Product Reviews

I am a long-time Airpods user however they finally died after 7 years. I used to sleep with them in every night but was looking for noise cancelling headphones so I bought the WH1000xm4, which I was so happy with that I decided to get the Linkbuds S (I'm a student and the WF1000xm4 didn't seem worth it for the price). Even across Apple devices they are very intuitive, and although I wish you could further adjust the controls on each they have been fantastic! Noise cancelling is incredibly impressive for such small headphones, and the ambient sound is really good. I didn't think I needed an app with so many settings that I could adjust for the earbuds but I've genuinely loved the custom EQ and being able to adjust the ambient sound and other controls. Sound quality is a 10/10 and the battery life is great, just such a convenient pair of headphones! I've been fully converted to a earbuds user now

I bought this in February this year. The noise cancellation works fine, as does the sound mixing on the app. I also appreciated the use of recycled material in the earbuds and box. However, connecting to Bluetooth on my iPhone sometimes takes a few tries. For months, I had an issue where the Linkbuds would connect to my Laptop and provide audio output for Youtube/Netflix videos, but have no audio output for Zoom/Whatsapp/Teams calls despite apparently being connected and working. I visited the Sony Store and the staff helped me to reset the Linkbuds, so the problem now seems to be solved. It's a fair purchase for the price, but is a bit glitchy at times.

Unfortunately these buds were still too big for my small ears as the bud didn't fit well in the shell of the ear and caused pressure which made them uncomfortable to wear. This made them not suitable for me, but probably fine for most other people. I liked the blue mottled colour effect and the packaging was very well designed. I didn't like how the pause to speak function kicked in when I didn't want it when i was working out. Also I had issues with the touch buttons being too sensitive and activating when I knocked them doing yoga.

I bought these ear buds about a year and a half ago, I would expect at least 2 years of solid reliable use from them, however after the 1 year mark they began to malfunction. Initially the left earbud battery would only last an hour or two, before I realised the magnet in the charging case was interfering with the recharging. If you have the AI assistant activated, this also reduces the battery life massively. Soon after managing to rectify this somewhat, I encountered the dreaded 'wind noise' issue with the right ear bud, meaning I can no longer use ambient sound mode. This seems to be a widespread issue with these buds and Sony will not fix after the years warranty. Beware if you plan to keep the ear buds for more than a year.

Great sound and fit very quick delivery just that product

So incredibly disappointed with this product. First off, the multipoint connection - it does not automatically have this and you have to download their app and a firmware add-on to get multi-point functionality. Even with the firmware added, it works horrendously. If my laptop and my phone are both connected - even if my phone is the first priority and is actively playing something - the headphones will not play any sound until I disconnect them from the laptop. And finally, one headphone has suddenly stopped holding its charge. Unfortunately they are now outside the 1 year warranty, so I have spent a lot of money on a flimsy product that lasted me less than 2 years. Avoid!!

So far these earbuds sound good, fit reasonably well, could be better though, have decent noise cancellation and ambient mode. I'm not a huge fan of the adaptive sound control though as it often swaps between modes too easily. Also on android the Sound Control app crashes far to regularly.

I wanted a pair earbuds that I could use with my Android phone, iPad and laptop. The things that primarily matter to me are: sound quality, comfort, decent battery life and bang for buck. After researching thoroughly I decided to go for the Sony Linkbud S earbuds - and I'm really glad I did. The comfort is superb and the sound well rounded and full. Although noise cancellation wasn't high on my priority list initially, I was impressed by the Linkbud S' in this department. Haven't tried them on a plane yet, but the noise cancellation does a great job of drowning out the TV if I'm using one of my devices for some private listening. The downloadable app provides a wealth of fine tuning options to get the earbuds sounding just how you want and the comfort, even for extended use is great. My experience using the Linkbud S earbuds for phone calls is pretty limited, but they seem to work pretty well. I haven't tried other brands of earbuds so providing a comparative review is not possible, but in my opinion I really don't need to look anywhere else. These tick all the right boxes.

