Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless Noise Canceling Earbud Headphones with Alexa Built-in, Bluetooth Ear Buds Compatible with iPhone and Android, White

The Sony Linkbuds S are a shrunk-down, improved version of the already excellent WF-1000XM4. I wasn't expecting this. Given the "Linkbuds" moniker I was expecting them to prioritize ambient sound features over all else, just like the original Linkbuds, but that simply isn't the case here. Build: the Linkbuds S are impossibly small compared to the WF-1000XM4, Sony's previous noise canceling earphones. They actually resemble the Samsung Galaxy buds 2 in overall size and shape. They also sport a nice large touch sensitive area that no one should have trouble missing. The only gripe I do have is that the outer surface is textured and this can cause some discomfort if it rubs against the crus helix. Case: the case is definitely one of the more pocketable out there. It's about the same size as the Airpods Pro case, but slightly shorter and narrower, albeit a bit thicker. However, it also has a textured surface which can make it a little difficult to slide in and out of pockets. Fit: the Linkbuds S fit very similar to the Galaxy Buds 2 and deeper than the WF-1000XM4. They are a little fiddly to fit. In my case I have to rotate them back and forth to get them to seat correctly. Although Sony instructs users to rotate the buds backwards to get a good fit I actually found this uncomfortable because the buds would rub against my Crus Helix and cause discomfort. Rotating them forward slightly fixed the issue. Once the buds were in place I found the fit to be secure and that, combined with their light weight, meant that it was easy to forget they were there. My one complaint about the fit is that the buds are so small that it's very difficult to insert them without either accidentally hitting the touch area or rubbing a finger against the noise canceling microphone, resulting in some static noise. Noise canceling: the noise canceling on the Linkbuds S is fantastic. Although the Linkbuds S are advertised as being open I actually found them to be more isolating than the WF-1000XM4s without noise canceling on. With noise canceling on I actually found the Linkbuds S to be slightly superior to the WF-1000XM4 in terms of blocking out background noise and they certainly blow the Galaxy Buds Pro/2 out of the water. I haven't had chance to test the Linkbuds S with very low frequency sounds (e.g. public transport, planes) but for blocking out office and household noise they're the best true wireless earphones I've tried. Sound: I saved the best to last. I was very pleasantly surprised with the sound quality of the Linkbuds S. The WF-1000XM4s were a big disappointment in this regard, with an overly dark presentation for my taste that led to recessed mids and lackluster treble. The Linkbuds S by comparison adopt a Harman-like tuning that presents mids and treble brilliantly with a satisfying bass boost that doesn't dominate the overall sound. The Linkbuds S definitely beat the WF-1000XM4s for overall sound and they're up there with the Galaxy Buds Pro/2, which are the reigning champs. Comparing the Galaxy Buds side by side with the Linkbuds S I honestly can't pick a favorite amongst the three, which I think is a very good thing. Other: in my limited tests the transparency features are great, as with the WF-1000XM4s. The only other thing that I think is worth noting is that the Linkbuds S struggle to maintain LDAC connectivity more than the WF-1000XM4s. This isn't surprising, given the small size, but is worth considering for anyone who wants to use LDAC in challenging environments or on the go. Wrap up: previously if I wanted to recommend a pair of true wireless earphones for someone I would have to include a 'but'. The Airpods Pro have great noise canceling but the sound isn't top tier and they don't play well with Android devices. The Galaxy Buds sound fantastic but the noise canceling isn't great and they don't play well with iOS. The WF-1000XM4s have top tier noise canceling and work well with both iOS and Android devices, but their sound isn't the best. The Linkbuds S on the other hand have top tier noise canceling, work excellent with both iOS and Android, and have excellent sound. These are now my default recommendation to anyone looking for new True Wireless earphones. Alternative picks: If it wasn't for the better Bluetooth connectivity of the WF-1000XM4s and the improved battery life the Linkbuds S would have made the XM4s redundant. Whether the increased price is worth it for those things will be up to the individual. I think there's still a case to be made for getting the cheaper Galaxy buds over the Linkbuds S if noise canceling isn't a priority. However, I think the only reason to pay more for the Airpods Pro would be if you really like the design and/or the enhanced integration with iOS is really important.

