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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·
The Creative Labs Zen Air earbuds are budget-friendly with excellent build quality and good sound isolation, making them suitable for air travel and environments where ambient noise is a concern. However, they are less suited for activities that demand low latency, such as gaming or watching TV, and they don't perform well for calls or meetings. On the other hand, the Sony Linkbuds, while more costly, offer an open design which provides a very good soundstage and makes them more suitable for outdoor use as they let in ambient sound for awareness. The Linkbuds are also optimized for both Android and Apple devices, have app customization, offer automatically pausing sound when removed from the ear, and have a longer battery life. If budget is a major concern and you prioritize noise isolation and build quality for mainly listening to music and podcasts, go for the Zen Air. If you are willing to spend more for a better soundstage, extra features, and more seamless integration with mobile devices, the Linkbuds would be your choice. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Zen Air
- Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Sony Linkbuds
- Good for exercise
- Good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Phone Calls
5.1
6.8
The Sony Linkbuds is only fair for phone calls, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4
7.8
The Sony Linkbuds is good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Noise Reduction
7.0
2.5
The Creative Labs Zen Air is good for noise reduction, while the Sony Linkbuds is poor.
Cost
$30
$178
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the Sony Linkbuds costs $178.
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Key similarities
Music
6.8
6.6
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Sony Linkbuds are both only fair for music.
Gaming
5.1
5.5
The Sony Linkbuds and Creative Labs Zen Air are both poor for gaming.
TV and Video
5.6
5.4
The Creative Labs Zen Air and Sony Linkbuds are both poor for TV and video.
Battery
5.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The Sony Linkbuds has 5.5 hours of battery life.
Build Quality
9.0
9.3
The Sony Linkbuds and Creative Labs Zen Air both have excellent build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the Sony Linkbuds compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Zen Air | Sony Linkbuds |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $178 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | Sony | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2022 | February 1, 2022 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.9/10 | 6.7/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5.1/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.1/10 | 5.6/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.7/10 | 5.4/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.9/10 | 7/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 5 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 2 Hours | 1.5 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5 | 5.2 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 12 | 17.5 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | No | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 7/10 | 2.5/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | Yes | Yes | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | Small | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5 Grams | 4.5 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Creative Labs Zen Air
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphone Check
Maike Paeßens | February 2023
"The Creative Zen Air’s weak points are its low battery life and rather short Bluetooth range. On the other hand, the strengths of these weatherproof True Wireless in-Ears are the sound and the wide attenuation of the Active Noise Cancellation. Considering the price range, the speech intelligibility during calls is also exceptionally good."
Sony Linkbuds
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Dig into reviews and images
Sound Guys
Sam Moore | February 2022
"The Sony LinkBuds is definitely the most unique audio product to release so far in 2022, and it largely executes well on it's unoccluded design. However, it's hamstrung by all the same things as other unsealed earbuds."
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About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
About Sony
Sony is a multinational corporation, based out of Japan, with over 75 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry. In the audio market, Sony has been a trendsetter several times throughout its history. In 1979 they released the first-ever portable music player, the Sony Walkman, followed by the Discman 20 years later. Today, Sony is one of the leaders in the wireless headphone and earbud market, especially in terms of Active Noise Cancellation technology.
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Why trust us
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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