I bought these earbuds in 2022 but now in 2024 only two years later the right earbud fails to hold a charge for more than 30 minutes after which the earbuds are then useless.The customer service option to return the earbuds for which a likely charge of upwards of £100 to replace the earbud is unacceptable. Something of this cost price should last considerably longer than 2+ years ?

It’s not been a month i got mine, and it’s been amazing

Battery has totally gone in both buds after just over a year. Won't charge fully and they die after 10mins use. Absolute waste of money. Sony once had a reputable name: not any more.

I bought LinkBuds S in May, and in less than 4 months the earbuds started to make a wind noise (even when I am indoors). I am not sure what caused it. It is a pity, the earbuds are nice and comfortable, but this wind noise makes it unbearable and unusable. I would suggest to anyone who is interested in buying it to look online about this issue, as it's a common one.

I purchased two of these headphones on the same day and I've experienced the same issue with both. the charge on one bud goes from 100% to 10% in less than 10 minutes. It's clearly an issue with this product as so many purchasers have faced the same issue and if you google issues on this product they are always the same, And following the advice if you encouter this problem (below) doesn't work.... 1-Make sure to update the headset to the latest version, as explained here: https://cutt.ly/reEjYAkg 2-Follow the steps mentioned here: https://cutt.ly/TeEjYB2x 3-Resetting the headset: https://cutt.ly/ceEjUeAG 4-Initializing the headset to restore factory settings: https://cutt.ly/UeEjUfNb If you need further assistance, you can contact us using this link: https://bit.ly/2NwYLXL I have purchased lots of Sony headphones over the years and this is the most frustrating as when they work they are great. I'd like to talk to someone about this is possible. Thanks!

Have had WF1000XM3 for a few years - superb sound quality but bit bulky when active. Spent time considering and went for LinkBuds S. Very Pleased I did .... once in they stay in no matter what, comfortable enough to wear all day and after tinkering a bit with custom EQ on the Sony app, the sound is very good even if not quite as good as XM3s

Purchased this as it had great reviews for an affordable price. However soon (within a week) discovered that the earbuds were causing me irritation in my ear canal - unclear of the cause (battery, etc) of the irritation. Unfortunately I am returning it. It's a shame as the quality of music and fit was quite good and not many earbuds out there for petite ears. I thought I had finally found the one! Would still recommend others to try it for the music quality and price. Touch functionality could improve as vs samsung this is highly complicated with numerous taps to adjust volume.

Good performance, lightweight and decent sound for the price

Sidetone cannot be turned off. Not possible to use for calls in any noisy environment like an office. Wind noise with anc is too strong

So far, the BT link has been excellent, love the sound quality and control. Great noise reduction too.

Battery life is highly questionable. The battery drain between the two earbuds varies wildly. Amazing sound quality and functionality, disappointing battery performance. Sometimes the right earbud won't turn on (the app doesn't seem to know it's there, only the left one and the case appear).

I bought these earbuds just over a year ago and now the battery of the left earbuds drains after 5 minutes. Extremely disappointed! Just because the product is a couple months over warranty, I am left with a nearly unusable product.

I recently bought a second pair after my first starting losing battery life after 3 years of wearing them. The left earbud would last 30min from full charge to empty. I've had the second set now for 2 weeks and already I'm experiencing an odd wind like noise in the left earbud. Firmware updates do not fix any of these issues so it's disappointing as the sound quality and functionality is excellent, just not very reliable.

I was fairly happy with the product but the quality of Sony's customer service has been below expectation for this brand. I now have to go on holiday without my LinkBuds ... with all the issues of privacy and freedom and lack of listening experience ... during holidays!

