Over the span of a 5K, you’ll take roughly 6,000 to 7,000 steps — each one a chance for your wireless earbuds to jostle in your ear and eventually, barring intervention, fall out. Preventing this from happening mid-run or at the gym is only half the battle for headphone makers, though. The other half is doing so without creating irritation or soreness. Buds that hook around your ear run the risk of applying too much pressure to your skull, while those that use wings to hook into the groove above your ear canal can create discomfort near the tip of that wing.
Meanwhile, buds that use neither method and rely solely on friction to stay in your ear canal usually don’t stay put for too long without constant adjustment, or they force you to push the bud in so deep that they seal off your ear canal altogether, prompting a jarring ‘thump’ every time you touch down. This is all to say that Sony’s LinkBuds Fit is the best-fitting set of truly wireless earbuds I’ve tested — and I’ve tried out about two dozen to date.
Now, I’m not saying they’re the best truly wireless running earbuds (and we’ll get into competitor comparisons soon), but the LinkBuds Fit do all of the essential things a great pair of running earbuds needs to while fitting better than any I’ve tried to date. Here, I gathered all of my thoughts about what makes these wireless headphones a top pick for runners.
What everyone's reading
| Type | In-ear |
|---|---|
| Battery life | 5.5 hours per bud (16.5 hours with the case) |
| Noise-cancelling | Yes |
| Water resistance | IPX4 |
| Accessories included | Charging Case, USB-C cable, Air Fitting Supporters |
Set-up and design
The LinkBuds Fit connected easily right out of the case (which I found to be a little too cube-shaped to fit as comfortably in my pocket as most other wireless earbud cases).
The genius of them is all in the ear wings. They’re smaller and lighter than those you find on other earbuds that also use ear wings, and their hollow silicone construction means they will conform to the shape of your ear rather than pressing into it with too much force. The silicone ear tips are also soft and pliable, and you get four different sizes of ear tip to tailor the fit to your ears.
Out on the run, the LinkBuds Fit struck an ideal balance between staying in position (and therefore delivering consistent sound) and not sealing up my ear too tight such that my ears thumped when I touched down. I’ve also worn these earbuds in the gym for jumping jacks, side planks, and box jumps, and they performed just as well.
Moreover, I’ve run the 5.5-hour battery life down several times without taking the earbuds out of my ears to test their long-term comfort. The LinkBuds Fit met and exceeded my expectations in all of those tests.
Controls
Once the buds are in your ears, you can control volume, playback, listening modes, and phone calls by tapping the exposed plastic exterior of the buds.
Sony’s ‘wide area tap’ feature is also helpful, allowing you to tap nearby areas of your ear to use the same controls. I found that tapping the back of my ear worked just as well as tapping the buds themselves.
Sound quality
The sound quality of the LinkBuds Fit is among the best of any of the wireless earbuds I’ve tried. While I’m not exactly an audiophile, the only better sounding earbuds I’ve tried were the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 and the Jabra Elite 8 Active. The LinkBuds Fit is a little heavier on bass than treble, but the buds deliver above-average clarity and separation between instruments. You can also tweak the sound via the Sony Sound Connect app.
The noise canceling and transparency modes are good but not great. Active noise canceling was able to hush the pitch of a crying baby on a recent flight and helped me focus while working at a busy coffee shop, but it wasn't as effective as the transparency modes I’ve experienced on the AirPods Pro 2 or Jabra Elite 8 Active. Among the earbuds I’ve tried to date, the AirPods Pro 2 remains the benchmark for transparency mode, and head-to-head testing indeed revealed more wind noise from the LinkBuds Fit than the AirPods Pro 2.
However, neither mode felt particularly useful for running — noise canceling wasn’t necessary and transparency mode was distracting with the wind buffeting while running outdoors. As a result, the LinkBuds Fit’s respectable but not exemplary performances in those categories hasn’t hampered the experience for running specifically.
I’d also like to note that Sony doesn’t rate these earbuds as waterproof, but merely water-resistant. The IPX4 rating means the buds can handle being splashed with water, but Sony makes no claims that they’ll withstand full immersion.
However, I’ve been testing a similar Sony model, the WF-1000XM5, for the better part of a year without issue, and it also has an IPX4 rating. Running in the rain should be fine, but don’t take them for a dip.
The Competition
For a while, the Jabra Elite 8 Active was my favourite truly wireless earbud. Without the use of wings or hooks, the buds use a soft silicone exterior and a refined shape to stay in your ears comfortably and securely.
Side planks were about all I could do to dislodge them (and my obliques usually gave out first), and I still love their rich, dynamic sound and high water-resistance rating. Unfortunately, Jabra is parting ways with its entire lineup of sports earbuds, so your time is limited to grab a pair.
I’ve also tried the latest and greatest from Apple, the AirPods Pro 2 and the Beats Fit Pro True Wireless. The AirPods Pro 2 strike an enviable balance between comfort, a secure fit, and high-end sound quality, and the noise-canceling and transparency modes are industry-leading.
However, the lack of ear wings means the buds are prone to sliding once you really start to sweat. Meanwhile, the Beats have a bassier kick that works well with pump-up music, but I found the ear wings to be too stiff for comfort.
RW verdict
The Sony LinkBuds Fit aren’t perfect, and they aren’t the best truly wireless earbuds for everyone. But for running, fit is everything, and it’s hard to argue with a set of earbuds that fit comfortably and securely while also sounding great and being easy to operate. At the £150 to £200 price point, they’re the earbuds I’d buy if I wanted to go the in-ear route.
Buy the Sony Linkbuds Fit Earbuds
