Sony
Sony LinkBuds Open (WF-L910)
$199.99Cheaper
Released 2025-01
Best Open Ear Earbuds · head-to-head
A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Sony LinkBuds Open (WF-L910) is cheaper at $199.99. Every spec and price links to its source.
Sony
$199.99Cheaper
Released 2025-01
Shokz
$249.95
Released 2025
On the specs we track, they're closely matched. The Sony LinkBuds Open (WF-L910) is the cheaper at $199.99.
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✓ marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.
| Spec | | |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $199.99 | $249.95 |
| Brand | Sony | Shokz |
| Released | 2025-01 | 2025 |
| Msrp usd | 199.99 | 249.95 |
| Fit style | open-ring | hook |
| Driver size (mm) | 11 | — |
| Battery buds hours | 8 | 12 |
| Battery total hours | 22 | 50 |
| Bluetooth version | 5.3 | 6.1 |
| IP rating | IPX4 | IP55 |
| Weight per bud grams | 5.1 | 12.3 |
| Wireless charging | No | Yes |
| Multipoint connect | Yes | Yes |
Sources — Sony LinkBuds Open (WF-L910): sony.com (verified 2026-06-27). Shokz OpenFit Pro: shokz.com (verified 2026-06-27).
Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (8 of 10). Matching specs are omitted.
Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.
Three whitelisted hands-on reviews survived verification (What Hi-Fi?, SoundGuys, GSMArena). Verdict: a clever, feature-rich open earbud whose ring driver sacrifices bass and struggles in noisy places, and whose one-size fit is polarizing. Comfortable and secure for two testers, unwearable for another. Good measured battery (8h18m-9h30m from the buds), but mediocre sound value at $200. (3 sourced reviews, 2 lab-tested.)
Praised: Comfortable, secure fit from the air-filled wing supports (for testers whose ears suit them); Prominent, natural midrange is the sonic high point; Strong feature set: LC3/LE Audio, multipoint, Auracast, head-gesture controls.
Flagged: Weak, near-absent bass and limited overall sound quality inherent to the ring/open design; Open design leaks sound out and lets noise in, so music is easily drowned out in noisy places; One-size-fits-all fit is polarizing and can fail entirely on smaller ears.
Two whitelisted testers reviewed the Shokz OpenFit Pro: SoundGuys (two weeks hands-on, with measured noise-reduction and battery data) and Engadget (weeks of qualitative testing). Both call it Shokz's best-sounding open-ear earbuds and confirm the new Open-Ear Noise Reduction genuinely dampens midrange noise (office chatter, HVAC hum) while being far weaker than true ANC and useless against low-frequency/travel noise. SoundGuys measured ~13% total reduction and ~13 dB midrange attenuation, and flags an uncomfortable ANC-style pressure sensation plus a hard-to-justify $50 premium; its only call complaint is wind, otherwise rating call quality highly. Engadget separately knocks below-average, muffled call voice quality. (2 sourced reviews, 1 lab-tested.)
Praised: Best sound quality yet for open-ear earbuds, with notably stronger bass; Open-Ear Noise Reduction genuinely works on midrange noise (office chatter, HVAC hum, cafes); Comfortable, secure and more stable fit; suitable for workouts (IP55).
Flagged: Noise reduction is limited: no help against low-frequency/travel noise and far weaker than true ANC; Call voice quality is muffled / below average (Engadget); Wind ruins outdoor calls; mics suffer in strong gusts (SoundGuys).