The earphones are amazing and they have great sound quality. They are feature packed. However..after a bit over a year then right one can't hold a charge. And the life span of the battery on the left got much worse. Too bad it let down the product. In the UK I couldn't even repair them officially so I just replaced them. I even bought a pair for a friend but I am gutted that they will probably have to go through this as well

I bought these earphones a few months back and quite enjoyed them, the nose cancelling is on par with the price range and the sound was good enough for runs or zoning out in coffee shops. An issue started to occur some weeks after I purchased them when after an hour or so of use the left earphone would start making static and crunching noises quite loudly. I've tried toggling the noise cancelling on and off and it has become a routing issue when using them. I can only count on them to "behave" for around a half hour to 2 hours before it starts to continuously make this painful noise in my ear. Hoping to resolve the issue under a warranty claim.

Good headphones but the battery now drains from the right headphone within 50 minutes. I have only owned this for 12 months

I bought it for my second half. And she's loving it. Everything it's good for the price range. Sound is well tuned. Battery life like with all similar products can be better, but it is good enough.

Bought these online today, tried other brands off earbuds, but these earbuds sound brilliant, I must say when I oppend the box I thought these are very light, but I must say they are the most comfortable pair I've ever bought, very happy with them, bass is strong but not over powering, mids are silky smooth, highs are pin point not distorted at any level,

I really like it. It is very beautiful color, and the functions are great, god noise cancelling and wear comfortably.

I've noticed with my link buds S case, that the battery goes very quickly in them, along with my buds which is a little bit disappointing, aside from that these are perfect for music and the noise cancelling is amazing, I can't hear anything with them on.

I bought this a couple of weeks ago. The main intent was to use them for online meetings (Teams and the like). A lot of reviews pointed to this being a great choice and praised strong mic performance, both for delivering clear sound and removing any background noise, as well as pretty good ANC. However, what none of them mentions (and Sony doesn't market, if you go to the product page it's never mentioned) is the Sidetone function. Essentially, the moment you enter a call, this feature activates automatically and it passes through to you all the voices of everyone else around you, regardless of your noise cancelling settings. In the end, I hear the people around me more loudly than without the earbuds, sometimes perhaps more loudly than you hear the person on the other side of the call. So I started googling my issue and in the end found an official help page that said that this behaviour is a feature, that it's by design, and that it couldn't be disabled. At all. Which means that the only way to have a meeting with these for me is to go sit in an empty office. At which point I could have gone with a $20 pair of earbuds and in those conditions they would have worked fine. People speculate why it's like this (no official explanation) and mostly think that it's a safety feature. Probably so that I don't get hit by a bus while I'm sitting in my office (because ANC has no issues with blocking the outside world while I'm out and about listening to music on the go - go figure!).

Love it. Sleek, powerful and innovative. I will definitely recommend.

I originally bought a pair of these earphones for my wife. She has tiny ears that push out every earphone design….until now. These are perfect for smaller ears. I borrows them one day and loved them so much that I decided to buy a pair for myself. It can take a bit of time to get the sound you prefer. There are lots of sound options on the app, but, with patience, you will find a sound that you like. They will never be a competitor for more expensive earphones, however, at this price point, they are outstanding value. The app takes a while to navigate around. Sony set theirs out differently from others, but 20 mins and perhaps a you tube tutorial will help you accelerate your learning to get the best out of them. Battery life feels the same as my Jabra 85T’s. About 2.5 hours on a full noise cancelling session. The inserts are comprehensive silicone inserts. I prefer a softer in ear foam insert and bought something I’ve used for years. Sonic Foam memory ear tips.You can find them in Amazon. Once rolled and compressed in the finger and thumb before positioning, they expand for a tight fit and plenty of good bass and treble. They fit well into the case and close crisply with the alternative ear insert. I scored them down from 5 star to 4 star as the case doesn’t have a Q charging facility like others. You have to plug the case in for charging. It’s not really a problem, but it’s also not like the competitors. The material is recycled plastic and has a slightly rougher feel. It works perfectly welll. You can personalise single taps between 1 and 4 for each ear to program up to 8 functions. I can often travel by air and these buds have cleared out the screaming children, adults and engine noise pretty well with their noise cancelling. It won’t take everything away. More like 70-80%. The rest disappears when you have music playing. I remain glad to have purchased these. I suppose a good test would be to ask what I would do if I lost them? I’d buy another pair immediately.