BUYERS BEWARE - DO NOT BUY IF YOU VALUE YOUR MONEY!!! The charging life of these earbuds nose dive after about a year and a half of use! Don’t get me wrong, the earbuds sound really good, but the fact that after purchasing two different pairs of these earbuds, BOTH PAIRS had the same battery life / charging issues. After about a year and a half of use, the right earbud holds just enough of a charge to function for a little over an hour and then dies rather abruptly, while the left earbud still has well over half of its charge left. I tried calling Sony tech support, and as I am sure you can guess, though the support person I spoke with was kind and patient, their troubleshooting did nothing to restore the battery life of my earbuds. I was then told to call a third party repair service, which just directed me to a website to submit a repair. The SoundConnect app used to manage the earbud settings and features is clunky to use at the best of times, not to mention updating the firmware for the earbuds is a painfully slow and clunky process as well. If you have an iPhone, be prepared to deal with connectivity issues when taking phone calls - and problems with the app on the iPhone working in sync with the earbuds themselves. Because of the sound and lightweight quality of the earbuds, I wanted to love them. However, given the $200 price tag for obviously poorly constructed electronics, I CANNOT RECOMMEND THESE EARBUDS TO ANYONE, unless you want to just waste $200 of your hard earned money. Take it from someone who has owned two pairs of these earbuds and can confirm, no matter how well you take care of the Sony Linkbuds earbuds, they will stop holding a charge rendering them pretty much useless after about about a year and a half of use, the SoundConnect app is less than good, updating the earbuds firmware is extremely slow and drawn out, connectivity issues when taking a call gets old fast…and now I’m finding my earbuds case looks like it isn’t holding a charge as well. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere!!! UPDATE: The "troubleshooting" the Sony customer service rep walked me through did nothing to help with my Linkbuds issues. As a matter of fact, now they are barely holding a charge...no joke. At least before the troubleshooting I got a little use out of them before the charge would die. The site the Sony customer service rep referred me to that I mentioned in my original review was not set up to take repairs for the Sony Linkbuds S earbuds at all. The information on the repair site basically suggested I find a local electronics repair shop. So, I tried that. Not one business I called worked on the Sony earbuds - and I live in a large, tech-centric city. That was a total bust and waste of my time. Then, through a random online search, I found a link to Sony webpage that directed me to call United Radio Service Inc. for repairs, so I did. The person I spoke with told me that the cost for parts and repair labor made it infeasible to repair the earbuds due to the fact that the cost of the repairs would be more than the purchase cost of the earbuds. Another bust. Finally, I also found out that the earbuds and the USB transceiver are all pre-set with information that allows them to communicate with and from each other. These settings can only be configured at a Service Center with all components present. For this reason, you can't just simply replace one missing part yourself, i.e. a damaged earbud, say with one that you find refurbished online. Bottom line: You can't actually get the earbuds repaired, and you can't replace a defective earbud. No matter what line of nonsense Sony tries to tell you. Once these stop working properly outside the timeframe of the warranty, you are out of luck. ***Again, Don't waste your money or time with these earbuds. Look elsewhere, you'll be glad in the long run that you did!***

It has taken me over a year and quite a bit of money to find some ear buds that won't fall out of my ears!! Apparently I have freakishly small ear canals. Hard ear buds like airpods hurt like a mofo after being in place for any amount of time and every soft ear bud I have tried will literally fall out when I'm sitting still. These came up on a "Best of" earbud list for small ear canals and I decided to give them a go. To be fair, these are the most expensive pair I've tried to this point, so it's entirely possible that the 2-300+ dollar pairs might fit small ears easily, but I was trying to avoid paying that much. To be honest, I was trying to avoid paying more than 50 bucks, but after my third try, I knew that was a pipe dream. I think the combination of the smaller size and the fact they are lighter than most ear buds, these finally are the ones that stay put!! You do have to download a special app in order to get them to connect to your device - which is strange and kind of annoying - and sometimes the battery will just die without warning, but other than those two small complaints, I love these earbuds! Highly recommend for people with small ear canals and for the rest of you too! :) Update 6/16/25: still LOVE these! In fact I bought a second pair. I’ve updated my star rating from a 4 to a 5 bc you don’t need the app to connect them, apparently I’m just an idiot.

