The LinkBuds S provide a very well-balanced package of decent sounding, noise cancelling earbuds with almost every smart feature from the flagship XM4 model. They’re only held back by sub-par battery life and the fact you can get a similar sound and ANC experience for less money if the smart features don’t appeal.

The $199 LinkBuds S takes the series on a more traditional true wireless route and offers up superb ANC, features, and sound for the price.

The Sony LinkBuds S are a great set of headphones offering a many of the features of the 1000X, but in a more affordable package. Comfortable and compact, they offer good sound quality but could be a little louder. There are a wide range of features offered through the Sony Headphones app to expand the experience. At this price, they are a competitive set of headphones worthy of consideration.

Especially for the earbuds' small size, those 6 standalone hours are pretty impressive, and the additional 14 hours you can get when you store them in their case means you're set for the weekend. Or for well beyond two days, depending on how long your music-listening sessions are.

It’s tricky not to think of the LinkBuds S as a smaller version WF-1000XM4. They share a similar design, the same feature set and similar audio performance as well. The difference is that the WF-1000XM4 are more for the audiophile, whereas the LinkBuds S seem best suited to the more casual crowd.

The Sony LinkBuds S are light as a feather for all-day comfort, and the sound quality is surprisingly close to Sony's more expensive earbuds. Unless you need wireless charging or longer battery life, the LinkBuds S are all you need for music and calls.

The $199 Sony LinkBuds S are some of the smartest ANC earbuds we’ve tested

Like I said at the beginning, the Link Buds S are really appealing in a lot of ways. They're lightweight and compact yet don't skimp on the features and performance. They're kind of a cross between Sony's entry-level C500 ($100) and its flagship WF-1000XM4 buds.

The Sony LinkBuds S follows a deeply flawed, but unique pair of true wireless earbuds. It's a lot more reliable, but also a lot less distinctive. This is a solid pair of noise cancelling earbuds, but it doesn't handle the very specific use cases of the original LinkBuds as well.

Sony’s built a reputation for great wireless earbuds and the LinkBuds S aren’t short of positives, but neither are they a runaway sonic success.

The Sony LinkBuds S has competition in the $200 ANC space with the likes of the Jabra Elite 7 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 and Apple AirPods Pro (on sale for less than $200 at Amazon) all sporting ANC and other advanced features. ANC is fairly subtle in all of these, except for the AirPods Pro, and you have to jump up to something like the WF-1000XM4 for strong noise cancellation.

The Sony LinksBuds S are capable wireless earbuds that are comfortable enough to wear all day and have a great transparency mode and intuitive controls.

Almost all the news regarding the Sony LinkBuds S is good. They’re small, light and comfortable, with respectable battery life and a stack of well-implemented control options. And they’re an agreeable listen, but their shortage of sonic animation and vigor leaves them a little short for the price.

Sony is already in a very strong position when it comes to in-ear headphones, with its WF-1000XM4 offering just about everything you could want from a pair of true wireless earbuds. Their noise cancellation is better than the LinkBuds S and their audio quality is superior as well, meaning the WF-1000M4 are still the top choice if you’re after Sony earbuds.

Out of the box, they have a warm sound profile. Although they lack a bit of low-bass, they have a neutral mid-range, so vocals and lead instruments are present and clear in your mixes. Sibilants like cymbals are dull due to a dip in the treble range, but luckily, you can customize their sound to your liking using their companion app's graphic EQ and presets. That said, since they have an in-ear fit, their passive soundstage doesn't feel very immersive.

But I plan on keeping them in my earbuds rotation for situations where I need all-day comfort, strong voice call performance, and capable noise cancellation. There’s room for improvement, but all I know is I can barely tell when I’m wearing these buds. That’s music to my ears, and maybe the same will be true for you.

Sony's true wireless LinkBuds S earphones deliver good sound quality and noise cancellation in a much more effective design than previous pair, but they don't quite outshine the rest of the competition.

These aren't the ones. They look great, but the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired.