9to5Google
By Andrew Romero
The Link Buds are pretty unique, both in design and in focus. These aren't meant to be ANC powerhouses, rather, the exact opposite.
With an eye-catching design, the Link Buds are meant to let in ambient noise, all while producing a good sound that melds with the outside world.
Instead of a traditional closed chamber, the Link Buds are compromised of a ring-style open driver and an offset compartment for internals, like Sony's V1 processor.
Also, instead of using LDAC - Sony's proprietary digital to analog tech - the Link Buds make use of DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) technology, which unpacks the music and restores it to full quality.
With the case, you can get a solid 17.5 hours of use out of the Link buds and 5.5 hours on a single charge. Additionally, the Link Buds use Google's Fast Pair as well as come with Google Assistant, which can do a lot to enhance your workflow.
One of the coolest features might be the method of input. Instead of touch controls, the Link Buds use something called "Wide Area Tap," which senses when you touch your skin in front of your ear. That, plus automatic volume control depending on your environment makes for a pretty cool approach to audio conumption.