 Hey guys, Thundee here. And today I have a brand new pair of True Wireless Buds from Sony. These are the Sony Link Buds S. Yes, they are called the Link Buds S because they are part of the Link Buds family. And Sony has clearly said that this will not replace the XM line, so the WF-1000XM4s. This is not the successes to these bad boys. So this video, as you would expect, we are going to be comparing them against the XM4s as well as the AirPods Pro to see how well they stack up in terms of just functionality and use case. So let us start off with the very first thing. Of course, the design case and fit. So the Link Buds S come in a very nice, small, compact case. You can see it's got the LED logo in the front telling you that of course it's either green charging or needs to be charged, all that fun stuff. It does have USB Type-C charging at the back and a Bluetooth pair button if you need to. This will give you about 6 hours of charge within with the earbuds and then 20 with the case. Now in terms of the design themselves, they look really nice and compact. And when you look at it, it's very comfortable in super lights. Now, the white version feels really smooth while the black has that very textured feel which I do like. So it keeps less oil or fingerprints while you're using them which is actually pretty cool. Size wise, when you compare them to the XM4s, the XM4s are massive. They are really big in terms of size and you can actually see how they compare. And they're also comparing that to the AirPods Pro. The AirPods Pro of course are larger just because you've got that stem as well. But in terms of the design and fit, I would say look, they're smaller, they're lighter. But when it comes to the case, the case is also smaller. Probably around this, almost around the same size as the AirPods Pro. Now, with those cases, there are some advantages and disadvantages. As I mentioned, USB Type-C charging, while of course, as you know, the AirPods Pro use Lightning. But both the AirPods Pro and the XM4s, the WF-XM4s, do have wireless charging. So that is actually built in and that is pretty nice. While the LynxBud S do not have wireless charging. You do have that quick charge feature, which all of them do. So you can of course get an hour's use with about, you know, five, 10 minutes of charge, which is actually pretty great. Now, let us go to fit. This is where it is very important. As you can see, I am wearing the LynxBud S in my ears. They feel really comfortable and they are easy to wear. That's one of the best features about them. As you've known, Sony's traditional wireless buds are usually bulky and heavy. And as we take a closer look at the XM4s, they are bulky. You wear them in your ears. You got to find the right fit. It's best to use the comply foam with this because they just have this very bulky feel. And I know a lot of people who complain about it and say, look, it's just too bulky. And then with the AirPods Pro, they've got a unique feel and fit to it. I do like using them with comply foam because it makes it fit better. I would say it's not as bulky as the XM4. When I stack it up, I would say LynxBud S is the most comfortable to wear. Then the Apple AirPods Pro and then the, of course, XM4s are the least comfortable. So let's move to the most important part, sound. Because this is where the true heart of the metal lies for any of these true wireless buds. How well do they sound? Now, the LynxBud S are, as I mentioned, they're comfortable to wear and they have some really good sound. Now there's not a lot of separation with the highs and the mids and the bass is a bit better, but not as much as I would like. Now they're still solid though and this is complemented with, of course, the Sony app where you can jump into the EQs and you can do a lot of work with that in changing the sound to customize. I tend to go with bright in the EQs to give me just a better sound scape for this. And they do also have the ability to work with 360 audio, so you do have that there. Now how does that compare to the AirPods Pro as well as also the XM4s? To me, the AirPods Pro and the XM4s sound better. The AirPods Pro have a better separation between the highs and the mids quite well and the XM4s actually do a much better job across that board. So you don't need to actually tweak the EQs or anything like that. When it comes to the audio though, I have to say the WF-1000 XM4s are still the top tier in terms of audio, within all three here. While the AirPods Pro do a really good job at number two and the Link Buds S coming at number three. I know some of you are going, well, but these are brand new, they should be better. Sony actually racks them below the XM line. So that is to be expected right there. Now, as I mentioned, the EQs, which means there's a lot of software involved. Now, starting off with the AirPods Pro, Apple doesn't have a lot of software tweaking. They do have, of course, the ability to customize your noise cancellation, as