(This is a lengthy review, so in case you are short on time I have included a quick Pros/Cons summary at the top. This gives an idea of my overall opinions, but for more details continue to read on below.) (Note- I will mostly be comparing these to other earbuds that I have used and/or reviewed recently: AirPods Pro, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, Sony WF-1000XM4, Echo Buds2, and Klipsch T5 II ) THE GOOD: --Comfort/Fit: So far, these are very comfortable to wear. They are slightly smaller than some of the other earbuds I've tested, and are up there with Airpods Pro in terms of comfort. They also feel very secure in the ear, unlike some other brands. No complaints here with comfort/design. --Mic Quality: The mic quality of these is excellent. I tested out with calling friends, and these were either 1st or 2nd best sounding earbuds according to the people I called. My friend says that these mics are the best out the earbuds we tested in this range. --Multiple Ecosystem Support: These work well with all ecosystems, whether you are using Apple or Android; and with assistants including Alexa and Google. --Good ANC : The noise canceling on these is also fantastic. This technology has come a long way, and sometimes it can be hard to compare ANC, since each company produces earbuds that prioritize blocking out slightly different frequencies. To me these seem like they are close to the best , but maybe the XM4s and Airpods Pro are SLIGHTLY better, especially the XM4s at low frequency ranges. The Adaptive Sound Control is a neat feature that can change ambient sound settings based on your location, though I'm not sure how useful this will be in practice. THE BAD: --Overall Sound Comparison: With the default EQ settings, the overall sound quality actually seems slightly worse than the WF1000XM4s to me. I also prefer the sound of the Klipsch T5 IIs with most music, and even the Galaxy Pros with some songs; as these LinkBuds S can sometimes sound slightly muffled or dampened in comparison. Still good quality sound overall, just not as good as some of the other options in this range, and not my favorite with any type of music I tested. --No Wireless Charging: This seems like a big disappointment for this price range. I would expect that ALL earbuds that are over $200 should have wireless charging at this point. MORE DETAILS: Here are my thoughts on each category, again mostly comparing to: Airpods Pro, Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, Sony WF-1000XM4, Echo Buds2, and Klipsch T5 II. (I also enlisted the help of a friend of mine that is an Audio Engineer, to give his opinions and to use some of his equipment.) Sound - These sounded great to me when I first put them in and listened to a variety of music. I was not disappointed in overall sound quality at all, and if you aren't comparing these to anything else, you will also probably think that they sound great. It was only after rigorously measuring their output with my friend's mics, and also repeatedly comparing them to all of the other earbuds, that I was able to notice the slightly muffled sound compared to the other earbuds. The Airpods Pro, Klipsch T5 II, XM4, and Galaxy Pro all seem slightly more “clear”, with a broader range. The midrange on the Airpods Pro might be the biggest difference here, and when I switched back and forth between them I felt like I was missing some of those midrange frequencies with the LinkBuds S. Overall sound range/EQ preferences are of course very subjective and personal, but my friend and I both agree that these are definitively not our favorite in this category. Design/Fit – I like the way that these fit in my ear, and they are right up there at the top with Airpods and Klipsch in terms of being lightweight and comfortable. For me, the Galaxy Pros were a little to clunky and felt like they might fall out sometimes, but the LinkBuds S fit great while also feeling secure. The texture of the buds themselves is almost a little scratchy, which took me a little while to get used to, but I think I prefer this texture for touch sensitivity. For me though, I have always preferred the press-able buttons on the Klipsch T5 IIs over all of these touch sensors, partly because I often wear a headband over the earbuds and a sweaty headband can mess with the touch sensors sometimes. Calls – This is probably the best overall feature of these earbuds. The microphone quality seemed to be the best out of all the earbuds when testing out on my friend's equipment, and in real-world testing I experienced similar results. These were either the best sounding, or a close second best when compared to other earbuds when making calls. These sounded the best in almost every environment, maybe tied for best with Klipsch in noisy/windy environments. Water Resistance - These have the same IPX4 rating as most of the other earbuds, but