Sony LinkBuds S vs WF-1000XM4 - The BETTER XM4? 😲
The Sony LinkBuds S is, according to Sony the smallest, lightest, Hi-Res certified, noise cancelling true wireless earbuds, and in this article we will compare them to Sony’s WF-1000XM4. Given there are so many similarities between them, I’m sure everyone is wondering if this is just a cheaper version of the WF-1000XM4, or if it’s something more than that.
LinkBuds Limitation No More
You may recall the donut-inspired LinkBuds, which created a lot of hype around them because it is a very unconventional take on open fit true wireless. Sony wanted them to be crazy small, crazy light, something you can wear all day, because it is actually supposed to be this augmented reality assistant. There were even collabs with app developers to make that a reality. But it’s got its issues and it seemed like Sony tried to make the best out of the limitations given the unconventional design of this product. The most glaring of the limitations is its sound quality. I mean, yes they did sound decent, but there was very little bass to speak of, and there were other limitations too like its shorter battery, the lack of Hi-Res support or DSEE Extreme.
Sony LinkBuds (Donut style)
However the LinkBuds S, being a more conventional design, kind of addressed all of these concerns by including what people liked about the WF-1000XM4 earbuds, like in-ear plug design, active noise cancelling, Hi-Res certified audio with LDAC streaming. The donut LinkBuds only supports legacy DSEE but the S model got the latest Extreme version with better file restoration.
Similarities to WF-1000XM4
With plenty of similarities, the LinkBuds S are like an WF-1000XM4 mini. It’s physically smaller, with a smaller case and earbuds. The first time I was wearing the LinkBuds S, they felt like almost nothing in my ears, yet they still managed to pull off both being snug and stable in my ears. So if you’ve got smaller ears and you don’t like WF-1000XM4s because the fit’s too tight, the LinkBuds S are going to be more comfortable, partly due to the silicone ear tips instead of foam on the WF-1000XM4. The general consensus is that foam tips do a slightly better job at noise blocking, which will have an impact on the LinkBuds S’s ANC.
The LinkBuds S also have a smaller battery of up to 6 hours in the buds and 20 hours with case in total, compared to the WF-1000XM4’s 8 and 24 hours respectively. And perhaps due to its size restrictions, they don’t have wireless charging, unlike the WF-1000XM4s. However, the LinkBuds series support selected AR app services and not the WF-1000XM4, so if you wanna try those AR apps to augment your reality, you will have to go for the LinkBuds S.
Audio Difference
In terms of features, both are pretty much identical - right down to the Sony Headphones Connect app, like Adaptive Sound Control, Speak-to-chat, EQ settings.
But are they also identical in terms of sound? Well, sort of. As somebody who’s been daily driving the WF-1000XM4s for about a year, the LinksBuds S sounded very familiar. Its bass sounded rich and deep with great extension and gravity, its mids were thick and heavy while keeping the upper frequencies clean and under control. It does sound just a tiny bit brighter than the XM4 but fortunately it doesn’t cross over into sibilant territory because according to my frequency sweep, it does have an almost 10db gain over the XM4 in the upper mids and highs. So if you want an overall crisper, brighter sound signature, the LinkBuds S could be what you’re looking for. I do think the WF-1000XM4s did a little better in terms of track separation in the lower mids, and it does have a little more thump in the bass. So if it’s a darker, heavier sound you want, you won’t go wrong with the WF-1000XM4s. But otherwise in terms of detail retrieval, soundstaging, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference.
Sony Linkbuds S (Red), Sony WF-1000XM4 (Blue)
Call Quality Difference
I have compared their microphone pickup in both quiet and noisy conditions using some really loud cafe style background noise, and some wind noise. Have a listen. TLDR, It appears that the LinkBuds S is a step ahead of the WH-1000XM4 in terms of call quality. Its background noise rejection is better, its wind noise rejection as well, while leaving my voice sounding clear.
Active Noise Cancelling
I ran the test using the same background noise as before, and the LinkBuds S did a pretty great job at cancelling low frequencies, about as much as the WF-1000XM4 earbuds. A possible explanation is that they both use the same Integrated Processor V1 chip. But even so, the WF-1000XM4 earbuds with its thick foam tips were simply better at cutting mid-frequency band noise. Listen to the result here.
Bluetooth Latency
There is no noticeable lag on Youtube because they have latency correction which minimises that lag. But for mobile games, the LinkBuds S has got a bit more lag than the WF-1000XM4 on both iOS and Android. So if you’re gaming with these earbuds, the lip syncing is not gonna be tighter than the XM4, but the difference is so small that without slow motion, you can barely tell the difference. Check it out the latency here.
Conclusion
Even when compared to the WF-1000XM4, I find the LinkBuds S to be a very compelling product. It’s basically a WF-1000XM4 mini, and it makes a great alternative to the WF-1000XM4 if you want something that fits smaller ears better, yet still packing clean, punchy sound, better call quality, comparable noise cancelling, comparable features. It’s also a lot more gentle on the wallet, which makes them far more accessible, almost like a no-brainer.
At this moment though, I wouldn’t really get them for the AR services. The ecosystem around that is still pretty skinny. There’s only a couple of apps available, Microsoft Soundscape, Endel, and in my country, only Endel is available, which is a paid service after a free trial. So you really shouldn’t get this for the AR at all. At least not at this point.
20 hours of total battery may not be adequate, and at this price, I’m expecting at least 24 hours to make it competitive with Jabra, Bose, and Sennheiser. But I see this as a necessary trade off for the price it’s going for, cause it also could increase the size of the buds which would not be ideal if it needs to be the smallest, lightest Hi-Res certified, ANC, truly wireless earbuds in the market, as it probably is right now. If you would like to check the latest pricing of these earbuds, and maybe even purchase one, visit the Amazon page links below.
Sony LinkBuds S - https://amzn.to/3xNMab7
Sony WF-1000XM4 - https://amzn.to/3zbNN12
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