well as also spatial audio, which you can do directly on your device, on the volume settings, and that's pretty much it. There's some built-in EQ settings on your iPhone you can jump into, but that's not something that's attached to this device. Now, when it comes to the Mark IVs, as well as also the Link Buds S, you do have that custom Sony software, which is very in-depth, where you have, of course, adaptive sound control, balancing your ANC, which we're talking about in a second. You can also change your music. You do have speak-to-chat, which basically stops the sound, and then you've got ambient sound control that kind of detakes between your noise cancellation, your ambient sound, and of course, focusing on voice. Plus, you've got that EQ that I mentioned, as well as 360 audio. So there's a lot of things in that software that really gives it a more robust feel, and I think this is where, of course, Sony allows you to customize your headphones as much as possible. So I'll give, of course, the Link Buds S and the WF-XM4s the marks are right here. Now, speaking of active noise cancellation, this is a very good one. All three do have active noise cancellation, while the Link Buds S and the WF-Mark IVs do have adaptive sound control. That's a very unique feature that allows you to use the software to customize your ANC wherever you are. So as you're walking, it will change it, so at least you can hear more of your environment if you're outside, or if you're sitting at home and you just want to kind of have some noise within the outfit now, it does it for you. So it automatically changes between whatever you're doing, plus it also registers your location, and it can do it by location. If you know you're by train station, then it might actually block more of that noise for you. The, of course, the AirPods Pro do not have that. It's a very simple system, which you can just customize and change on your own. I would say, look, both are solid in terms of the software side, but in terms of the active noise cancellation, I would give the slight edge to the XM4s, especially with the Fit, with, of course, the Comply phone, then the AirPods Pro, and then the Link Buds S. The Link Buds S are good. Maybe if I try with Comply phone, I would actually get maybe a better seal. Now, battery life. This is really important part because as you use active noise cancellation headphones, you're gonna be draining your battery, and very simple stated from Sony is that the Link Buds S give you six hours of use with the earbuds, and then 20 hours with the case, while both the AirPods Pro, as well as the WF-XM4s, do 24 hours with about roughly six hours of use. So, again, you're getting more from those two over Link Buds S in terms of just pure battery life and functionality. And then finally, microphones. We do have mics on these devices, and that's very key and very important. Sony has come a long way in proving their microphones in terms of what you can actually do with the microphones. And I'll have to say that they are now probably on par with the AirPods Pro. The AirPods Pro do a really good job. I think Apple has already done a really good job with that. Sony has actually come a long way. They've added more mics on the Link Buds S to give you better sound capture. And from my conversation with friends, the one you do the better, and you tried all three, and it's pretty much the same they said I sounded good. So, I think the microphones are there. Before I forget, transparency mode, because a lot of you guys are gonna ask about it. How does it pair against the AirPods Pro? AirPods Pro have very good transparency mode. I think a lot of people like it. When it comes to the XM4s and the Link Buds S, they are very, very good. I would say maybe a notch below. I think transparency mode on the AirPods Pro just feel a bit more natural. While the Link Buds S is much better. It's actually closer to that, while the XM4 is a bit of a step down from that. But, in terms of transparency mode, look, it's gonna be the AirPods Pro. So, how do I see and compare the Link Buds S to the other two devices? Well, when we look at the pricing for it, the Link Bud S is priced at $199. Of course, comes in two colors here. And the XM4s are still priced at $278. While you can get the AirPods Pro at about $179, depending on where you look at it. But, of course, that price point is still $250 if you're getting it from Apple. To me, the XM4s are still the best in this category. And the AirPods Pro coming at a very good second, while the Link Buds S coming at more of a tentative third here. I wish the price point for the Link Buds S was a little bit less. I would feel more comfortable at a $150 to $170 price range than a $199. But I still think they are really solid and hopefully Sony can improve on them as we move forward. So there you have it guys. If you have any questions and comments, let me know. Otherwise, don't forget to like, share, subscribe, and always enjoy entertainment.