Sony INZONE Buds review

I love a good set of earbuds. Sadly, many don’t meet my high audial expectations. SteelSeries has managed to reach them with their Arctis Buds, but a lot of the time, the feature set just isn’t worth using a set of earbuds when gaming. I’ve taken another shot at this type of gear, with Sony’s recent release of their INZONE buds. After enjoying them for a while, I’m flabbergasted; these largely hold up, even versus actual gaming headsets.

Inside the small box you’ll find the INZONE buds, their charging case, a USB-C dongle, additional ear tips for sizing to your ears, and a tiny USB-C charging cable. I cannot tell you how much I despise the included cable with earbuds. It’s so short, I just don’t see how it’s useful. The INZONE buds themselves are lustrous – the translucent purple sings with style. It’s the kind of color that catches people's attention and has them asking what kind of earbuds you’re wearing.

I’m somewhat shocked at how comfortable the INZONE buds are. My experience with earbuds isn’t always great, especially with noise-cancelling ones. Half of the time they won’t stay in, and the other half the artificial seal of the ANC causes a weird pressure issue that hurts my inner ear. The INZONE buds not only insert cleanly and hold well, that ANC issue is non-existent. As much as I’ve been using them, this is the mark of a stellar set of earbuds.

Connecting your INZONE buds to your devices is quite simple, with both the 2.4GHz dongle and Bluetooth available. The dongle even has a switch on it for use between PC and PS5/Mobile capabilities. Being able to take advantage of lower latency via the dongle is a godsend for gamers and allows your PC to have more oomph through the chipset. I also like Sony’s understanding of pushing the USB-C connection to the far left of the top; this keeps you from blocking a port with your dongle. The only thing missing is simultaneous audio, as you have to change between 2.4GHz and Bluetooth. That’d be a tad greedy to ask for however. Overall, you’re going to be able to use these earbuds with just about every device you’d like.

Controlling these earbuds is where it can get a bit complex. There are a lot of features you can utilize, and there are no physical buttons on this set beyond a pairing button on the case and the mode switch on the dongle. Everything you can adjust is through touch controls on the earbuds, and there are a lot of them. There are touches, long presses, and gestures for volume, active noise cancellation, answering calls, and other functions. You acclimate eventually, but there is a whole lot to learn, which is off-putting.

That said, all of these features are awesome. I’m a big proponent for active noise cancellation, and the INZONE buds deliver exceptional results with ANC. The easiest story I have for their excellence involves my sweet cat. He was lying on my chest as I was playing Saros with the INZONE buds, and I noticed he seemed quiet. I popped out an earbud only to hear him purring up a storm (he’s like a racecar engine). Even lying close to my ears, the ANC fully closed off that sound. As an introvert who likes shutting out the outside and locking into whatever I’m doing, the ANC the earbuds provide is remarkable.

While sound cancellation is super, the audio supplied by the INZONE buds is outstanding. I’ve spent my time testing every facet of what I need in earbuds. Not only do they pass the usual suspects with flying colors, it outdoes some gaming headsets when it comes to actual gaming.

First up, your normal phone usage. Alongside a great app that mitigates some of the control complexities, my videos and music have sounded tremendous. Everything I want is here, with a breadth of frequency and superb bass that tickles my eardrums. The detail, the fullness of the audio, all come together to birth incredible sound. I don’t even have to turn up the volume more than a third of the way, again proving my quality over quantity analysis when it comes to great headsets and headphones.

Second, I’m blown away by the marriage of these earbuds and the PlayStation 5. I brought up Tempest 3D audio and the engine's potential with the INZONE H6 Air, and it’s even better with the INZONE buds. I went back to Saros for this experiment, and it’s nearly on the level of the $400 headset I’ve been using with my PS5. The atmosphere is wonderfully set, and every movement, weapon shot, and more is heard with the utmost detail. Earbuds that let you experience a game with total immersion are rare; the INZONE buds have accomplished an extraordinary feat.

Third, competitive play. While I still believe other headsets deliver better performance for aspiring professional players (at least, those who think they are), the INZONE buds aren’t a slouch here. There are some minor details that are missing – occasionally footsteps and small movement or interactions get lost in the mix – I still found myself being more than capable of outplaying my opponents. Some of it is muscle memory, but the earbuds at least hold their own in this category.

As for communication during said competitive play, the microphones do their job with aplomb. My teammates have mentioned the comms do sound a tad quieter and not as clean as other mics, but they don’t lack clear output. Earbud mics have been getting better, and it’s nice to see Sony adopting improved ones, especially with AI being used to tune out and enhance your voice.

Battery life is also quite impressive. I’ve charged the INZONE buds all of once, and through two intense, at least four hour Call of Duty sessions mixed in with more hours thrown into my PS5 alongside phone use, I’m still not at the end. With an advertised 12 hours of battery in a single use, or up to 24 hours when including your available case battery, the INZONE buds will last more than enough for the longest of trips or gaming sessions. Besides that, five minutes of charge can equal an hour of battery life – you aren’t running these down without a way out of that mistake.