Overall Score 6.2 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Overall Score 6.2 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Beats Studio Buds | Sony LinkBuds S |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | ingress protection (ip) rating | IPX4 | IPX4 |
weight | 5.1g | 9.6g | |
has no wires or cables | ✓ | ✓ | |
sweat resistance | ✓ | ✓ | |
has stereo speakers | ✓ | ✓ | |
SOUND QUALITY | has active noise cancellation (noise control) | ✓ | ✓ |
has passive noise reduction | ✓ | ✓ | |
driver unit size | 8.2mm | 5mm | |
lowest frequency | 20Hz | 20Hz | |
highest frequency | 20000Hz | 40000Hz | |
sound pressure level | 100.5dB/mW | ✗ | |
has a neodymium magnet | ✗ | ✓ | |
POWER | battery life | 8hours | 6hours |
battery life of charging case | 16hours | 14hours | |
charge time | 1.5hours | 2hours | |
has a battery level indicator | ✓ | ✓ | |
CONNECTIVITY | has usb type-c | ✓ | ✓ |
bluetooth version | v5.2 | v5.2 | |
maximum bluetooth range | 10meters | 10meters | |
has aac | ✓ | ✓ | |
has ldac | ✗ | ✓ | |
MICROPHONE | number of microphones | 6only | 6only |
has a noise-canceling microphone | ✓ | ✗ | |
EXTRAS | has ambient sound mode | ✓ | ✓ |
has in/on-ear detection | ✗ | ✓ | |
has find earbuds feature | ✓ | ✓ | |
supports fast charging | ✓ | ✓ | |
multipoint count | 2only | ✗ | |
has a mute function | ✓ | ✓ | |
control panel placed on a device | ✓ | ✓ | |
has voice prompts | ✓ | ✓ | |
travel bag is included | ✓ | ✓ | |
See price on Amazon | See price on Amazon |
IP ratings refer to the level of protection given by an enclosure, against solids and water. The letters 'IP' are followed by two values The first value means protection against solids say dust, while the second refers to protection against liquids (water).
Scoring IPX4, the Beats Studio Buds's rating is read as, the first number of X denotes that no data available to specify a protection rating, and of liquids that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes.
Compared to the Beats Studio Buds, Sony LinkBuds S have a rating of IPX4 meaning that
we are not yet certain of their rating with solids (dust)
and that of liquids is that,
they both have the same rating against liquids
The Beats Studio Buds have a weight of 5.1g . We prefer a lower weight better for the reason that lighter devices are easier to transport.
The Sony LinkBuds S, at 9.6g
are heavier than the Beats Studio Buds with a difference of 4.5g
True wireless devices have no cables connecting any part of the device together, Beats Studio Buds are true wireless for this case since they don't have wires. This is an important difference as some wireless earbuds have wires linking the pair of earbuds together.
Sony LinkBuds S also is true wireless because it has no wires connecting the 2 earbuds .
Beats Studio Buds have sweat resistance
Sony LinkBuds S's resistance to sweat makes both devices good for use while doing sports such as long-distance running, marathons, cardio sweat workouts , etc
Beats Studio Buds have stereo speakers, devices with stereo speakers deliver sound from separate channels on both left and right sides, this creates a richer sound and a better listening experience.
Both Sony LinkBuds S and Beats Studio Buds have stereo speakers
Active noise cancellation utilises advanced kind of tech to actively counter noise. ANC works when, it listens to the sound pattern of incoming noise and after generates a mirror signal to cancel it out. In simple terms, it's like taking +1 (noise) and adding -1 (inverted noise) to make 0 hence "diluting" the noise.
The Beats Studio Buds have Active Noise Cancellation enabling you to listen at lower levels of volume, good for your ears as you don't have to crank up the device volume to outcompete background noise.
The Sony LinkBuds S too have Active Noise Cancellation making both devices ideal for flights and rush hour commutes. The Beats Studio Buds and Sony LinkBuds S work with different noise cancellation settings, pick the setting that suits your travel or that suites your relaxation time.
Beats Studio Buds sit well in place, this creates an acoustic covering that tones down your environment sounds well as preventing the device music from leaking out at the same.
Both of these devices have passive noise reduction this implies that they limit ambient noise instead of actively using ANC to cancel it out.
The Beats Studio Buds driver unit is 8.2mm in diameter, bigger drivers are more powerful, and can produce better bass.
The driver unit is basically a mini speaker that makes sound in the device, its size corellates with the sound made by the device.
Sony LinkBuds S driver unit is 5mm in diameter,
which implies that they have a smaller driver unit than that of Beats Studio Buds by 3.2mm
, a common assumption that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.
However, large drivers find it difficult to produce high frequencies so it's true that, larger drivers can generate louder sound, but this does not indicate that they deliver better quality sound.
The Beats Studio Buds's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, low-frequency response inidcates how well an audio component produces low frequencies that can be heard, and if it makes any changes to the signal while at it.
Sony LinkBuds S's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this implies that
both devices make sound with equal bass
The Beats Studio Buds's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, high-frequency response tells how well a particular audio device generates high recognizable frequencies and if it makes any changes to the signal while at it.