note that the Galaxy Buds Pro have a superior IPX7 rating, if that matters to you. So far these have been working great for exercise, but again personally I prefer more headband-friendly designs sometimes. Charging/etc: These charge at about the same speed as the other earbuds, and have a similar battery life. The BIG difference is that these don't support wireless charging, which seems odd at this price range. These come with a short 9 inch usb-A to usb-C cable in the box, no plug/brick. This is my least favorite in terms of charging options compared to the other earbuds in this price range. OVERALL: These are solid earbuds that feel great, produce good sound, have good ANC, and have excellent microphones for great call quality. They do just about everything well, but at this current price I can't say that they are my favorite, or even the best value. Overall my favorites are probably still the Klipsch T5 IIs, which are currently less expensive than these LinkBuds S earbuds at the time I'm writing this. My second favorite would either be the Galaxy Pros or the Airpod Pros, both of which are slightly less expensive and produce slightly better sound in my opinion. The only thing these LinkBuds S are the best at seems to be the mic/call quality, but even then the difference there isn't big enough for me to recommend choosing them overall. Personally I'm sticking with my Klipsch T5 IIs for regular use, but if you are a diehard Apple user, I would have recommend the Airpods Pro over these LinkBuds S at the current prices. If these drop in price in the future and are competitively priced with some of the other options, then they might be a good choice; especially if switching back and forth between ecosystems is important to you and you don't mind the lack of wireless charging.

Edit to fix my grammar Long review. TLDR: ANC doesn’t work efficiently with constant wind noises blowing in left ear. Transparency sounds whiny, tinny, and almost unuseable. Shotty BT connection. Lack luster app. Sound is good, but only after tweaking the EQ. Switched back to my AirPod gen 1s. Pretty disappointed. So I’ve been using the AirPods 1st gen for about 5 years now. They have always been good, done me right, but they have been crapping out so I decided to look around for new ear buds. I did plenty research and everything came back to these. The price seemed right for what was being advertised. I got them, out of the box was cool, I knew it needed some tweaking, but not too bad. The Transparency was a bit whiny and tinny, but not unbearable. The sound was great, nice bass and what not but I did mess with the EQ a bit then got a nice sound. Audio enhancing, the ear forming schtick, all that fun stuff. This was the first day. The second day was when they were gonna be fully used, as I have my earbuds in almost all day at work, switching between listening to music/podcast, to just pausing the sound and forgetting they are there. Everything was cool, I was digging the transparency and having the podcast on at the same time, the ANC was satisfying. I was able to have a backpack leaf blower on and barely hear it. Of course, ANC was on, and I had my music near full blast. I didn’t do much physical activity that day, so they stayed in my ears well. After a while, I didnt notice them. But then comes the 2nd day. I’m getting ready for work, getting them on, and I notice the left ears transparency was far more intense than the right. The right felt normal, but the left felt like there was someone constantly blowing air into the mic. It was pretty jarring, but it was easily able to drown out in the music/podcast- with transparency on. But with the ANC setting on, it was near mind rattling. The ANC seemed like it didn’t do what it’s suppose to, like the Transparency mode was still active, but only in the left ear. The right felt as it was suppose to, but the left seemed to have no difference between ANC and Transparency. Only when I turned the ANC setting off, and just relied on the seal from the buds themself for the noise cancelling, that wind sound went away. This was the trouble shoot solution that SONY THEMSELVES recommended. Basically saying “just don’t use the ANC feature that you paid to get” Sure, easy fix, but the transparency still started to go, on top of the whiny and tinny sound. Which, the 2nd day, it was almost unusable as the voices came through way too intense and loud, with too much white noise being picked up. This day as well, I was doing some landscaping and was a bit more labor intensive but nothing crazy. These things would not stay in. I’d shove them in, get a solid seal, and then gradually they would fall out. I’ll give it the fact that I was making some hard movments as I was digging in dirt, but even later in the day, simple walking was making them want to fall out. I kept it going, giving them the benefit of the