Sony may surprise you with the product launch it has teased for next week

Sony teased a new audio product launch for next week, which excited some of its fans about the potential news. Unfortunately, a new leak suggests that the premiere won’t include one of the most anticipated earbuds this year.

Sony’s mysterious product launch may be of new open-ear buds

Earlier this week, Sony shared a rather cryptic teaser, announcing a product launch event for January 21. Some Sony fans got excited, expecting to finally see the highly anticipated WF-1000XM6 noise-canceling earbuds, but according to a new rumor, they’ll need to wait longer.


While the teaser hasn’t revealed any specific details about the upcoming hardware, it promised “a new form of listening.” A leak suggests that the company will launch a pair of open-ear earbuds. We’ll learn the official details at 4 PM GMT (10 AM ET) next Wednesday during the event, which will stream live on YouTube. Until then, we have some convincing rumors.

Welcome the LinkBuds Clip

Despite Sony’s reluctance to spoil the premiere, French publication Dealabs may have revealed (translated source) the company’s plans, thanks to a listing from an Indonesian retailer. The event could be the launch of the LinkBuds Clip (WF-LC900), which may come with an open-ear design that attaches around the earlobe and is IPX4 splash-proof.

According to the listing, the new buds will feature adaptive volume control, 360 Reality Audio support, background music effect, and 10-band EQ customization. Among the leaked specs are also dual microphones, bone conduction sensors, and AI noise reduction. The battery may last up to 9 hours, with another 28 hours from the case.



Offered in Black, Beige, Sage, and Lavender, the new LinkBuds Clip are expected to retail for $230/€200. With this model, Sony will directly compete with other similar earbuds, such as the Huawei FreeClip 2, Xiaomi OpenWear Stereo Pro, and Honor EarBuds Open.

The open-ear design era has started

While the open-ear design is nothing new and I’ve used such earbuds before, I think Sony’s entrance to the market will make the concept much more popular. I expect them to provide a good user experience, especially for people who are into this type of gadget. As good as they’re in some situations, I think I’ll stick to my in-ear buds for my commutes.