If you prefer earbuds to gaming headphones, our favorite pair of wireless gaming earbuds are on sale for a limited time. The Sony Inzone Buds are discounted to $178 on Amazon in both black and white models (originally $200). This matches the lowest price since its launch last holiday season. Amazon hasn’t listed an end date for the sale, but if the retailer sells out, you can pick up a pair of Inzone Buds from Best Buy for $180.
Inzone Buds are made by Sony Electronics (not PlayStation) and are designed for PC gaming, but they are fully compatible with PS5, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, Android and iPhone 15 via a 2.4GHz adapter. They’re a better deal than PlayStation’s Pulse Explore headsets ($200). Because they feature the same drivers as the popular WF-1000XM5 earbuds, which cost $300 (on sale for $52 at Amazon ) and Featuring Sony’s excellent noise-canceling technology, they’re an easy recommendation at full price. PlayStation’s Pulse Explore wireless earbuds are great in terms of sound, and while they do a good job of isolating noise, they don’t come with true ANC.
$178 (originally $200)
The Sony Inzone Buds are available in a white/black combination colorway or black. Both models qualify for current Amazon deals. In addition to excellent active noise cancellation and up to 12 hours of battery life (up to 24 hours with the charging case), PC users can fully customize its performance using Inzone Hub software. These settings, including one of up to 256 sound profiles, can be synced to the earbuds and used on PS5 and other devices. PS5 audio features such as Tempest 3D Audio and Dolby Atmos are fully compatible with Inzone Buds.
Like most wireless earbuds, the Inzone Buds have click/touch functionality that works well. You can use the controls to turn ANC on or off, adjust volume, modify the mix, and more. Click controls can be programmed for different functions. If you’re worried about latency with wireless headphones, the 2.4GHz connection has only 30 milliseconds of latency, which helps create a seamless and reliable listening experience. The AI-assisted microphone enhances your voice and helps your teammates hear you clearly.
There aren’t as many competitors in the gaming earbuds space as there are in the established gaming headset market, but the Inzone Buds are the best headphones we’ve used so far. Sony’s experience in manufacturing high-end headphones undoubtedly helped in designing the Inzone Buds. They’re comfortable to wear for hours on end, and inside the box you’ll find four sets of silicone ear tips in different sizes.
The biggest drawback to these earbuds is that many users will use the included USB-C adapter on their mobile devices, since many devices don’t support their Bluetooth LE audio connections. Some newer Android phones have Bluetooth LE, but Apple’s iPhone isn’t part of this small ecosystem. iOS users with an iPhone 15 only need to connect a USB-C adapter to play, but if your iPhone has a Lightning port, you will need a Lightning to USB-C adapter that supports audio. (Including iPhone). This $15 adapter worked fine in our experience, but it obviously adds a dangling cord to your iPhone and carries the risk of degraded sound quality and increased latency — something we never noticed , but different adapters and phones may lead to different results.
If you want to learn more about Sony’s gaming headphones, check out our Sony Inzone Buds review.
$228 (originally $300)
Amazon is also offering discounts on over-ear Inzone gaming headsets, including the premium Inzone H9 wireless headphones, which borrow a design from Sony’s flagship WH-1000XM5 headphones for $228 (originally $300). Speaking of the WH-1000XM5 headphones, they are on sale for $100 on Amazon.
The H9 uses the same artificial leather and memory foam seat cushions as the WH-1000XM5. It features ANC, fully supports Inzone Hub customization, and is compatible with all PS5 audio features. It features 2.4GHz and Bluetooth wireless connectivity, but it’s worth noting that the adapter is USB-A, not USB-C. On the plus side, it has wider Bluetooth compatibility because it doesn’t use Bluetooth LE, so it can sync to your iPhone, Android phone, Switch, Steam Deck, etc. via Bluetooth.
The mid-range wireless Inzone H5 headphones without noise-canceling technology cost $128 (originally $150).
Here’s a list of all the Sony Inzone audio deals currently available on Amazon:
The Inzone Buds are the best earbuds we’ve tried in the small gaming category, but they’re not your only reliable option. Asus has two different models of the ROG Cetra: the high-end SpeedNova with 2.4GHz and Bluetooth 5.3 for $190 (originally $200), and the Bluetooth-only ROG Cetra for $80 (originally $100). Both support Bluetooth connectivity on a wider range of devices, including iPhone, Android, Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck.