses a memory foam-type material for the eartips of the XM5 and XM6 to maximize the noise cancelling.

Sony prioritizes comfort over noise cancelling for the Linkbuds Fit which is why they opted for soft premium silicone.

Lastly, the earbuds have a little “wing” that is meant to press against the inside of the outer ears, securing the earbuds in place. I found this combo to be quite effective, and the earbuds rarely moved out of place.

Features

The Sony Linkbuds Fit was originally released in October 2024, so it has many modern wireless earbud features:

IPX4 water resistance rating (resistant to sweat and splashes of water)
LDAC support
Built-in microphones for taking calls
USB-C charging case
Bluetooth 5.3
Multi-point connection
Adaptive Noise Cancelling
Transparency Mode
Native apps for both iOS and Android

Microphone Quality

The Sony Linkbuds Fit has decent microphone quality, which makes sense considering that the Sony earbuds have some of the better mic quality in the class in general.

The WF-1000XM5 and WF-1000XM6 do have better mic quality thanks to additional bone conduction sensors that are not found in the Linkbuds Fit.

But for what it’s worth, the Linkbuds Fit is perfectly serviceable thanks to its AI voice isolation and filtering.

Battery Life

With ANC on: 5.5 hours of battery life on a single charge / 21 hours total with charging case
With ANC off: 8 hours on a single charge / 30 hours total with charging case
Fast Charge: 5 minutes = 1 hour of playback

This battery life is slightly below average, especially when noise cancelling is turned on, as many earbuds in the class are between 6-8 hours on a single charge.

Comfort + Features Score: 10 out of 10

Sony Linkbuds Fit Noise Cancelling Performance

Sony Linkbuds Fit vs Sony WF-1000XM5 side by side comparison

Now one very important thing to note about the Sony Linkbuds Fit is that it wasn’t designed to have the maximum level of noise cancelling, but instead favor a comfy and secure fit, while actually prioritizing the Transparency mode to be aware of your surroundings.

Sony focuses on max noise cancelling with their WF-1000XM5 and WF-1000XM6 instead, which is why they use a less comfortable but more effective memory foam eartip material.

The Linkbuds Fit uses soft silicone which has less passive noise-blocking, but is much more comfortable.

That said, the Linkbuds Fit still has active noise cancelling, and since it’s coming from one of the leaders in the technology today, it’s still fairly decent.

Overall, I would say the Linkbuds Fit is firmly average for the class, but well below today’s elite tier of AirPods Pro 3, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen, and Sony WF-1000XM6.

Now the real strength of the Linkbuds Fit is its excellent Transparency Mode, which is very natural-sounding compared to the XM5 and XM6 earbuds.

The Linkbuds Fit’s transparency mode is perfect for staying aware of your surroundings on an outdoor run or in the city.

Noise Cancelling Score: 7.5 out of 10

Sound Quality

Sony Linkbuds Fit earbudsinside charging case

Sony’s wireless earbuds tend to sound quite good in general, especially with their latest flagship WF-1000XM6.

I still even enjoy listening to the previous-gen WF-1000XM5 today.

Seeing the Linkbuds Fit place in the Sony lineup, I tempered my expectations a little bit as these are cheaper and have a different use case than the XM5 and XM6 series.

First off, these actually support Sony’s high-res codec LDAC, which I did test. This is usually a feature reserved for the more audiophile products, as it unlocks higher bitrate and resolution for better sound quality.

To conduct this test, I used my Questyle QCC Dongle Pro to unlock aptX and LDAC support:

Questyle QCC Dongle Pro [MFi Certified] USB-C Bluetooth Audio Adapter with LDAC,aptX Lossless&aptX-Adaptive,Low Latency Bluetooth 5.4 Dongle for PS5,Wireless Lossless Transmitter for PC/Headphones

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03/26/2026 04:00 pm GMT

If you’re an iPhone user, or if your phone doesn’t support aptX codecs, then I highly recommend you pick up the dongle above which will cover both LDAC and aptX Adaptive high-res codecs. It’s the only one of its kind that supports both, to my knowledge.

