The original LinkBuds had an open ring driver that let outside noise in. With the LinkBuds S, Sony has gone back to a more traditional design for wireless earbuds with a new five millimeter driver. This means that the headphones have ear tubes and silicone ear tips that fit inside the ear. Sony has also added active noise cancellation (ANC) to help keep the outside world out.
The LinkBuds S don’t just block out noise; they also have a mode called “transparency” that lets you hear more of what’s going on around you. In fact, if you use Sony’s Headphones app, you can change the sound to 20 different levels, which is a lot of freedom. They have the same Integrated Processor V1 as the LinkBuds and the WF-1000XM4, as well as the same DSEE Extreme processor that can make digital music files sound almost as good as hi-res.
[content-egg-block template=offers_logo hide=price]The LinkBuds S have a feature called “Speak-to-Chat,” which lets you start a conversation while still wearing the headphones. When you start and stop playing music after you stop talking, they automatically cut out. You can change how sensitive the feature is so that it doesn’t turn on when you cough, and you can also change how long they wait before playing music back in your ears.
Even though the LinkBuds S are smaller and less expensive, they have a lot of the same features as the more expensive WF-1000XM4. These features include active noise cancellation and ambient mode powered by the same Integrated Processor V1 SoC, LDAC and High-Resolution Audio Wireless, multipoint connection, 360 Reality Audio, and DSEE Extreme AI upscaling. Sony says it has the best call quality it has ever had in truly wireless headphones. This could make it even better for calls than the flagship model.
Like the regular LinkBuds, these are made of recycled plastic, or at least some of it is. They come in black and white. It’s interesting to note that the black model has a more textured finish, while the white model is completely smooth. Sony wouldn’t tell us if that’s because the black version is made of more recycled plastic.
The design is simple and round, and it looks subtle enough to wear all day. In fact, Sony is advertising the LinkBuds S as earbuds that you can wear all day. You will be able to wear them for hours at a time because they are lightweight, made of recycled or non-plastic materials, and small. They don’t move even if you work out or took the bus. This isn’t always the case with wireless earbuds.
The Sony LinksBuds S are capable wireless earbuds that are comfortable enough to wear all day and have a great transparency mode and intuitive controls.