Sony LinkBuds S: 4.8 g earbuds launch for US$199 with ANC, Hi-Res Audio, LDAC and multipoint audio
Sony has unveiled the LinkBuds S, a pair of earbuds that share no resemblance with the similarly-named LinkBuds. For some reason, Sony has dispensed with the unique design of the original LinkBuds in favour of one used elsewhere in its product stack. Also, the LinkBuds S retails for US$199.99, US$20 more expensive than the LinkBuds.
According to Sony, each LinkBuds S earbud weighs 4.8 g, slightly heavier than the LinkBuds but a third lighter than the WF-1000XM4's earbuds. Similarly, the LinkBuds S are 13% lighter than the AirPods Pro, although Sony has managed to include active noise cancellation (ANC) and a transparency mode. Better still, the LinkBuds S should last up to 6 hours between charges with ANC enabled. Sony adds that its battery life estimate extends to 9 hours with ANC disabled, while the charging case provides an additional 14 hours of playback time.
Moreover, the LinkBuds S supports Google Fast Pair, Windows Swift Pair, Endel and Spotify Tap, plus Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Arguably more impressive is Sony's inclusion of LDAC support, along with DSEE Extreme upscaling and Hi-Res Audio. Furthermore, the LinkBuds S supports multipoint audio and Bluetooth 5.2. The Sony LinkBuds S are pre-orderable now and comes in three colour options. Pre-orders should start shipping on May 20.