If you’re after some lightweight, go-anywhere wireless earbuds then you’re spoiled for choice. However, Sony believes that it has a true all-conquering option with the LinkBuds S. They’re designed to be lightweight and easy to use, just as accustomed to a long-haul flight as a jog along the shore. 

Coming in at a featherweight 35g, the LinkBuds S are a more streamlined version of the regular LinkBuds, which feature a noticeable ‘open ring’ design that aims to sit within the ear comfortably. The LinkBuds S, however, have taken on a more traditional earbud aesthetic which, in our view, looks a little more natural. 

But Sony certainly hasn’t scrimped on the features. We’ve got noise cancelling with Sony’s Ambient Sound system that can allow a certain amount of sound to filter through – ideal for when you’re running in a busy area. A six-hour battery life means that you’ve got plenty of juice for even the longest of movies and a quick stop in the rounded case can quickly top them back up – five minutes of charge gives up to 60 minutes of run time, in fact. 

It’s all housed in a slimline, easy-to-pocket charging case which has a light indicator to show when it’s charging or when the earbuds inside are being topped up. Plus, a compact USB-C connector around the back makes charging easy and a two-hour charge time for this case means that having that backup power isn’t tricky to gain. Being IXP4 rated means that the Linkbuds S are ideal for sweaty gym sessions or if you’re just wearing them out and about in the UK, where rain showers are more than a common occurrence. 

Sphere Score

At £139, the Linkbuds S aren’t too much of an investment and sit only slightly more expensive than the second-generation Airpods that are still available to purchase via Apple for £129. The more expensive, latest edition of Airpods comes in slightly more than these Sonys, too, at £169 for a standard lightning-connector charging case version. 

You’ve got five colours to choose from with these ultra-compact earbuds, too, with our test set being the standard black shade. We’d actually opt for a lighter colour, simply because they’d be easier to find – when you’ve got a black case, it can quite easily be lost against other items and is far harder to hunt out from a bag pocket, particularly when you’re travelling. 

But when it comes to travelling, the standard noise cancelling that comes with the Linkbuds S means that you can get a good amount of those high-level sounds suppressed; when on a plane, we could only really make out the thrum of the engines in the background whereas babies crying and other passengers chattering was largely removed. 

For

• Sleek design
• Really comfortable fit
• Great sound 
• Noise cancellation works well for such a small headphone 
• Case has a nice finish

Against

• Black ones can be easy to lose
• Earbud controls can sometimes be hard to use
• Some pairing issues to begin with

Tech specs

• Price: £139
• Noise cancelling
• Google Assistant and Alexa enabled
• 6hr battery life with noise cancelling, additional 14 hours from case
• Five minutes of charge gives 60 minutes of run time
• IXP4-rated
• 4.8g

What have they got to offer?

Sony has packed a lot into a small set of earbuds with the Linkbuds S. At just 4.8g, they are almost sensationally light and this is one of the driving factors towards better levels of comfort and fit. But, despite weighing less than a sheet of paper, they’re not light on features with noise cancelling and Sony’s clever Ambient Sounds Control fully incorporated alongside both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. 

Full IXP4 rating ensures that the Sonys can handle a light rainshower or a sweaty workout, though they’ll stop short of a full submersion – you’ll need to look for IXP6 for this instead. However, this isn’t a fault of the Linkbuds S, as IXP4 is the standard for this area of the segment. 

Sony claims a six-hour battery lift with noise cancelling switched on the entire time, but you can get an extra 14 hours from the case. Plus, five minutes of charging makes for 60 minutes of run-time, which is great for times when you need a little extra boost without hanging around too long. 

Wearing – what are they like?

Take hold of the case for the Linkbuds S and you’ll find it coated in a tactile, matte finish plastic. It’s almost pebble-like, in fact, but incorporates a handy display light at the front which can show when it’s charging, while around the back there’s the USB-C connector and a small button which is used for pairing. Speaking of getting these earbuds connected to your device, things are pretty easy – you just hold down the aforementioned button for five seconds, wait for the front light to go blue and you’re away. 

We found pairing them with our Android phone simple and easy and while it took a little longer to get them hooked up with an older Apple device, it wasn’t a lot trickier. The case snaps shut with a reassuring ‘click’ thanks to a magnetised finish, but the black colour of ‘our’ test earbuds did mean that they were quite easy to misplace, as it’s a shade which does tend to blend into the background, particularly when you’re travelling and throwing them in a bag or suitcase. 

Once you’re all connected, the sound quality that you’re able to get from the Linkbuds S is great for such a compact setup. The fit is good, too, and because the earbuds themselves are so light, you don’t get that annoying earache that can sometimes come with prolonged use of heavier rivals. Plus, a secure fit means that they’re great for running or more active sessions – we’ve tried them out in the gym and found them to stay locked in place, even if you’re pushing for your next PB. 

Sony’s clever Ambient Sound Control helps to allow some of the noise of your surroundings to filter through – which is great for when you’re out running – but you’re also able to dial the noise cancelling up to the maximum for flights and train rides. This noise cancelling setup does a great job of taking away most of the background noise, too, removing the sound of people talking in a plane’s cabin, for example, though you’re still able to hear the background noise of the aircraft’s engines running, however. 

We’ve found the hands-free calling with the Linkbuds S to be a little patchy and most callers say that the line isn’t that clear – something rectified by switching to using the phone’s speaker instead of these headphones. It’s a small drawback with these Sony buds, particularly if you’re planning on using them for work calls. 

However, the hands-free controls that the Linkbuds S use do work very nicely. The left-hand earbud is where you control the ambient sound and noise cancelling, while its opposite number allows you to skip tracks or pause the audio. Both work really well and don’t take much adjustment. 

To finish

The Sony Linkbuds S are a great choice for people who want a set of earbuds that’ll do it all. One of their key attributes is their low weight, which makes them comfy for long periods of use and secure in terms of fit for when you’re moving about. 

When you combine this with noise cancelling and some decent battery life, you’ve got yourself a set of earbuds with very few drawbacks.