I thought these wireless earbuds were a joke - until I took my first phone call

OpenRock Link 20 Earbuds ZDNET's key takeaways The OpenRock Link 20 earbuds can be purchased on the official site for $149

These earbuds are outstanding for making calls and listening to podcasts

The Link 20 earbuds sound too tinny and flat for music. View now at Openrock

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Usually, when I review earbuds and headphones, it's all about music and the sound they produce. I typically even shrug off battery life as secondary (especially when a pair produces brilliant sound).

Every once in a great while, however, I receive a pair of earbuds or headphones that don't quite live up to my standards for audio. When that happens, I at least attempt to find something of value in the device.

Also: This $99 pair of earbuds made me forget about the expensive ones - how they win

Such was the case when I received the OpenRock Link 20 open-air earbuds. After unpacking them and connecting them to my Pixel 9 Pro, I fired up my favorite playlist and tapped play.

I was immediately disappointed. The sound was tinny, flat, lacked bass, had zero agility in the low end, and the highs were pretty much non-existent.

But then, I realized that these earbuds might serve a better purpose. "Hears" how that went.

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