Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless Noise Canceling Earbud Headphones with Alexa Built-in, Bluetooth Ear Buds Compatible with iPhone and Android, White

The Sony Linkbuds S are a shrunk-down, improved version of the already excellent WF-1000XM4. I wasn't expecting this. Given the "Linkbuds" moniker I was expecting them to prioritize ambient sound features over all else, just like the original Linkbuds, but that simply isn't the case here.Build: the Linkbuds S are impossibly small compared to the WF-1000XM4, Sony's previous noise canceling earphones. They actually resemble the Samsung Galaxy buds 2 in overall size and shape. They also sport a nice large touch sensitive area that no one should have trouble missing. The only gripe I do have is that the outer surface is textured and this can cause some discomfort if it rubs against the crus helix.Case: the case is definitely one of the more pocketable out there. It's about the same size as the Airpods Pro case, but slightly shorter and narrower, albeit a bit thicker. However, it also has a textured surface which can make it a little difficult to slide in and out of pockets.Fit: the Linkbuds S fit very similar to the Galaxy Buds 2 and deeper than the WF-1000XM4. They are a little fiddly to fit. In my case I have to rotate them back and forth to get them to seat correctly. Although Sony instructs users to rotate the buds backwards to get a good fit I actually found this uncomfortable because the buds would rub against my Crus Helix and cause discomfort. Rotating them forward slightly fixed the issue. Once the buds were in place I found the fit to be secure and that, combined with their light weight, meant that it was easy to forget they were there. My one complaint about the fit is that the buds are so small that it's very difficult to insert them without either accidentally hitting the touch area or rubbing a finger against the noise canceling microphone, resulting in some static noise.Noise canceling: the noise canceling on the Linkbuds S is fantastic. Although the Linkbuds S are advertised as being open I actually found them to be more isolating than the WF-1000XM4s without noise canceling on. With noise canceling on I actually found the Linkbuds S to be slightly superior to the WF-1000XM4 in terms of blocking out background noise and they certainly blow the Galaxy Buds Pro/2 out of the water. I haven't had chance to test the Linkbuds S with very low frequency sounds (e.g. public transport, planes) but for blocking out office and household noise they're the best true wireless earphones I've tried.Sound: I saved the best to last. I was very pleasantly surprised with the sound quality of the Linkbuds S. The WF-1000XM4s were a big disappointment in this regard, with an overly dark presentation for my taste that led to recessed mids and lackluster treble. The Linkbuds S by comparison adopt a Harman-like tuning that presents mids and treble brilliantly with a satisfying bass boost that doesn't dominate the overall sound. The Linkbuds S definitely beat the WF-1000XM4s for overall sound and they're up there with the Galaxy Buds Pro/2, which are the reigning champs. Comparing the Galaxy Buds side by side with the Linkbuds S I honestly can't pick a favorite amongst the three, which I think is a very good thing.Other: in my limited tests the transparency features are great, as with the WF-1000XM4s. The only other thing that I think is worth noting is that the Linkbuds S struggle to maintain LDAC connectivity more than the WF-1000XM4s. This isn't surprising, given the small size, but is worth considering for anyone who wants to use LDAC in challenging environments or on the go.Wrap up: previously if I wanted to recommend a pair of true wireless earphones for someone I would have to include a 'but'. The Airpods Pro have great noise canceling but the sound isn't top tier and they don't play well with Android devices. The Galaxy Buds sound fantastic but the noise canceling isn't great and they don't play well with iOS. The WF-1000XM4s have top tier noise canceling and work well with both iOS and Android devices, but their sound isn't the best. The Linkbuds S on the other hand have top tier noise canceling, work excellent with both iOS and Android, and have excellent sound. These are now my default recommendation to anyone looking for new True Wireless earphones.Alternative picks: If it wasn't for the better Bluetooth connectivity of the WF-1000XM4s and the improved battery life the Linkbuds S would have made the XM4s redundant. Whether the increased price is worth it for those things will be up to the individual. I think there's still a case to be made for getting the cheaper Galaxy buds over the Linkbuds S if noise canceling isn't a priority. However, I think the only reason to pay more for the Airpods Pro would be if you really like the design and/or the enhanced integration with iOS is really important.

