Sony Xperia Ear Duo XEA20

Hear external noise clearly ; Excellent battery charging case ; Decent sound quality ; Voice control and assistant support

Odd design ; Awkward fit ; Assistant and gestures features are hit and miss

Good for ambient audio – but niggles remains over fit and gesture control.

Innovative concept ; Can hear the world around you ; Strong battery life with charging case

Strange design ; Limited use cases ; Expensive considering competition

Sony's Xperia Ear Duo is one of the strangest audio products we've ever tested. More hearable than headphones, the Xperia Ear Duo is an odd device built for a particular person. The design is strange, but the smart features will suit some distinct people.

Nicely done app with lots of features ; Decent sound ; Great for hearing everything around you and your music ; Good BT reception ; Nice carrying case with USB-C ; Decent battery life

Design is bulky ; It takes some work to get them on ; They are very pricey

Overall, the Sony Xperia Ear Duo XEA20 headphones are well built, have good sound (for what they are intended), have decent battery life but are priced pretty high. I’d recommend these for those really seeking that situational awareness. These are not...

Microphones are good for a Bluetooth headset ; Charging case has enough reserve for three charges ; It's different, it's a new idea, and at least Sony is trying new things

Very expensive ; Needs a higher maximum volume ; Features like head gestures and multiple tap on touchpads should never have made it out of QA

Rock solid build quality ; Allows for exception situational awareness ; USB-C charging

Frequent connectivity issues ; gesture controls frustrating to use ; Design makes finding physical controls difficult ; Lackluster sound quality ; Expensive given their numerous flaws

Very effective hands-free call management;Clever assistant functionality

Fewer capabilities for iPhone users ;Could do with a higher output level