Sony Off-Ear headphones, WI-OE600

Thanks to an anonymous comment on the previous post, we now know what the YY2962 are, the Sony Off-Ear headphones, or WI-OE600. The product post can be found on the Indiegogo page, but the campaign closed last year. Unfortunately it was only open to Japanese and US individuals only, so I could not have ordered one, even if I wanted to. Fortunately, the campaign was very successful, so perhaps Sony will put the model into mass production in the future. 

So for those lucky to have grabbed a pair, do post your thoughts below once Sony ships them to you. So what kind of specifications are we looking at? Well, nothing ground breaking but adequate for a low to midrange pair of earbuds:

• 16mm drivers
• Battery life up to 10 hours with a 10 min quick charge = up to 60 min
• AAC and SBC codec support
• IPX4 certified
• USB type-C charging (cable included in the box)
• Bluetooth version 5.0
• Lightweight, 34 grams
  

Looking at the Bluetooth certification, I do not believe these will support LE Audio out of the box. This means, they would have to be re-certified, so perhaps if a global release occurs, then this could be something Sony could add.

The design looks good, nothing fancy, but they look like a solid pair of earbuds. These will be made in Thailand. I am wondering how these will sound being open ear. but it has made intrigued, considering the large 16mm driver. Although there is no mention if these use any of the new driver materials found in the latest Sony earbuds and headphones.

If we do get a global release, it would be nice to see some other colour options other than the current black and white.

The controls are visible on the right here, with play/pause/call/power, then FF/volume up, and Reverse/volume down.

The 16mm driver looks to be the only thing present in the speaker section. I suspect the side (R) with the controls will have the USB type-C connection and Bluetooth chip, with the other side (L) the battery.

The open design should be more comfortable when using the headset for extended periods, and most likely safer for outdoor exercise, as one could hear traffic and surroundings much better. Although running in the city with a lot of traffic might require a much higher volume in order to hear anything.

Looking on twitter, it seems the people who backed the project are receiving their units, so I suspect users reviews will be appearing soon.

So what are people's thoughts, should Sony release these globally? Would you pick up a pair if these cost, say, $100 USD/99 Euros? Leave your thoughts below.