Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless Noise Canceling Earbuds, Black

I traditionally had not been an "earbuds" person. I often found them uncomfortable or poorly fitting, and as such hadn't used them in a long time, opting for over-the-ear style. However, the LinkBuds S changed my perspective on buds, and it all comes down to how light they are and how easily they go into your ear. Sony nailed it in this regard, and the comfort has removed my stigma on earbuds. Sound quality is great, but the standout feature for me is the Adaptive Sound Control for noise cancelling and ambient sound. The Headphones Connect app has a lot of features and settings adjustments to manipulate noise cancelling behavior based on what you're doing and where you are - and considering the mobility of the LinkBuds S, I found this to be a killer feature.

Having owned multiple Sony products over the years I would say the Linkbuds S is a throwback signature wise in that it is much more balanced sounding versus being dark and overly bass heavy. So anyone who has switched away from Sony because of this tuning tendency might just love these. Similarly anyone who enjoys that darker bassy signature will probably want to just stick with the WF-1000XM4 assuming they fit your ears comfortably. Speaking of comfort, Sony has nailed this on the head, making the most comfortable TWS I have tried to date, better than their own older products, Technics, Samsung, Sennheiser, and others. This is the first TWS I have owned where I can literally forget I am wearing them. But I do wish Sony had included the L size hybrid tips in their kit for just a bit more choices in fit. Fortunately I had some from previous Sony products so was able use those. But am extremely happy to see REAL Sony hybrid tips in this package, they are one of Sony's best inventions in my opinion. Unfortunately this comfort comes at the cost of battery life which semi defeats Sony's idea of not having to remove the IEM through use of all their technology. I listen at least than 50% volume most of the time and when using the dynamic and site based features for ANC and Ambient modes I get right around 5hrs of use. It's OK but just barely... The Adaptive controls work pretty well and just take some time to adjust to your needs versus just accepting the defaults. For me this meant setting Walking to turn off Ambient and ANC as I live in a windy area and this setting gives the best experience as it eliminates most wind issues. The ANC is highly effective being slightly better than the WF-1000XM3 which is my last TWS from Sony. But they need to give the ability to adjust the ANC like that model or at least give 1 setting called Wind reduction if they want to keep a larger gap between the flagship model and this model. Wind reduction is a must if they want to keep their competitive advantage. Ambient mode on the other hand is pretty much perfect! I love the adjustability. It allows me to set locations such as at home or the office with a low amount of ambient sound so I can hear when asked a question and then as soon as I start speaking the speak to talk feature kicks in allowing me to communicate with my family or co-workers. I can live without wireless charging to help seperate this model from the flagship and lower its cost, but it does make this model less competitive with other TWS in its price range. Other than the lack of wireless. Charging I love the size of the case and it's feel. Sony really needs to allow for more customization on their controls, they lag way behind the competition and it is very close to being a deal breaker for me. There is NO EXCUSE not allowing people to have 4 functions on the left earbud instead of just 2. I should be able to control all aspects of my experience from the buds. Everyone else can do it, so I am pretty Sony is smart enough to do it as well. FIX you product Sony! Between the lack customization on controls and the close to below battery life I can't give this TWS more than a 4 to 4.5/5 (had to settle on 4 in interface) if they fix the controls these are a hard 4.5/5 for me, coming darn close to perfection. I am extremely happy with the tuning, it is such a nice return back to an audiophile oriented sound.

I bought this about a month ago to replace headsets for video conferencing. Sound quality is very good, especially with the open design. Connection is somewhat questionable, but if you are not too far from your computers, connection is generally stable. Tapping options are limited, and you can only set the options from phone application, and there are no options for laptops. Battery time is short, where continuous use gave me a little over two hours, then the right unit gave up. I have mixed feelings about this one. Most likely I will end up using it for one hour conference call, then put it back on the charger for next meetings

Satisfied with everything but the lifespan. After 21 months, a charge doesn't even last an hour.

Been good until recently. Had these for a little over a year when the right buds battery started failing to hold a charge. Really disappointing for a higher end and spendy product. Many others have this issue that Sony will not cover. *See Reddit Good news is a local repair shop could change the battery

I purchased the LINKBUDS S in the month of December 2023 and one of buds (left ear piece) failed after an year of working. The charging no longer lasts above an hour of use and one of them discharges rapidly within 15 minutes of usage.

After 6 months of use started to make uncomfortable noise and the battery is dying fast, both ear plugs and case.

I decided to buy the sony product compared to other brands, even if it was pricier, in order to ensure quality and longevity of my earpods. After a little over a year, one of the two earpods is not charging properly. This causes the earpods to have a battery life of less then 20minutes. I am disappointed in the longevity of this product. If I would have know I would have prefered the cheaper versions which would have last just as long.

I love this earbuds specially the fit but the battery sucks! I gave 1 star cuz it useless now

I got this as a graduation gift in the summer of 2024. even since mid 2025 my left earbuds battery lasts for 2-5 minutes and dies. it also get very hot in the case and keeps blinking orange