I LOVE THESE SO MUCH MORE THAN AIRPODS!! I kept trying different types of AirPods every time a new version came out but they always hurt my ears and wouldn’t stay in. These Sony in ears are so comfortable and secure in my small ears. The sound quality is as good as Apple and the noise canceling is so good you’d swear you lost your hearing!! I like that all it takes is a tap to hear sound around me or control music/audiobooks. These are the last in ear headphones I’ll ever buy!!

BUYERS BEWARE - DO NOT BUY IF YOU VALUE YOUR MONEY!!! The charging life of these earbuds nose dive after about a year and a half of use! Don’t get me wrong, the earbuds sound really good, but the fact that after purchasing two different pairs of these earbuds, BOTH PAIRS had the same battery life / charging issues. After about a year and a half of use, the right earbud holds just enough of a charge to function for a little over an hour and then dies rather abruptly, while the left earbud still has well over half of its charge left.I tried calling Sony tech support, and as I am sure you can guess, though the support person I spoke with was kind and patient, their troubleshooting did nothing to restore the battery life of my earbuds. I was then told to call a third party repair service, which just directed me to a website to submit a repair.The SoundConnect app used to manage the earbud settings and features is clunky to use at the best of times, not to mention updating the firmware for the earbuds is a painfully slow and clunky process as well.If you have an iPhone, be prepared to deal with connectivity issues when taking phone calls - and problems with the app on the iPhone working in sync with the earbuds themselves.Because of the sound and lightweight quality of the earbuds, I wanted to love them. However, given the $200 price tag for obviously poorly constructed electronics, I CANNOT RECOMMEND THESE EARBUDS TO ANYONE, unless you want to just waste $200 of your hard earned money.Take it from someone who has owned two pairs of these earbuds and can confirm, no matter how well you take care of the Sony Linkbuds earbuds, they will stop holding a charge rendering them pretty much useless after about about a year and a half of use, the SoundConnect app is less than good, updating the earbuds firmware is extremely slow and drawn out, connectivity issues when taking a call gets old fast…and now I’m finding my earbuds case looks like it isn’t holding a charge as well. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere!!!UPDATE:The "troubleshooting" the Sony customer service rep walked me through did nothing to help with my Linkbuds issues. As a matter of fact, now they are barely holding a charge...no joke. At least before the troubleshooting I got a little use out of them before the charge would die.The site the Sony customer service rep referred me to that I mentioned in my original review was not set up to take repairs for the Sony Linkbuds S earbuds at all. The information on the repair site basically suggested I find a local electronics repair shop. So, I tried that. Not one business I called worked on the Sony earbuds - and I live in a large, tech-centric city. That was a total bust and waste of my time.Then, through a random online search, I found a link to Sony webpage that directed me to call United Radio Service Inc. for repairs, so I did. The person I spoke with told me that the cost for parts and repair labor made it infeasible to repair the earbuds due to the fact that the cost of the repairs would be more than the purchase cost of the earbuds. Another bust.Finally, I also found out that the earbuds and the USB transceiver are all pre-set with information that allows them to communicate with and from each other. These settings can only be configured at a Service Center with all components present. For this reason, you can't just simply replace one missing part yourself, i.e. a damaged earbud, say with one that you find refurbished online.Bottom line: You can't actually get the earbuds repaired, and you can't replace a defective earbud. No matter what line of nonsense Sony tries to tell you. Once these stop working properly outside the timeframe of the warranty, you are out of luck.***Again, Don't waste your money or time with these earbuds. Look elsewhere, you'll be glad in the long run that you did!***