I bought these for traveling. They are comfortable to wear and give a good sound quality. Could benefit from a bit more noise cancelling but overall very happy

These were my favourite headphones... for just over a year. My only advice I can give is, don't ignore the 1 star reviews like I did. I tend to think these problems won't happen to me, but looking back I have had the exact same issues as countless other people. A loud, high-pitched noise that nearly burst my eardrum, followed by a constant wind sound that makes the headphones completely unusable. Sony customer support was useless, as the warranty period was over by 2 weeks. You be the judge on whether an expensive pair of headphones like these should last for barely more than a year. I will be looking at Bose in the future.

Since the last update 4.0.0, the left earbud loses entire charge in 15 to 18 Minutes. It plunges to 0% from 60%. How to fix that? The right earbud still is at 89%. And I always put on the right earbud first. When is the next update expected to fix this?

Was really happy with these intially, a good sound (improved by Wavelet AutoEQ), and really great ANC, and low profile, only to find that I couldn't turn off certain chimes/spoken notifications. The low battery notification is particularly bad, as if you fall asleep with these in, it will wake you up and ruin a good nights sleep. As an insomnia sufferer this is unforgivable. Would have been 5 stars with the ability to customise notification sounds, but now they've gone on the back burner, and I'm using Pixel Buds Pro.

+ Good price + Comfortable and light + Decent noise cancelling and microphone + Good sound once adjusted - Controls, volume in particular, do not work well - One of the buds loses sound on occasion - White noise which is present in some settings is annoying Some features, such as switching to ambient noise cancelling, are nice in theory but do not work well enough in practice. Multi device pairing is a nice feature but I have not used it enough to know how well it’s implemented.

I both these about 8 months ago and they’ve been great for the most part. But I’m the last month, they have this weird windy noise in both pass through and noise cancellation modes. Send a lot of people reporting the same.

These buds are a great size and sounds everything I wanted and with the Sony brand I thought I could rely on that for build quality. Unfortunately this isn't the case. The buds are clearly designed to last for their 12 month warranty period and after that they dived off a cliff. Just before the warrant expired I started getting uneven battery drain with the right bud draining quicker. Overall battery life began to drop as well. By month 13 the falloff was shocking. Very frustrating, considering the cost!. After contacting Sony I was asked to reinitialise and reset the buds. This clearly did nothing other than hide the obvious, the cheap batteries used here were simply incapable of holding charge any longer and the re-initialisation of software masks this by resetting the 100% status to a lower point. By month 15 the right bud last 6 minutes before dying and I get around 15 from the left. They are clearly unusable and just more plastic landfill. Sony is now marketing their products as being plastic free in the packaging and using recycled plastics on the products. While in reality they are designing this product to last 12 months. I cannot express here how much you should avoid these buds, unless you think £10 per month cost for the lifetime of a pair of buds is good value and enjoy creating plastic waste.

The sound quality is OK for the money but only lasted 16 before I have started getting a really high pitched noise in the left one. It comes and goes but I don't want to wear them as it's so high pitched it actually hurts my ear! I expect better from Sony and this has made me think twice about spending good money on Sony products in future. 16 is a pathetic amount of time for a premium brand. They should work for much longer.

The automatic noise cancellation works great! I'm a chef in a busy kitchen and use these daily at work and can

Bought recently, great so far, and does not hurt my ears as other earbuds

Got these as a Birthday gift last August that then Every Day for at the very least 2 hours a day

After 1 week, the left bud keeps letting out a super loud high pitched noise. So, so bad. Highly do not recommend

Incredible sound quality and value for money. Olivia Rodrigo buds look so good. Transparency is next level, easily beating out airpod pros.

