Google Pixel Buds Pro
Google’s greatest
Built for those who love the Google Assistant, the greatly improved battery life and build quality are good reasons to buy these buds. With IPX4 protection, they’re good in the gym as well, and come with pretty good active noise-canceling (ANC).
Sony Linkbuds S
Sony’s second stringers
Much better than their predecessors, the light and compact Sony Linkbuds S look plain but sound great. Good noise-canceling, near-premium audio quality, and high-res audio support give them an edge - just so long as you don’t need long battery life or wireless charging.
Google’s flagship earbuds, the Pixel Buds Pro, were already chummy with the pixel phones when the Sony Linkbuds S were released. Some called them the Pixel Buds Pro-killers, but are they really? As an Android phone user, which would you benefit from most? Let’s investigate.
Both thePixel Buds Proand theLinkbuds Sare sub-$200 earbuds. They’re good at what they were intended to be: general-purpose earbuds for regular usage, not specializing in anything but being handy companions in your day-to-day life. Both are good enough to be considered among thebest true wireless earbudson the market.
Price, availability, and specs
The Pixel Buds Pros are officially priced at $200, but are often available from Google, Amazon, and elsewhere for as little as $140.
It’s a similar story with the Sonys: the MSRP is $200, but at the time of writing they’re available for just $130.
Design & fit
Build quality
Coming in charcoal, fog, coral, and lemongrass color options, the Google Pixel Buds Pros are slightly on the bulky side, sticking out a bit from the ear. Most of the body of the buds is black with a colored cap on the outside; this shows a signature G which is also the touchpad. Somehow the design is adorable — it has a certain Volkswagen-Beetle-ish charm. At 6.2 grams they’re fairly lightweight.
Still roundish but looking very different, the Sony Linkbuds S are available in four colors (black, white, earth blue, and desert sand). Not all colors are available everywhere, so do take care about that. There are no multiple tones on the buds; the plastic shell is uniformly colored. They look somewhat similar to the venerableXM4 earbuds, but smaller and much lighter — only 4.8 grams each.
Both earbuds have an IPX4 rating for some sweat-resistance, but we don’t think they fall among thebest earbuds for working out. While the Pixel Buds Pro are semi-shiny, the Linkbuds S come with a rubbery matte finish that sadly makes them dust magnets. You’ll be cleaning them forever.
Fit & comfort
Sticking out from the ear, the Pixel Buds Pros feel like they could drop out at any moment, but they don’t. The supplied standard 3 sets of ear tips are comfortable and fit adequately, and do not create ear fatigue. Google has done away with vents in this model, yet we could not feel any discernible ear pressure. However, the sound seal was substantial. Good job, Google.
The lightweight Sony Linkbuds S are a pleasure to wear, adjustable via four sets of ear tips. In fact, they’re so light that with the ambient mode on you may actually forget you’re wearing them. They’re not as comfortable as the new XM5s with their memory foam tips, but you may scarcely expect that at this price.
The touch controls in the Pixel Buds Pros are much the same as the previous buds. Google has kept things simple here: one tap to play/pause, two taps to forward, three taps to back. But interestingly, the buds also support swipe action — rub backward or forward on the G logo to control the volume.
There is also support for invoking the Assistant, though the buds always listen for the “Hey Google” keyword. You can long-press the touch area to toggle between ANC modes (ANC on or Transparency). With so many controls, you’ll barely have to touch your phone.
Controls are a bit more complex on the Linkbuds S such as they’re divided between left and right ear buds. The right earbud supports standard audio controls, and the left bud does special operations. The “Hey Google” detection is here as well, but the sensitivity leaves a bit to be desired.
Sound & call quality
Audio reproduction
With good dynamic range compression, Google made the sound in their Pro buds very… enthusiastic. Both the highs and lows are exaggerated, with somewhat lonely mids. Especially the sub-75Hz range is inflated over 6dB, which can make things sound muddy.
In reality, the end result is rather bouncy-sounding audio that’s good for happy, upbeat music and action movies. More serious listeners will want to find purity elsewhere — but for daily usage, this works pretty well. Expect some sibilance, though.
The S are another story entirely. They follow the original curve quite faithfully (though faltering a bit on the higher end). The mids are well represented and the bass is there but does not moan around other frequencies. However, the highs are definitely lacking above 2kHz and this may make your music seem less bright.
That being said, the whole ensemble is so well produced that everything sounds clear and rich. Note that you can solve the problem with the high-end frequencies using the app’s high-treble equalizer preset easily.
