Sony launched the uniquely loopy LinkBuds earlier this year, featuring a ring-shaped design with a hole in the center. Despite their novel construction, they were nowhere close to being the best wireless earbuds on the market — time for a do-over? Just a few months later, the company is already following those up with a new addition to this fresh series as it introduces the LinkBuds S with a more traditional closed-ear design.
The new ergonomic shape is supposed to help provide a more stable fit and avoid ear fatigue. That's important, as Sony intends for the LinkBuds S to offer a "Never Off" wearing experience.
The LinkBuds S feature 5mm drivers that produce what Sony describes as "powerful bass and stunningly clear vocals." Additionally, the Integrated Processor V1 helps to further improve noise cancelation and reduce distortion. The headphones themselves are made from recycled materials salvaged from automobile parts. They'll ship in plastic-free packaging.
Sony is partnering with Niantic to offer a new audio AR gaming experience for Ingress users using sensor and spatial sound technology. While playing the game, users will hear sounds from the LinkBuds S depending on the direction they're facing.
The small size of the earbuds means there's no room for any physical buttons. Instead, a touch sensor can be used to control music playback and activate Quick Attention. For easy conversation, the headphones can automatically pause music playback when they detect you need to talk to someone.
The LinkBuds S also offer the ability to automatically play music as soon as you put them on, end a call, or go out for a walk. The earbuds use a unique algorithm and data collected from the sensor to analyze your activity and then decide whether to start music playback or not. Users will need to install the Auto Play app on their Android phone and connect it to the Sony Headphones app for the feature to work properly. The iOS version of the app will launch in June.
For quick and easy pairing, the LinkBuds S support Android's Fast Pair and Swift Pair for Windows 10/11. You can even switch between multiple devices with just a single tap. There's also Google Assistant and Alexa integration, so you can summon Google by just saying, "Hey Google."
As for battery life, Sony claims the LinkBuds S can last for up to 6 hours with noise cancelation enabled. This can be extended to 14 hours using the bundled charging case for a total runtime of 20 hours. Thanks to quick charge support, a 5-minute top-up should be enough to offer an additional hour of runtime.
The LinkBuds S are available for pre-order now and go on sale starting May 20. They will retail for about $200 and will sell through Sony, Amazon, and other retailers in both white and black shades. An ecru color option will be available exclusively at Best Buy.