The Sony INZONE Buds have been on the market for some time now, and we finally got our hands on them. Despite their appearance as regular Bluetooth earbuds, they offer unique features.
Let’s start with the packaging. Following Sony’s recent trend, the packaging is eco-friendly, made entirely of paper. Inside, you’ll find the earbuds, a short charging cable, and four sets of silicone tips in different sizes.
The INZONE Buds are earbuds designed for gaming, primarily meant to be used with a USB dongle that connects to your computer or PS5. They operate on the 2.4GHz band, boasting a latency of just 30ms. Additionally, the dongle can be plugged into tablets and smartphones with a USB-C port for audio.
Technically, the INZONE Buds do support Bluetooth, albeit in a limited capacity. They only support Bluetooth LE, with the codec being LC3. However, since LC3 is not widely supported yet, most users may not be able to utilize these earbuds with Bluetooth.
The INZONE Buds also feature ANC, a rare feature in gaming audio gear. They house the same 8.4mm drivers as the WF-1000XM5, along with Sony’s 360 Reality Audio. Sony claims 11 hours of battery life with ANC when using the USB dongle, and 18 hours when using Bluetooth. The latter figure is particularly impressive for a pair of TWS earbuds, but as mentioned earlier, it has limited Bluetooth capabilities with LC3 support, which restricts compatibility.
That’s all for now. We are currently working on the full review, so stay tuned for more details coming soon.