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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The JLab JBuds Work Wireless has superior microphone quality, making it excellent for calls and meetings, and offers a better gaming experience due to lower latency. They're also more comfortable for extended wear and boast a remarkable battery life, which is ideal if you have long listening sessions. The Sony Linkbuds, on the other hand, are smaller and lighter, thus more portable, and their open design provides a more natural listening experience. If you're an active user, they're sweatproof and optimized for both Android and Apple, but with an open design, they provide less noise isolation than the JBuds. Choose the JBuds for comfort and call clarity or the Linkbuds if you favor a lighter, more environmentally open design and platform-specific features. 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 JLab JBuds Work Wireless
- Good for phone calls
- Very good for gaming
- Good for TV and video
- Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Sony Linkbuds
- Good for exercise
Key differences
Gaming
8.8
5.5
The JLab JBuds Work Wireless is very good for gaming, while the Sony Linkbuds is poor.
TV and Video
7.9
5.4
The JLab JBuds Work Wireless is good for TV and video, while the Sony Linkbuds is poor.
Noise Reduction
5.3
2.5
The JLab JBuds Work Wireless and Sony Linkbuds are both poor for noise reduction, though the JLab JBuds Work Wireless is somewhat better.
Battery
60.0 Hours
5.5 Hours
The JLab JBuds Work Wireless has 60 hours of battery life. The Sony Linkbuds has 5.5 hours of battery life.
Cost
$79
$178
$50
$100
$150
$200
$250
The JLab JBuds Work Wireless has a price of $79 and the Sony Linkbuds costs $178.
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Key similarities
Music
6.8
6.6
The JLab JBuds Work Wireless and Sony Linkbuds are both only fair for music.
Phone Calls
7.3
6.8
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers JLab JBuds Work Wireless to be good for phone calls, while the Sony Linkbuds is only fair.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
7.9
7.8
The JLab JBuds Work Wireless and Sony Linkbuds are both good for podcasts and audiobooks.
Build Quality
9.0
9.3
The Sony Linkbuds and JLab JBuds Work Wireless both have excellent build quality.
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How the JLab JBuds Work Wireless and the Sony Linkbuds compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| JLab JBuds Work Wireless | Sony Linkbuds |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$79 | $178 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | JLab | Sony | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | October 1, 2021 | February 1, 2022 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Headphones | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wired + Wireless | Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.9/10 | 6.7/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 7.3/10 | 6.9/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 8.9/10 | 5.6/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 8/10 | 5.4/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.3/10 | 7/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 60 Hours | 5.5 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | No | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 3 Hours | 1.5 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5 | 5.2 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | N/A | 17.5 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | No | No | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 5.3/10 | 2.5/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | Yes | |
Android App | |||
Android App | No | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | No | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 9/10 | 7/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 9.3/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 8.4/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | N/A | Small | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 158 Grams | 4.5 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Boom | Integrated | |
Shopping
JLab JBuds Work Wireless
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Dig into reviews and images
PC Magazine
Tim Gideon | February 2022
"The JLab JBuds Work is an affordable headset-headphone hybrid that you can use to listen to music in stereo and communicate on video calls thanks to a retractable boom mic, and we particularly like its convenient mono and passive wired modes. You won't find any frills here like you will with the costlier Jabra Evolve2 65 or Plantronics Voyager 4220 UC, but for less than half the price, the JBuds Work is an effective lower-cost alternative."
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."
Get a great deal on the JLab JBuds Work Wireless or the Sony Linkbuds
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.
By the numbers
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Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
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About the Earbuds or Headphones team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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