Sony LinkBuds S

LinkBuds S or LinkBuds Fit?

LinkBuds Fit is the newer sealed LinkBuds, and Sony’s Japanese store sells both. Here’s how they differ:

Spec	LinkBuds S	LinkBuds Fit
Processor	Integrated Processor V1	V2
Driver	5 mm	8.4 mm
Bluetooth	5.2	5.3
Music, noise cancelling on	Up to 6 hours	Up to 5.5 hours
Music, noise cancelling off	Up to 9 hours	Up to 8 hours
With the case	Up to 20 hours (noise cancelling on)	No figure from Sony
Sony Store Japan	¥26,400	¥29,700

Fit moves from the XM4-era V1 chip to V2 and from a 5 mm driver to 8.4 mm. LinkBuds S plays half an hour to an hour longer per charge, depending on noise cancelling, and costs less at Sony’s own store. Pick Fit for the newer hardware and S for battery and price. If you’d rather keep your ears open, LinkBuds Open is the other route.

Noise cancelling and Ambient Sound

The noise cancelling runs on Integrated Processor V1 and gets help from a structure Sony designed to cut wind noise. Ambient Sound lets in more outside sound than an earlier Sony model did, Sony says, and Adaptive Sound Control flips between the two modes based on what you’re doing and the places you go often. DSEE Extreme is a switch in the Sound Connect app.

Sony pitches LinkBuds S as suited to spatial audio but lists no 360 Reality Audio certification.

Charging

Sony’s 20-hour figure counts recharges from the case and was measured over AAC with DSEE Extreme and EQ off. On standby the buds last up to 8.5 hours with noise cancelling on, or 16 with it off. The case charges over USB-C, with a USB-A to USB-C cable in the box.

Fit and controls

The hybrid tips come in SS, S, M and LL, two pairs of each, and a fit test helps you settle on a size. Sony describes an ergonomic surface design. Quick Access is built in, wear detection pauses playback when you take a bud out, and you can listen with a single bud. The buds carry an IPX4 drip-resistance rating, which Sony qualifies with an asterisk.

Connections and calls

Bluetooth 5.2 is Power Class 1, with a range of about 10 m, and alongside LDAC and LC3 it carries the TMAP, CSIP, MCP, VCP and CCP profiles that LE Audio uses. Find Device is built in. For calls, MEMS omnidirectional microphones handle what Sony calls high-precision voice pickup.

Price and colors

Sony gives LinkBuds S no list price in Japan, where it’s sold at an open price, and Sony Store Japan charged ¥26,400 including tax on 19 September 2026. There’s no US price from Sony, so check what US retailers charge before you buy.

It comes in white, black, ecru and earth blue. The Earth Blue pair uses recycled material from collected water-server bottles in the buds and case, and the other colors use some recycled material in the exterior.