Sony Xperia Ear

Accurate gesture recognition for non-verbal interaction ; Snug fit ; Sturdy, water-resistant construction ; Portable charging case

Assistant is not very smart yet ; Gets uncomfortable with extended use ; Not compatible with iOS ; Doesn’t do much that the competition doesn’t ; Poor music quality ; Expensive

I was excited about the Xperia Ear and what it promised until I realized that, as it stands, the device does nothing different from Siri or Google over wired earbuds. In particular, the fact that it requires you to use your hand and press a button to...

Very comfortable ; Strong battery life ; Safer than traditional earbuds in certain situations ; Great for outdoor pursuits

Sound is average, lacks bass ; Touch controls slow to react ; Difficult to put on

Compact design. Built-in voice assistant with gesture controls. Includes portable charging case.

Expensive. Subpar call quality. Only compatible with Android.

The Sony Xperia Ear is one of the more interesting Bluetooth headsets we've seen in some time, but it focuses too much on features at the expense of call quality. At $200 it's significantly more costly than the Plantronics Voyager 5200, which has most...

Accurate voice recognition ; Battery life is decent enough ; Subtle styling

Slow to respond ; Too pricey if you don't need the extra functions

Sony's in-ear AI butler looks and feels good, but unless your hands are constantly full, isn't yet ready to run your life

Comfortable, light design ; Charging case ; Solid concept

Limited AI ; For early adopters only

We can see Sony developing the Xperia Ear into a truly wonderful device that's used to interact with your mobile phone on a daily basis, but the Assistant is the main selling point and right now it's not quite there. It's a shame as the Ear's design is...

Tight, secure fit ; Technically, it works for calls, music listening, and voice/video chats via third-party apps ; Carrying case is convenient and holds plenty of charge ; Quick to recharge from zero to full

Sony’s Assistant needs a lot of work ; Occasional connection issues ; No charging cable in the set

Sony is no stranger to making great products. It gave the world the Walkman and PlayStation, it makes outstanding digital cameras and TVs, and its highly acclaimed imaging sensors are in use on most popular smartphones on the market.

Sony sells the Xperia Ear Duo via Amazon for $280, which is a lot. You can get better music quality and equivalent battery life for half as much. I'm not sure the open-ear design and smart assistant make up the difference.

Comfortable to wear ; Perceptible ambient noise

Strange design ; Cumbersome setup ; No bass ; Slow touch operation ; Not usable for videos

The Sony Xperia Ear Duo headphones are unusual, in terms of its design, style and in the way the music reaches your ears. Sony’s approach is great for continuous use or for road safety. The open design means that you can always hear ambient noise and...