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Sony LinkBuds S · Photo source

Sony LinkBuds S
Photo 1 of 61

Sony LinkBuds S · Photo source

Sony · LinkBuds

LinkBuds S

Released May 2022

The LinkBuds S are Sony's small, light noise-cancelling earbuds from 2022, made to be worn all day, with LDAC and LE Audio.

Type
In-ear
Noise cancelling
Yes
Battery
6 h
With case
20 h
Best codec
LC3
Weight
4.8 g

What reviewers say

Reviewers agree these are small, light and comfortable, with balanced sound and capable noise cancelling. What Hi-Fi? and TechRadar found the sound lacking drive and dynamics for the price, and TechRadar and SoundGuys found the design anonymous and not special to look at or hold.

From whathifi.com, soundguys.com and techradar.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Sound

Type
In-ear
Noise cancelling
Yes
Transparency mode
Yes
Driver size
5 mm
Bluetooth codecs
SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3
Chip
V1
Drivers
5 mm dynamic driver with a high-power neodymium magnet
Chip
Integrated Processor V1
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling using the microphones on both earbuds; Ambient Sound Mode; Adaptive Sound Control; Quick Attention Mode; Speak-to-Chat
Audio features
LDAC up to 990 kbps (Hi-Res Audio Wireless); DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio; LE Audio (LC3); equaliser in the app

Battery

Listening time (maker's claim)
Up to 6 hours
With the case
Up to 20 hours
Wireless charging
No
Battery life detail
Up to 9 hours with noise cancelling off (AAC or SBC); 14 more hours from the case with noise cancelling on; with LDAC, 3.5 hours with noise cancelling on or 4.5 hours off; with LC3, 5.5 hours on or 9 hours off; talk time up to 3.5 hours
Charging case
USB-C; about 3 hours to fully charge the case, 2 hours for the earbuds
Fast charging
5 minutes of charging gives about 1 hour of playback

Design

Weight (each earbud)
4.8 g
Water and sweat resistance
IPX4
Bluetooth
5.2
Two devices at once
Yes
Controls
Touch sensor on each earbud (by default the left switches noise cancelling and Ambient Sound Mode and holds for Quick Attention Mode; the right plays and pauses, skips tracks and holds for the voice assistant; tap four or more times for volume), reassignable in the app; Quick Access for Spotify and Endel; IR sensors pause music when an earbud is taken out and switch the earbuds off after about 15 minutes
Microphones
Microphones on both earbuds with Precise Voice Pickup Technology and a mesh structure against wind; MEMS, omnidirectional
Fit and ear tips
Hybrid silicone rubber earbud tips in SS, S, M and LL (M fitted); either earbud can be used on its own
Case weight
About 35 g
Water resistance detail
IPX4 for the earbuds
Works with
Sony | Sound Connect app (formerly Headphones Connect) for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices; LE Audio with compatible devices; Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa; Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair; Bluetooth 5.2 Class 1, about 10 m range
Colours
White, Black, Ecru at launch; later Earth Blue
In the box
Earbuds, charging case, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C, about 20 cm), hybrid silicone rubber earbud tips in SS, S, M and LL

Pros and cons

Pros

  • 4.8 g earbuds, which Sony called the smallest and lightest noise-cancelling Hi-Res earbuds at launch
  • LDAC and LE Audio (LC3), plus multipoint
  • 5 minutes of charging gives about 1 hour of playback

Cons

  • Up to 6 hours per charge with noise cancelling on, 20 hours with the case
  • LDAC cuts battery life to 3.5 hours with noise cancelling on
  • No wireless charging

Closest rivals

Model
TypeNoise cancellingBatteryWith caseBest codecWeightReleased
GooglePixel Buds Pro
In-earYes7 h20 hAAC6.2 gJul 2022
SamsungGalaxy Buds2 Pro
In-earYes5 h18 hSamsung Seamless Codec5.5 gAug 2022
JBLLive Pro 2 TWS
In-earYes8 h30 hAAC4.8 gJun 2022

Newer model: LinkBuds Fit.

Sources

  1. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/linkbudss/v1/en/contents/TP1000541615.html
  2. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_S/spec.html
  3. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_S
  4. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/linkbudss/v1/en/contents/TP1000539655.html
  5. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/linkbudss/v1/en/contents/TP1000539653.html
  6. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/linkbudss/v1/en/contents/TP1000539660.html
  7. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/linkbudss/v1/en/contents/TP1000539674.html
  8. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/linkbudss/v1/en/contents/TP1000539058.html
  9. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/linkbudss/v1/en/contents/TP1000536462.html
  10. sony.eu/presscentre/sony-introduces-additional-model-to-the-linkbuds-series-the…
  11. sony.eu/presscentre/sony-announces-the-new-linkbuds-s-earth-blue-model-sonys-sm…
  12. sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/202205/22-0519
  13. sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/202210/22-1026
  14. sony.jp/CorporateCruise/Press/202309/23-0926
  15. sony.jp/msc/mail/mysony/20231005/index.html
  16. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/linkbudss/v1/en/print.pdf
  17. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_S/feature_1.html
  18. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_S/feature_2.html
  19. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_S/feature_3.html
  20. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_S/feature_4.html
  21. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_S/feature_5.html
  22. sony.jp/headphone/products/LinkBuds_S/feature_6.html

Photo: d1ncau8tqf99kp.cloudfront.net

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