Been using Sony products for years have Xm3 for over 4 years no issues whatsoever, have sound bar as well quality unmatched. Had numerous other sony headphones But then it comes to these feel let down and disappointed. First two weeks it was great. Until battery started to drain unevenly and one of the earbuds bus dies faster even boths beenimg used as same time. Had tu replacement then thought it was one one off. New pair of linkbuds same issue starting to appear. Didn't around found out it know issues with sony earbuds that they drain unevenly to fast. Otherwise would love these but it just to unreasonable.

The sound quality is great, the price value is moderate

I bought this 2 weeks ago and so far good experience. While on calls sometimes our voice won't reach am hoping it's because of the network issue. Otherwise clarity of sound is good.

Love my buds, little tricky to figure out the tapping but I'll get there.

Best buds I have ever used. So easy to set up and link to phone. The ambient sound control is a game changer.

Great sound for both music and podcasts, also great for crystal clear phone calls!

Excellent very clear sound and very intuitive to use. They also come with different size buds (SS, S, M, L).

The sound is spot in noise cancelling is brilliant also the way they switch automatically in different environments is so good

It fits into my ear canal nicely as I do not like my buds protuding out and made obvious I am wearing it

I purchased these a little over a month ago and they're absolutely superb! Couldn't be happier with the quality and aesthetic; the comfortable fit of the buds provide more security than my previous Samsung buds2.

These buds deliver astonishing quality audio - easily the best I’ve heard. Battery life is long, it seems ages before I need a recharge and I use them a lot. But the ‘ambient sound’ feature is infuriating! It constantly monitors the audio environment. If it detects you are outside, say on a walk, it stops playback, cuts the bass and noise reduction. I’ve had a music track stop every ten seconds! Then had to tap an earbud to start it again, which can loosen it. It makes it almost impossible to enjoy any sort of playback. Switching off ambient sound only disables it once. Then it defaults back to being on. So, constant stress, constant work to keep restarting during a music track. Unless you’re happy to spend your listening time constantly fighting this feature I’d avoid this product.

These were great headphones for about a year. But the battery has completely gone now, after only 18months they last around 15mins. Pointless Get over ears, or try another brand if TW are needed. Jabra's range has been great for me in the past.

I bought the link a week ago and started using the Linkbuds S immediately after receiving it. It felt like I had entered a new one, with these being my first pair of Bluetooth earbuds. The audio quality is excellent, and the size fits well within my ears; the noise cancelling and ambient mode have been nice to use inside. The only criticism I have towards the earbuds is that while outside travelling with ambient mode on the left, earbuds will start producing a loud wind noise both when I'm out or once I get inside from the outdoors, and the only solution to solve this is by placing it charging case and waiting for the issue to subside which isn't something I like as I instead want to continue using for longer. At the same time, there's still enough charge on them.

Love these earbuds you don't really notice you have them in as they are very light and a real comfortable fit. The sound is great the 360 degree surround is fantastic, they way they can allow you to have a conversation and listen to music is fab. The adaptation to tour surroundings is really handy as you don't have to change any settings. The headphone app for phone makes a real difference. Overall fantastic value for earbuds that offer so much.

Bought them about a week ago and I am still strugling to control them. It's a bit annoying when they turn on Spotify each time I say something while on DuoLingo!

Bought the Linkbuds S just over 2 weeks ago and have been using them every day when out walking. The Linkbuds S are lightweight (compared to my Sony WF-1000XM3), have a great sound and are good value for money.

Already having Sony over-ear “muffs”, I wanted a decent set of buds for easier outdoor and holiday travel. These are excellent. Nicely presented, good noise cancelling and I’m confident in the brand. Looking forward to using more often.

Excellent sound quality, good value and comfort…..