Sony INZONE Buds
Overall, the Sony Inzone Buds offer a compelling package for gamers, with excellent audio quality, effective ANC, and long battery life. Their design is both stylish and functional, and they provide a comfortable fit for long gaming sessions. However, it doesn’t come without its flaws such as limited connectivity options due to being stuck with a Type-C dongle, and the comparatively weaker spatial sound. However, if you’re someone who prioritises audio quality and excellent ANC for an immersive gaming experience (with excellent battery life to boot), the Inzone Buds could be an excellent investment.
Sony has long been a leader in the audio field so the fact that the Sony INZONE Buds are a great pair of earphones shouldn’t come as a surprise. Sony entered the PC gaming market a few years ago under the INZONE brand, which in addition to fitting right in with the PlayStation ecosystem, also gave PC gamers something to consider. After the excellent INZONE H series headphones, including the INZONE H9 which took home the Digit Zero1 Award for the Best Performing Gaming Headphones, Sony has now come out with a pair of gaming earphones; namely, the Sony INZONE Buds.
At first glance, you can immediately tell that the design of the Inzone Buds is a nod to the PlayStation 5’s aesthetic. You’ve got the futuristic white-and-black color scheme that is both eye-catching and subtle enough for everyday use. Like with the PlayStation 5, the absence of RGB lighting appears to be a deliberate choice that aligns with the console’s minimalist design. The conservative design also means that they can be worn in various settings, not just for gaming, adding to their practicality. Ultimately, this may or may not appeal to users depending on their aesthetic preference.
The earbuds themselves are lightweight and fit snugly in the ear, providing an excellent seal. You get different-sized eartips as well, to adjust based on the size of your ear canal.
Coming to the build, while the initial feel of the material was nice, we couldn’t help but feel like the hinge on the case was a bit flimsy. It felt like it might open if it was turning upside down. That said, the earbuds, and the dongle, are magnetically secure within the case. Yes, these earbuds come with a Type-C dongle, meaning you can easily use them with a PC or PS5, or even your phone, in 2.4GHz or Bluetooth if supported. The connection is also almost instantaneous, you don’t have to worry about going through the pairing process at all, it’s as good as plug-and-play. However, this is also a double-edged sword. Not only is the dongle an additional accessory you need to worry about, but you also need the dongle to actually use the buds. It helps that the dongle can be safely slotted into the case, but it can be pretty easy to forget about it and misplace it by accident. Nevertheless, the dongle does facilitate 2.4GHz wireless connectivity, which is especially good for gamers looking for low-latency earphones.
In terms of audio quality, the Sony INZONE Buds do not disappoint. The earphones come equipped with Sony’s Dynamic Driver X, delivering crisp, clear sound that enhances not just gaming experiences, but any kind of audio content consumption. The active noise cancellation or ANC on these earphones is also excellent, which once again, makes sense considering these are the folks behind some of the best ANC in the market right now. All of this combined makes the Sony INZONE Buds an excellent choice for gamers who are looking for a solid pair of noise-cancelling earphones.
As you can see from the frequency response graph, the INZONE Buds have a very close to neutral sound profile except for some peaks in the highs. As we mentioned above, we were pleased with the sound quality overall.
I might even consider these over my regular gaming headset because of how good the audio quality is. However, something to keep in mind is that the spatial sound on the INZONE Buds is lacking, especially when compared to headphones. You will have better spatial awareness with similarly priced gaming headphones. Earphones typically have a disadvantage in this department against headphones, so keep that in mind if you require excellent spatial awareness in the games you play. The built-in microphone on the earphones was also very clear during our testing, however, we found that it did pick up a lot of background chatter.
Battery life is another strong suit of the Inzone Buds, boasting up to 12 hours of usage on a 2.4GHz wireless connection and an impressive 24 hours when connected via Bluetooth. The charging case further extends the battery life, providing an additional 24 to 48 hours of power. This is plenty of battery life, regardless of whether you decide to use these buds at home or on the go.
The Sony Inzone Hub software for Windows is a user-friendly platform that allows customisation of the earbuds’ settings. However, the software’s compatibility is limited to Windows, which may be a drawback for users with other operating systems.
Overall, the Sony Inzone Buds offer a compelling package for gamers, with excellent audio quality, effective ANC, and long battery life. Their design is both stylish and functional, and they provide a comfortable fit for long gaming sessions. However, it doesn’t come without its flaws such as limited connectivity options due to being stuck with a Type-C dongle, and the comparatively weaker spatial sound. However, if you’re someone who prioritises audio quality and excellent ANC for an immersive gaming experience (with excellent battery life to boot), the Inzone Buds could be an excellent investment.
