Between the Live Beam 3 and LinkBuds Open, the Live Beam 3 comes out ahead in battery — with case and battery — buds, while the LinkBuds Open wins on driver size and weight per bud. Overall, the Live Beam 3 scores 76.1 and the LinkBuds Open scores 69.5 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Live Beam 3 edges ahead on the Mars Score (76.1 vs 69.5), but the 6.6-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the Live Beam 3 if your top frustration with your current device is running out of charge before the day ends — endurance is the lead spec here. The biggest gaps in its favor are battery — with case, battery — buds, active noise cancellation, among others.
Pick the LinkBuds Open if you care most about driver size and weight per bud. Its strongest claims are driver size, weight per bud.
Both ship with comparable spatial audio, multipoint, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the Live Beam 3 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why JBL - Live Beam 3 wins
- ▲Battery — with case — 118.18% more. 48 h vs 22 h.
- ▲Battery — buds — 50.00% more. 12 h vs 8 h.
- ▲Has Active noise cancellation.
- ▲Water resistance: IP55 (vs IPX4).
Why Sony - LinkBuds Open wins
- ▲Driver size — 10.00% more. 11 mm vs 10 mm.
- ▲Weight per bud — 0.30 g less. 5.1 vs 5.4.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Sony - LinkBuds Open |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | stemlead | open |
| Weight per bud | 5.4 g | 5.1 glead |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP55lead | IPX4 |
Audio
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Sony - LinkBuds Open |
|---|---|---|
| Driver sizeⓘ | 10 mm | 11 mmlead |
| Active noise cancellationⓘ | truelead | false |
| Transparency mode | truelead | false |
| Spatial audioⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Sony - LinkBuds Open |
|---|---|---|
| Battery — buds | 12 hlead | 8 h |
| Battery — with case | 48 hlead | 22 h |
| Wireless case chargingⓘ | truelead | false |
Connectivity
| Spec | JBL - Live Beam 3 | Sony - LinkBuds Open |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetoothⓘ | 5.3 | 5.3 |
| Codecs | LE Audio,LC3,AAC,SBC | AAC,SBC |
| Multipointⓘ | true | true |
| In-ear detection | truelead | false |
Frequently asked
Which has longer battery, Live Beam 3 or LinkBuds Open?+
Live Beam 3 lasts 12h per charge vs 8h.
Do Live Beam 3 or LinkBuds Open support multipoint?+
Both support multipoint pairing.
Which has ANC, Live Beam 3 or LinkBuds Open?+
Live Beam 3 has ANC; LinkBuds Open does not.
Spec-level deep dives
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