The explosion of true wireless earbuds has finally settled down in recent years. However, this has also meant they're all starting to look and behave pretty similarly. Sony's latest experiment -- its new Linkbuds -- shakes that up with an open-ear design made for ambient sound. The company has attempted to nail open-design buds since 2017, and rival Samsung, to its credit, also tried something similar with its beanish Buds Live. There are a lot of cool features built into these tiny things.

Much of the innovation on true wireless earbuds hasn't included overall design. Sure, companies have extended battery life and added a slew of new features, but the primary exterior advances have been in reducing size rather than drastically changing the aesthetic. Well, Sony would like to have a word. Today, the company announced one of the most unique sets of true wireless earbuds we've seen. Dubbed the LinkBuds ($180), this tiny set features an entirely open wear style that lets outside noise in by design rather than relying on an ambient sound mode.