The Linkbuds S are leaps and bounds better than the Google Pixel Buds Pro in one point: they support LDAC. This high-resolution lossless codec can stream tracks as they were originally created without any compression. This results in audio that is full of many fine details and sounds more natural. For the price, the Pixel Buds Pros should have had at least aptX support, but alas.
Noise suppression
Being the first pair of earbuds from Google with ANC, the Pixel Buds Pro aren’t bad at it. They’re especially good at suppressing low-frequency noises like rumbling. These noises can get up to 32dB of reduction, as lab tests show. However, higher-pitched noises aren’t as affected, and you may be able to hear a definite hiss sometimes.
With the Sony buds the ANC situation is better, with around 35dB of negation around 200Hz, boosted by passive reduction from the sound seal. As long as you’ve chosen the right tip size, you shouldn’t be bothered by fan noise or vehicle horns.
The Pixel Buds Pros double down on the transparency mode: it’s superb. The sounds around you feel natural and louder in your ears, and there’s no perceptible hum or hiss as in the ANC. The Linkbuds S also pack an ambient mode, though it’s less impressive.
Calls & meetings
Neither set of buds are what we’d consider thebest earbuds for calls and meetings, but they get the job done. The Pixel Buds Pros are obviously great for Google Meet, and perform well in Zoom/Teams too. Your listeners will be able to hear background chatter, however your voice is still prioritized. Again, expect some sibilance.
Don’t expect much from the Sony Linkbuds S in terms of microphone excellence; they are not a pair of calling buds. They make do in a pinch, in a quiet room, but we wouldn’t use them in busy, noisy, or windy areas.
On Pixel 6 and above and with firmware update v4.30, the Pixel Buds Pros support head tracking and 360-degree audio. This spreads the sound over a dynamic environment and positions different instruments in physical space around your head.
With app support, the Linkbuds S can now have Sony 360 Reality Audio, which is basically the same thing but needs special subscriptions. There’s debate on whether this and LDAC can work together; the jury’s still out on that.
Pixel phones come with built-in support for the Pixel Buds Pro, but other Android users will need to download the Pixel Buds app. You need it for the ear tip fit test, some customizations, and firmware updates. It also includes a simple 5-band equalizer, and you’re able to find your buds using the app.
The Sony Headphones Connect app works with both Apple and Android devices, and it is a must-have if you’re buying the Linkbuds S. It is chock-full of useful things for your earbuds — like checking battery level, upgrading firmware, customizing all the tap controls to your heart’s content, and more. It also features a full-width equalizer with custom and preset options.
You can also set your connection priority via the app — whether you want a strong, long-distance connection, or the quality of data streaming. When you choose connection strength, LDAC gets disabled.
Connectivity
Bluetooth 5.0 is the line that holds the Pixel Buds Pros together with your phone. It supports Google Fast Pair for Android, but only the SBC and AAC codecs. When you use AAC with these buds, there will be some serious latency. But multipoint connectivity works great with them.
Via Bluetooth 5.2, the Linkbuds S support Fast Pair, and stream LDAC besides the standard SBC and AAC. They’ll also use the new LC3 codec when available. After firmware update v2.0.2 the buds support multipoint connections.
Battery life
Google wins this round hands down: the Pixel Buds Pros last over 7 hours with ANC on. The case supports wireless charging and fast charging via USB-C.
The Linkbuds S are a little behind: they last less than 6 hours per charge, which isn’t anything special. The case charges via USB-C, but there’s no wireless support.
The cases of both buds supply two charges.
Should you go Pro?
This is a hard choice indeed. We like the look of the Pixel Buds Pro, and their audio processing impresses. But the lack of any high-res codec and the barely capable Bluetooth rating holds this great pair of buds back. You should buy these buds if you need the best Google Assistant support, and good battery. They’re good for office usage too.
A fantastic pair of buds for everyday use
Google finally got it right with earbuds; the flagship Pixel Buds Pros are hard to beat with good ANC, awesome sound processing, and spatial audio support. The addition of a big battery doesn’t hurt either, and they look elite. Find a matching color with your Pixel and you’re good to go.
Meanwhile, the Linkbuds S come with decent ANC and close-to-original audio reproduction. They’re light to wear and include an extra eartip size option. LDAC support is another benefit, provided you got lossless tracks or streaming services. But they do get dirty easily, and look very flat. Buy these buds for their loyal audio reproduction (and tweak a little using the app) and superior ANC.
The audiophile option
Sony has always come forward with great sound and the Linkbuds S aren’t exceptions. These buds support LDAC and can actually reproduce high-res audio properly. The ANC is great too. Pity they had to look so flat, but some may prefer the minimal style.
