Sony Purposefully Made Earbuds With Gaping Hole So You Won’t Keep Removing Them

Sony is truly opening up with the design of its newly-released set of wireless earbuds, the LinkBuds. At first glance, it seems pretty standard. But upon closer inspection, this pair of earbuds has… a giant hole in the middle. 

It might seem counterproductive to the usual headphone design, which favors noise-canceling capabilities. But that’s precisely the point; Sony is trying to encourage users to be at least somewhat aware of their environment even with the earbuds in, head-bopping away. 

This is meant to allow users to “tune into the outside world whenever you want, without compromising your listening experience.” 

The center of the “diaphragm” remains open so you can listen out for things that require attention. For example, if someone in another room is yelling your name while you’re on a call. 

There’s even a feature called ‘Speak-to-Chat’, which automatically pauses music playing in the earbuds as soon as the user is speaking to someone. When that conversation is over, the track will automatically begin playing again, without the need to use any controls. 

So, “you’ll never have to switch off,” according to Sony. Rather than having to take the earbuds in and out all the time, maximizing the risk of accidentally leaving one somewhere and wandering off, users can still attend to the outside world without compromising the quality of music-induced personal space.

Since they’ve been designed for presumed long hours of wear, the earbuds are a “marvel of miniaturization” and weigh just four grams (0.14 ounces). Because the protective surface, which covers the speaker diaphragm, has been integrated with the housing, additional space can be saved for more comfortable wear. 

Gizmodo also reports that instead of silicone or memory foam-based tips, like most earbuds have, the LinkBuds use a silicone ring with a protruding bump that keeps them in place underneath the fold of the ear.

Different sizes also mean that a comfortable fit can be found, which doesn’t put excessive pressure on the ear. Of course, this contributes to the ability to wear them all day if need be. 

LinkBuds are available in gray and white, retailing for US$179.99 on Sony’s website. They can be pre-ordered now, with the official release being February 17. 

[via TechCrunch and Gizmodo, images via Sony]