Sony Sony INZONE Buds Gaming Earbuds (White) Review
The Sony INZONE Buds cost over $200 but deliver mid-tier performance. We crunched the numbers and found better options for gaming, music, and your wallet.
The 30-Second Version
Overpriced and underperforming. You're paying for the logo, not the tech. Skip these and get almost anything else.
Overview
The Sony INZONE Buds are a confusing product that tries to be a gaming headset and a pair of everyday earbuds, and ends up being mediocre at both. The one thing to know is that you're paying a premium for the Sony and PlayStation branding, but you're not getting premium performance. For over $200, you'd expect a knockout, but our data shows these buds land squarely in the middle of the pack across almost every metric. They're not terrible, but they're a hard sell when you look at the competition.
Performance
Looking at the numbers, nothing here surprised us in a good way. The sound quality is in the 47th percentile, which is basically average. The active noise cancellation is even worse, sitting at the 40th percentile. For a product with 'Gaming' in the name, you'd hope for a standout feature, but the connectivity score is a low 36th percentile. The only thing that isn't below average is the battery life, and even that's just barely above the middle of the road. It's a performance profile that screams 'meh'.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Dual connectivity (Bluetooth and 2.4GHz) is a legit feature for low-latency gaming. 91th
- Battery life is decent, not great, but it won't die on you mid-session. 84th
- They work with PS5, which is a specific niche not all earbuds cover. 74th
Cons
- The price is a joke for the performance you get. 5th
- Sound and ANC are aggressively average, which is unacceptable at this cost. 26th
- Build quality and comfort scores are poor, suggesting they feel cheap and don't fit well for everyone. 33th
The Word on the Street
Specifications
Full Specifications
Design
| Form Factor | In-Ear |
| Wearing Style | Dual Ear True Wireless Earbud |
Audio
| Driver Size | 8.4 |
Noise Control
| ANC | Yes |
Connectivity
| Wireless | Yes |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 |
| Range | 10 |
Earbud Battery
| Battery Life | 24 |
| Charge Time | 2 |
| Fast Charging | 10min=1hrs |
| Charging | USB-C |
Case Battery
| Case Charging | USB-C |
| Wireless Charging | No |
| Capacity | 450 |
Microphone
| Microphone | Yes |
Features
| App | iOS, Android |
Value & Pricing
Not worth it. At $218 to $239, you're in the same price territory as the Sony WF-1000XM5, which are some of the best noise-cancelling earbuds on the planet. Paying that much for a product that scores below average on comfort, build, and ANC is a bad deal. Save your money.
Price History
vs Competition
This is where it gets embarrassing for the INZONE Buds. The Nothing Ear (a) offers way better value for general use. The Anker Soundcore P3i will give you similar features for half the price. And if you absolutely need top-tier Sony sound and ANC, just get the WF-1000XM5. They're in the same price range but are in a completely different league. The INZONE Buds have no clear win against any of them.
| Spec | Sony Sony INZONE Buds Gaming Earbuds (White) | Technics Technics EAH-AZ80 Noise-Canceling True Wireless | Apple AirPods 4 Active Noise Cancellation Apple - AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation - | Sony Sony WF-1000XM5 Noise-Canceling True Wireless | Bose Bose QuietComfort Ultra True Wireless | Sennheiser Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Form Factor | In-Ear | In-Ear | True Wireless | In-Ear | In-Ear | In-Ear |
| Driver Type | - | Dynamic | Dynamic | Sony WF-1000XM5 Noise-Canceling True Wireless In-Ear Headphones (Black) | Dynamic | Dynamic |
| Wireless | true | true | true | true | true | true |
| Active Noise Cancellation | true | true | true | true | true | true |
| Bluetooth Version | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.4 |
| Battery Life Hours | 24 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7.5 |
| Case Battery Hours | - | 16 | 25 | 16 | 18 | 22.5 |
| Water Resistance | - | IPX4 | Water-Resistant | IPX4 | IPX4 | IP54 |
| Multipoint | - | true | true | true | true | - |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
Common Questions
Q: Are these good for music and everyday use?
Not really. For the price, their music performance and ANC are average at best. Get dedicated earbuds instead.
Q: Is the 2.4GHz dongle good for competitive gaming?
The low-latency is there, but our connectivity score is low, suggesting it might not be the most reliable. A dedicated gaming headset is still safer.
Q: How's the mic quality for game chat?
The mic scores in the 43rd percentile, which is below average. Your teammates will hear you, but they won't be impressed.
Who Should Skip This
If you're looking for great-sounding, comfortable earbuds for music or top-tier noise cancellation, this isn't it. Go get the Sony WF-1000XM5 instead. If you're on a budget but want a solid gaming audio option, the Anker Soundcore P3i is a much smarter buy.
Verdict
We can't recommend the Sony INZONE Buds. They're a solution in search of a problem that other, better products have already solved for less money. The only scenario where these make a shred of sense is if you are a die-hard PlayStation 5 player who refuses to wear a over-ear headset and must have wireless earbuds with a 2.4GHz dongle. For everyone else, and we mean everyone, there's a better option on the list above.