doubt maybe I need to change sizes, all that. I’m driving home, and decide to keep them both in so I can really break in the sound. But as I was driving, I kept having stuttering and quick disconnects. With my phone on my lap, the case in my pocket, I was getting real bad BT connection. Maybe it was the change of internet signals or whatever, if that’s even a factor. I ended up taking them out and using my car stereo because of how bad it got bad. Day 3 rolls around, and all the same issues. Constant heavy wind sound blowing through my left ear, which then eventually switched to the right. Same issues not staying in my ear, I changed buds and smalls were too small, and the large were too large. I suck it up, and keep using them for the day. Trying to mess with the settings and see what I can do. Nothing much able to change. Then My phone starts dying so I decide to plug it in, and keep it off my person, only about 20ft at most away from me at any time, and these things were stuttering and losing connection so bad. I was still within such close proximity to my phone and the case, outside of a building, no walls or anything to impede the connection, and I couldn’t get more then 10-15ft without connection problems. That was very frustrating. I should be able to have my phone within a more reasonable distance to keep a solid connection. I did go into the settings and re-prioritized the Connection Quality over Sound Quality, and that seemed to have made it even worst. This was after a full day of being generally uncomfortable wearing these. The app for these seemed really dated. I understand a BT headphone app not being super crazy innovative, but this one seemed hyped up with unnoticeable change. The added features such as the spatial audio, ear forming, auto voice detection, we’re all very lack luster. I was very excited to try these out and get something other than AirPods, but even after doing extensive research on Wireless Earbuds and came to these conclusions, I am very disappointed. If I’m paying a decent amount on ear buds that have all the bells and whistles, i want the bells and whistles. I didn’t buy ANC, Transparency, in-depth ear buds, to not even be able to use those features because they are just overall uncomfortable to use. I already issued a return, and went back to my old gen 1 AirPods. I am more than likely go for the AirPod Pro 2. This could all be subjective and personal issues with my specific device, but even with that, that calls for mad inconsistency and I’m over all very disappointed that after all my research, it came down to this.

These earbuds are really comfortable for me as a smaller person with smaller ears. The sound is pretty good and I love the dual device connectivity feature, since I can connect to both my phone and laptop at the same time. However, after having these for about 2 years they no longer hold a charge. In particular the right earbud never reaches a full charge anymore, and then drains much faster than the left earbud during use. They no longer last even the length of my commute (1 hour). I've tried cleaning the connections, resetting the device, etc. and nothing has helped. So overall I liked these earbuds but am a bit disappointed in their longevity, especially since I've taken very good care of them.

I enjoy good quality audio and have spent more than I’d like to admit on headphones. I wanted to get a pair of earbuds with good quality when going outside cause who wants to bring their full size headphones outside. I researched a bunch and didn’t want to spend too much but still wanted quality. I’ve tried cheaper model from different brands and they all sounded muddy to me. I came upon these on sale and immediately jumped on them. The audio quality is awesome and I can definitely say they’re good when comparing to my full size headphones. Of course different people have different preferences but these provide awesome clarity and good bass for my liking after adjusting the EQ though the app. Love the simple sleek design and relatively small size. Noise cancellation works really well and easily toggled with a tap on the left earbud. It feels really comfortable in the ear with the OEM tips but I’d recommend Azla ones for pure comfort. I don’t use these for calls so unfortunately can’t comment on the mic quality. Battery lasts plenty long for my use and charging is nice and quick. No other issues with connecting and has been working flawlessly for me. Overall, if you’re into audio quality and don’t want to break the bank, these are a great choice. Definitely recommended.

Top-quality sound and a super compact case — it practically disappears in my pocket. The buds fit comfortably and the app features are great. Noise canceling is impressive, ambient mode works well, and dual-device connection is extremely convenient. A perfect daily-use pair and a great upgrade for me.