Sony’s LinkBuds S add noise-cancelling into the mix
They look more like conventional true wireless buds than the original LinkBuds - and boast noise cancelling
Remember the super-compact ring-like Sony LinkBuds? Now Sony has a new version out – the £180 LinkBuds S. Sony says that comfort has been prioritised, so they combine the same ‘wear all day’ approach to the standard £149 LinkBuds, but look more like conventional true wireless buds and boast noise cancelling. They’re also Google Assistant and Alexa compatible and support Google Fast Pair.
Like the original LinkBuds, they enable you to easily interact with the world around you and high-quality noise-cancelling means you can focus on what’s important when you need to. Adaptive Sound Control automatically adjusts the audio depending on your environment. Another technology – Precise Voice Pickup – does what it says on the tin; controlling the microphones to minimise the effect of external noise such as wind.
Speak-to-Chat – which auto-pauses music when you start speaking – is also included and we’re interested to see if this works better than on the original LinkBuds.
A new 5mm driver should enable the buds to produce powerful bass and clear calls in addition to Hi-Res audio thanks to Sony’s LDAC codec, but the proof will be in the pudding, of course. All we know is that if they’re better than the 5-star LinkBuds, we might have to introduce a new ratings system. We’ll bring you a full review of LinkBuds S after we get them.
Dan Grabham
Editor-in-Chief 
