Are Sony LinkBuds Good? Let’s Find Out
Sony has taken a calculated risk (and thankfully so) in designing a pair of in-ear earbuds that can be worn all day, anytime, anywhere. These earbuds allow sound from the outside world to freely mix with your music, so you are now more aware of your surroundings. But like all other devices, it does have some cons which make you think, are these buds worth it or not?
The Sony LinkBuds is definitely good because they have some amazing features such as great quality, solid noise-canceling, the unusual and handy ability to switch audio modes based on what you’re working on, and many other options which are not present in others.
With that said, let’s check out are they good and which sony earbud is best for you.
Sony LinkBuds Reviews
We all know how important it is to wear the correct pair of LinkBuds when going outside. Sony’s LinkBuds are unquestionably the best earbuds on the market. The holes in the middle of these wireless earbuds allow you to hear all of the ambient sounds around you.
I can’t speak for you, but they are the greatest LinkBuds I’ve ever used.
Wondering, why are Sony LinkBuds good and which one to buy?
You will get your answer here.
So, here is my review of two of Sony’s greatest LinkBuds, and at the end, I’ll help you decide which one to get.
Related: Why Can People Hear My Airpods
Sony LinkBuds – Truly Wireless
The Sony LinkBuds are part of a style of earbuds known as “open” earbuds. This approach is an alternative to the type that seals your ear with rubber tips. While “closed” earbuds shut out noise, “open” earbuds “invite” it in.
While most “open” earbuds aren’t truly sealed, Sony took the notion all the way. The LinkBuds speakers really have a hole in the center. In certain cases, this is excellent, but it is not for everyone.
To find out whether it is best for you or not, you have to know its features.
Build To Play All-Day
The LinkBuds were designed to be “an always-on gadget that connects your online and physical worlds,” according to Sony. The idea is that these buds should be comfortable to wear all day without completely isolating you from the outer world. As previously said, these are open earbuds, similar to the normal AirPods, allowing ambient sounds to enter.
Design
They resemble Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live earbuds, which are also known as The Beans because of their stemless form. They’re also elongated, though not exactly kidney-shaped.
They’re available in two colors: white and dark gray, and Sony claims that both the casing and the buds are made of recycled plastic *giving them a speckled look,” which could be a first for earbuds.
Connectivity
The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.2 and the universal audio formats SBC and AAC, as well as Fast Pair for Android and Swift Pair for Windows PC. They can only link to one device, but you can quickly switch your LinkBuds back and forth. The connectivity to various phones, tablets, and watches was unfailingly stable.
Battery And Sustainability
Sony does not specify how long the batteries in the earbuds or case should last. The batteries in such gadgets may typically endure more than 500 full charge cycles while still keeping at least 80% of their original capacity. Because the LinkBuds cannot be repaired and the battery cannot be replaced, some people may not like them.
The casing and earbuds are both made of recycled plastic. Environmental impact studies for earbuds are not published by the firm. It issues annual sustainability reports as well as a roadmap for achieving zero environmental impact by 2050.
Sound Quality
For the LinkBuds, Sony created a 12mm ring-shaped driver. This is how the part that goes into your ear might have a hole in the middle. It also means that lots of noise from outside is continuously coming in. The main point is convenience, but don’t expect flagship-level audio to accompany your ambient murmur or rumble. Although the LinkBuds allows you to listen to music or a podcast while tracking your location, you may not get the perfect combination.
What I Don’t Like About Sony LinkBuds
Poor Battery Life
The battery life is barely adequate, so you’ll have to return them to the cute tiny charging case frequently. Without a top-up, the case will not last long.
Some Key Functionalities Are Missing.
The LinkBuds are quite well balanced; however, if you like a loud low end, the bass response will disappoint you. These LinkBuds aren’t for you if you want active noise cancellation. The LinkBuds, for better or worse, allows you to hear whatever is going on all around you. If you frequently forget to charge your earbuds, the 17.5-hour battery life is unsatisfactory.
Sony LinkBuds S – Perfect For Everyone
The Sony LinkBuds S is an excellent purchase for both Apple and Android devices.
It provides excellent sound quality, effective noise cancellation, and some of the unique earbud features I have encountered. Let’s look at them.
Design And Comfort
Bud S design is simple. It is a rounded style, which appears to be subtle enough to be worn all day.
You can utilize the Sony LinkBuds S throughout your everyday routine because they are promoted as all-day earbuds.
Of course, not everyone will find the LinkBuds S fit as secure or comfortable as I did, but I was again pleasantly impressed by how confident and at ease I felt wearing them during the test.
Controls
The Sony LinkBuds S can be controlled in a variety of ways. For starters, you can control playback from a Bluetooth music source that is connected. Each earbud also has capacitive touch controls: the right earbud can pause, play, and skip audio by default, while the left earbud can toggle between noise-canceling and transparency mode.
Like other Sony earbuds, the LinkBuds S has voice commands enabled. Via Alexa or Google Assistant (or Siri, for iOS users), you can request changes to the playback or give any commands.
However, LinkBuds S includes several controls that do not require the user’s involvement. When the earbuds detect that you’re having conversations with someone, Speak-to-Chat instantly pauses music playback.
Moreover, the earbuds can detect movement and change the ANC/transparency toggle for you automatically. In the companion app, you can adjust these settings or listening choices based on your activity.
Battery Life
The Sony LinkBuds S has a battery life of up to six hours even if you activate noise cancellation. That’s not it. It can also gain extra 14 hours of playback accessible through the charging case. After 6 hours and 15 minutes of no phone conversations in our tests, the LinkBuds S was ready to be put back in the case, outlasting the LinkBuds (5.5 hours) and the AirPods Pro (4.5 hours).
What I Don’t Like About Sony LinkBuds S
Fitting Issue
While the LinkBuds S is light and fairly comfy (Sony claims they’re the lightest ANC earbuds on the market, and they certainly seem that way), I had considerable trouble getting them to stay in my ear, but if you gently twist them, they stay.
Despite this, I found them to be more secure and comfy than standard LinkBuds, which have an open design and don’t fit as well in your ear.
No Wireless Charging
The plastic case of the LinkBuds S looks cheap. It got a lot of smudges and scratches after only a few days.
What’s more frustrating is that the case lacks wireless charging capabilities.
Which One Is Better, Sony LinkBuds or Sony LinkBuds S’?
The Sony LinkBuds S, without a doubt, sound fantastic for their size and are better than the LinkBud. They have Sony’s V1 processor, which enables them to upscale MP3 and AAC files, which is what most people listen to while streaming music from Spotify or Apple Music. And they certainly have a bright, powerful, and rich sound as compared to sony LinkBuds.
Unlike the Sony LinkBuds, the LinkBuds S can play both high-resolution LDAC files and immersive 360º audio recordings.
When using the Sony LinkBuds, I encountered some minor connectivity issues. One or both buds briefly disconnected for a second when I moved. It wasn’t bothersome enough to be a deal-breaker, but it was irritating enough. And it’s not something I’ve experienced with any of my other earbuds, such as the Sony LinkBuds S, which don’t have connection issues.
Related: Why Does My Right Airpod Dies Faster? (Fixes)
Wrapping Up
You asked, “Are Sony LinkBuds Good and which one to buy?” And I gave my expertise.
Both the Sony LinkBuds and the Sony LinkBuds S are excellent for you; however, the Sony LinkBuds S includes a few more features, making them the best. They’re great wireless earbuds that sound great, have good active noise-cancellation, and a slew of other functions you can use. It will be well worth your money, regardless of the fact that it is more expensive than Sony LinkBuds.