Now when it comes to the sound quality, I think these are better than I expected.

The sound profile is your typical “fun”, V-shaped consumer-friendly sound that emphasizes bass and treble.

This is actually a benefit for earbuds designed for workouts and running, as it gives an energetic quality to music, and helps with motivation.

After spending time with the Linkbuds Fit, I still do prefer the WF-1000XM5 for both sound quality and sound profile tuning, which is just a little more “audiophile” to my ears.

That said, this absolutely gets the job done, especially for workouts in the gym or outdoor runs.

I actually have the sound quality on par with the AirPods Pro 2, which is a pretty impressive feat considering the AP2 is well-loved by many, including myself.

I put the Linkbuds Fit slightly above its fellow workout-oriented earbud, the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.

Sound Quality Score: 7.9 out of 10

Value

AirPods Pro 3 vs Sony Linkbuds Fit vs Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 side by side comparison

The Sony Linkbuds Fit retails for $229.99 USD, but is currently on sale for $198 USD at the time of this writing.

Although I think the Linkbuds Fit is an attractive package for working out and its comfort, it’s a bit too pricy compared to what’s on the market today for around $200.

The AirPods Pro 3 is frequently on sale for $199, and is a much stronger overall package as a whole, with superior sound quality, noise cancelling, and mic quality.

That said, the AirPods Pro 3 may not be quite as comfy or secure-fitting as the Linkbuds Fit, so these still have a special use case, similar to the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2.

The main thing that works against the Linkbuds Fit and our scoring criteria is that they weren’t designed for maximum noise cancelling but to sound a bit more “open”. So if that’s what you’re looking for, then these are a better buy.

Value Score: 8.0 out of 10

Overall Scoring Breakdown

Comfort + Features (15% of score): 10 / 10

Noise Cancelling (25% of score): 7.5 / 10

Sound Quality (50% of score): 7.9 / 10

Value (10% of score): 8.0 / 10

Total: 8.125 out of 10

8.1Expert Score

Good

The Sony Linkbuds Fit is an interesting hybrid between their flagship WF-1000XM5 and their open earbuds, prioritizing comfort and secure fit over pure noise cancelling. The sound quality is also decent, but slightly below the XM5.

Is the Sony Linkbuds Fit Worth it?

If you’re looking at the Linkbuds Fit specifically for working out and running, or for maximum comfort and very good transparency mode, then it’s a good buy.

But if you instead prioritize noise cancelling performance and sound quality, there are better options in the market today, like the AirPods Pro 3 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.

Overall, I only really see workout-oriented earbuds like the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 as the most direct competition to the Linkbuds Fit, and these have better sound quality.

Lastly, if you’d like to save some money and keep supporting RecordingNOW.com’s 100% independent, unbiased reviews, do consider using some of our affiliate links below to shop and even just compare prices. We purchase all products we review with our own money to maintain the highest level of integrity, and your support goes into that plus a continuously improving site experience.

Order HERE for the LOWEST PRICE AVAILABLE (Do NOT pay retail):

Sony LinkBuds Fit Truly Wireless Noise Canceling Earbud Headphones, Small & Light with Newly Developed Air Fitting Supporters, Black

$198.00

Buy Now

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

03/26/2026 06:15 pm GMT

Disclosure: These affiliate links may provide a discount and in return, give us a commission in order to keep this website 100% independent to ensure honest unfiltered reviews 🙂

How We Tested and Our Methodology

RecordingNOW.com is a 100% independent publisher with over 10 years of experience testing and reviewing consumer electronics and headphones.

We currently purchase the products we test with our own money, and are not paid by any company or manufacturer to influence our opinions or decisions.

After purchasing the product, we conduct up to hundreds of hours of detailed hands-on testing in a controlled, acoustically-treated environment.

ODi Productions is our resident expert and author of this article, with 10 years of experience as a professional music producer, tech journalist, and audiophile.