Sony LinkBuds S's highest frequency is at 40000Hz, this implies that
Sony LinkBuds S can produce a clearer and crispier treble than the Beats Studio Buds
SPL, is the pressure level of sound, in decibels, dB, Beats Studio Buds's measurement is 100.5dB/mW. Devices with a higher sound pressure level are generally louder when supplied with any given audio source.
Sony LinkBuds S have neodymium magnets, if used in earbuds produce a higher sensitivity and substantial sound output while using less power. They can help produce music at quite a high sound pressure level, with the use of high magnetic flux.
Beats Studio Buds's battery life is 8 hours, these last longer than 5 hours of listening which is considered average before recharge. A device's battery life is commonly given by the manufacturer, and with more battery hours, you get to use it for longer and requires fewer chargings.
Sony LinkBuds S's battery life is
less than that of Beats Studio Buds by 2 hours
. Every time you recharge your device, they get a little less playing time. The effect is not noticeable at first, but over a few years, your wireless earbuds will have shorter listening time.
The battery life of the charging case is given by the vendor, and the Beats Studio Buds's case has a charge of 16 hours. A charging case with a longer battery life allows you to recharge your earbuds on the go multiple times before recharging the case itself.
Sony LinkBuds S's charging case has a battery life of 14 hours,
less than that of Beats Studio Buds by 2 hours
It takes 1.5 hours to fully charge the Beats Studio Buds's battery. It is recommended to charge fully the battery before using the earbuds for the first time.
Sony LinkBuds S takes 2 hours to fully charge the battery,
more than that of Beats Studio Buds by 0.5 hours
Beats Studio Buds have a battery level indicator, an indicator notifies you when the earbuds has a low battery. Its lights show the charging state of your earbuds and charging case.
Sony LinkBuds S too have a battery level indicator, charging indicators enable you determine the charging state of your earbuds, whether fully charged, or having a low battery.
Beats Studio Buds have USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.
Sony LinkBuds S too have USB TYPE-C. This USB-C plug is part and parcel of most current laptops, phones, and tablets.
The Beats Studio Buds have Bluetooth version of 5.2, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data movement between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.
Sony LinkBuds S has a Bluetooth version of 5.2,
equal to that of the Beats Studio Buds
. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
The Beats Studio Buds have a 10meters distance connecting via Bluetooth.
Sony LinkBuds S have a maximum range of 10meters,
equal to that of the Beats Studio Buds
Beats Studio Buds support AAC, a codec that is used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Because it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it can provide better results than other codecs at the same bit rate.
Being the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Beats Studio Buds will work well with your iPad. If you are planning on using these with Android , ensure that they also support aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC as well.
The Sony LinkBuds S support AAC as well. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves higher sound quality than MP3 encoders at the same bit rate.
Sony LinkBuds S support LDAC, a codec developed by Sony which allows streaming high-resolution audio over Bluetooth connections at up to 990 kbps at 32 bit/96 kHz. It is capable of a very high bitrate of 990kbps, providing high-resolution audio.
Beats Studio Buds have 6 microphones.
While the Sony LinkBuds S microphones are 6,
equal to that of the Beats Studio Buds
. More microphones result in better sound quality and enable the earbuds to filter out noise.
Beats Studio Buds use a noise-canceling microphone, these microphones are designed to reduce noise from the earbuds' sound.
The Beats Studio Buds support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient sound to still be heard even when wearing them
The Sony LinkBuds S support ambient sound mode as well, helpful when you want to listen to music but also be aware of what’s happening around you, for example when you’re having a jog but would still want to hear traffic.
The Sony LinkBuds S have in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the earbuds can detect when they are removed from your ears .
If misplaced in a room, or can't be found in your bag, Beats Studio Buds have a find earbuds feature.
The Sony LinkBuds S also have the find earbuds feature. Simply use the earbuds app on your smartphone to play an alarm from your device to locate them.
Beats Studio Buds support fast charging. Commonly, technologies like MediaTek’s Pump Express, are used to reduce the time it takes to fully charge a device.
Sony LinkBuds S too support fast charging. This kind is similar to regular charging, just that the battery fills up much faster. For example, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery is charged to 50% in 30 minutes.
The Beats Studio Buds have a multipoint of 2 connections, this feature allows you connect to more than one Bluetooth device and switch between them. Say, you can easily switch calls from one device to another without manually disconnect and reconnect.
The Beats Studio Buds have a mute function, they support the option to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the device.
The Sony LinkBuds S also have this function. The mute function means that you can turn off the earbuds' microphone, but you can still hear the other party's voice.
The Beats Studio Buds, so you can easily access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever functions are supported on the earbuds.
The Sony LinkBuds S too have a control panel on them.
The Beats Studio Buds support voice prompts. Automatically receive information via audio messages, say if there is a problem with the connection.
The Sony LinkBuds S also have voice prompts meaning the device will notify you when the battery is low, and it's time to recharge the earbuds.
Beats Studio Buds come with a special case. Carrying earbuds openly, or placing them inside your bag without a cover may easily damage them.
Sony LinkBuds S also have a case included, which offers safe transportation.