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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless vs Beats Studio Buds + True Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless
Beats Studio Buds + True Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Feb 13, 2025 12:31 AM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Jul 24, 2024 03:01 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureSemi-Open
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- LinkBuds S (Black)
- LinkBuds S (Desert Sand)
- LinkBuds S (Earth Blue)
- LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo (Violet)
- LinkBuds S (White)
- Studio Buds + (Black/Gold)
- Studio Buds + (Cosmic Silver)
- Studio Buds + (Ivory)
- Studio Buds + (Transparent)
Our Verdict
Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless
Beats Studio Buds + True Wireless
While the Beats Studio Buds + True Wireless and the Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless are similar in-ears, the Sony are better in a few respects. First, the Sony's ANC does a better job blocking out the sound of nearby conversations and AC hum. Secondly, their companion app has a graphic EQ and presets for customizing your sound. On the other hand, the Beats have a better mic and a brighter treble response by default, which you may prefer.
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Black
LinkBuds S
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Finding storeBlack/Gold
Studio Buds +
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Finding storeDesert Sand
LinkBuds S
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Finding storeCosmic Silver
Studio Buds +
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Finding storeEarth Blue
LinkBuds S
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Finding storeIvory
Studio Buds +
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Finding storeViolet
LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo
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Finding storeTransparent
Studio Buds +
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LinkBuds S
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Finding storeMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.0
6.7
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
4.3
7.8
Imaging
8.6
3.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.6
7.2
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.5
9.1
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
In-ear
In-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Semi-Open
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.02 lbs
0.02 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
7.6
6.3
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Decent
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
No
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
Portability
9.5
9.5
Portability Picture
L
1.2" (3.1 cm)
1.2" (3.0 cm)
W
1.0" (2.6 cm)
1.2" (3.0 cm)
H
0.9" (2.4 cm)
0.8" (2.0 cm)
Volume
1.18 in³ (19.30 cm³)
1.28 in³ (20.90 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
7.5
7.5
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
2.4" (6.0 cm)
2.0" (5.1 cm)
W
1.7" (4.3 cm)
2.9" (7.3 cm)
H
1.1" (2.7 cm)
1.0" (2.5 cm)
Volume
4.25 in³ (69.70 cm³)
5.78 in³ (94.70 cm³)
Build Quality
7.5
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.5
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
700 Hz
Bass Amount
2.0 dB
-2.72 dB
Treble Amount
-4.5 dB
0.2 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
9.1
8.4
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.19 dB
0.31 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.5
9.1
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.1 dB
1.37 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
17.82 Hz
Low Bass
1.19 dB
0.74 dB
Mid Bass
2.38 dB
1.58 dB
High Bass
2.69 dB
0.6 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.6
7.2
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.42 dB
3.68 dB
Low Mid
-0.23 dB
0 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.52 dB
1.31 dB
High Mid
1.58 dB
6 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
4.3
7.8
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.7 dB
3.32 dB
Low Treble
-2.29 dB
3.22 dB
Mid Treble
-7.33 dB
2.04 dB
High Treble
-12.75 dB
-1.83 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.7
7.6
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.23 dB
1.67 dB
Dips
1.99 dB
0.82 dB
Imaging
8.6
3.4
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.1
58.42
Weighted Phase Mismatch
2.83
55.86
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
1.66
3.4
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.11
2.23
Passive Soundstage
0.5
0.9
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
1.4
2.2
Acoustic Space Excitation
0.8
1.4
Virtual Soundstage
4.1
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
On/Off
No
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
360 Reality Audio
No
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
7.6
8.3
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.378
0.168
WHD @ 100
0.130
0.080
Test Settings
Firmware
4.2.1
2A219
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Off
No EQ
ANC
On
On
Tip/Pad
Silicone (medium)
Silicone (small)
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
8.5
7.8
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-22.18 dB
-21.01 dB
Isolation Audio
Bass
-14.69 dB
-14.99 dB
Mid
-24.27 dB
-23.79 dB
Treble
-28.97 dB
-25.24 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
8.1
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-18.56 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-18.56 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-21.04 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
9.3
8.8
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
25.17 dB
28.49 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
5.4
7.0
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
257.68 Hz
253.98 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
4.44 dB
2.78 dB
HFE
7,896.12 Hz
3,133.58 Hz
Weighted THD
1,274.475
0.066
Gain
-46.22 dB
3.04 dB
Noise Handling
6.3
5.0
SpNR
31.81 dB
9.78 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
6.5
5.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
6.0
5.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
7.3
6.5
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
7.1 hrs
7.5 hrs
Additional Charges
2.3
3.0
Total Battery Life
23.4 hrs
30 hrs
Charge Time
1.7 hrs
0.9 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
8.0
6.0
App Picture
App Name
Sony| Headphones Connect
Beats
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
No
ANC Control
On/Off
On/Off
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
Yes
No
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
Yes
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
No
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
No
Length
N/A
N/A
Connector
No Wired Option
No Wired Option
Latency - Analog
N/A
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Bluetooth Connection
7.9
7.2
Bluetooth Version
5.2
Unspecified
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
No
NFC Pairing
No
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Line Of Sight Range
233.92 ft (71.30 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
304 ms
245 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
Latency - LDAC
255 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
LDAC
AAC Support
Yes
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
iOS Latency
15 ms
Android Latency
112 ms
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
No
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
No
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
2.2
2.2
Type
Charging Case
Charging Case
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Supply
USB-C
USB-C
Check Price
Black
LinkBuds S
Searching
Finding storeBlack/Gold
Studio Buds +
Searching
Finding storeDesert Sand
LinkBuds S
Searching
Finding storeCosmic Silver
Studio Buds +
Searching
Finding storeEarth Blue
LinkBuds S
Searching
Finding storeIvory
Studio Buds +
Searching
Finding storeViolet
LinkBuds S x Olivia Rodrigo
Searching
Finding storeTransparent
Studio Buds +
Searching
Finding storeWhite
LinkBuds S
Searching
Finding store
Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless
Beats Studio Buds + True Wireless
Comments
Sony LinkBuds S Truly Wireless vs Beats Studio Buds + True Wireless: Main Discussion
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