Overall Score 6.2 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Ultimate Ears Drops
Overall Score 6.0 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Sony LinkBuds S | Ultimate Ears Drops |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | ingress protection (ip) rating | IPX4 | ✗ |
weight | 9.6g | ✗ | |
has no wires or cables | ✓ | ✓ | |
wingtips included | ✗ | ✓ | |
sweat resistance | ✓ | ✓ | |
is dust proof and water-resistant | ✗ | ✓ | |
has stereo speakers | ✓ | ✓ | |
SOUND QUALITY | has active noise cancellation (noise control) | ✓ | ✗ |
has passive noise reduction | ✓ | ✓ | |
driver unit size | 5mm | 9.2mm | |
lowest frequency | 20Hz | 20Hz | |
highest frequency | 40000Hz | 20000Hz | |
sound pressure level | ✗ | 110dB/mW | |
has a neodymium magnet | ✓ | ✗ | |
POWER | battery life | 6hours | 6hours |
battery life of charging case | 14hours | 9hours | |
charge time | 2hours | ✗ | |
has wireless charging | ✗ | ✓ | |
has a battery level indicator | ✓ | ✓ | |
CONNECTIVITY | has usb type-c | ✓ | ✓ |
bluetooth version | v5.2 | v4.2 | |
maximum bluetooth range | 10meters | 10meters | |
has aac | ✓ | ✓ | |
has ldac | ✓ | ✗ | |
has aptx adaptive | ✗ | ✓ | |
MICROPHONE | number of microphones | 6only | 2only |
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 | ✓ | ✓ | |
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Ingress protection ratings refer to the rank of protection given by a casing, against solids and water. The letters 'IP' are followed by two values The first value of the IP rating represents protection against solids say dust, while the second refers to protection against liquids (water).
Scoring IPX4, the Sony LinkBuds S's rating for solids indicates that no data available to specify a protection rating, and the second number of 4 means that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes.
The Sony LinkBuds S have a weight of 9.6g . We prefer a lower weight better for the reason that lighter devices are more comfortable to carry.
For a device to be true wireless it should have no cables connecting any part of the device together, Ultimate Ears Drops are true wireless for this matter since they have no wires. This is a key difference as some wireless earbuds have wires linking the 2 earbuds together.
Sony LinkBuds S also is true wireless because it doesn't have cables connecting the two earbuds .
The Ultimate Ears Drops come with wingtips, these are commonly used for earbuds for workouts and are usually an optional add-on to each silicone ear tip for a more secure fit.
Ultimate Ears Drops are resistant to sweat
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
The Ultimate Ears Drops are both dustproof and water-resistant.
Ultimate Ears Drops 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.
The Sony LinkBuds S also have stereo speakers
ANC makes use of more advanced kind of tech to actively counter noise. ANC works when, it studies the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and then generates a mirror signal to counter it. In simple terms, it's like having +1 (noise) and adding -1 (inverted noise) giving zero which results in a reduced level of noise.
Sony LinkBuds S have ANC allowing you to listen at lower levels of volume, causing less ear fatigue since you don't need to crank up the device volume to outcompete background noise.
Ultimate Ears Drops stay tightly in place, this creates an acoustic seal that reduces background sounds and also prevents the earbuds voice audio from leaking out at the same.
Both of these devices have passive noise reduction this implies that both tone down ambient noise without using technology to cancel it out.
The Ultimate Ears Drops have a unit size of 9.2mm in diameter, bigger drivers are more powerful, therefor producing better bass.
The driver unit is the component that makes sound in the earbuds, the unit size dictates the loudness of the earbuds.
Sony LinkBuds S driver unit is 5mm in diameter,
which implies that they have a smaller driver unit than that of Ultimate Ears Drops by 4.2mm
, as many tend to believe that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.
However, large drivers find it difficult to produce high frequencies so yeah, larger drivers are capable of generating louder sound, but this does not imply that they produce better quality sound.
The Ultimate Ears Drops's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, low-frequency response inidcates how well a particular audio device generates low audible frequencies and if it alters the signal while at it.
Sony LinkBuds S's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this implies that
both devices can produce equal bass
Ultimate Ears Drops's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, high-frequency response measures if and how well an audio component produces high audible frequencies and if it makes any changes to the signal on its way through.
Sony LinkBuds S's highest frequency is at 40000Hz, this means that
Sony LinkBuds S generate a clearer and crispier treble than the Ultimate Ears Drops
The sound pressure level, is the level of pressure of sound, in decibels, dB, Ultimate Ears Drops's measurement is 110dB/mW. Devices with a higher sound pressure level are generally louder when supplied with any given audio source.
The Sony LinkBuds S have neodymium magnets, when used in audio devices produce a higher sensitivity and substantial sound output using less power to do so. They can help generate music at quite a high SPL, using high magnetic flux.
The Ultimate Ears Drops's battery life is 6 hours, these last longer than 5 hours of listening which is considered average for a single charge. A device's battery life is given by the manufacturer, and with longer battery life, you get to use it for longer and have to charge the device less often.
Sony LinkBuds S's battery life is
equal to that of the Ultimate Ears Drops
. Each time you recharge your device, they get a little less listening time. The effect is not noticeable at first, but over a few years, your wireless earbuds will no longer play for long like they used to.
This is given by the vendor, and the Ultimate Ears Drops's case is said to have a charge of 9 hours. A charging case with more battery hours 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,
more than that of Ultimate Ears Drops by 5 hours
It takes 2 hours to fully charge the Sony LinkBuds S's battery. It is highly adivsable to fully charge the battery before using the earbuds when they have been in storage for long periods.
The Ultimate Ears Drops, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the device, you just place down on a supported charging pad.
Ultimate Ears Drops have a battery level indicator, an indicator alerts you when the earbuds has a low battery. The battery indicator lights show the charging status of your earbuds and case.
Sony LinkBuds S too have a battery level indicator, charging indicators enable you to tell the charging state of your device, whether fully charged, or having a low battery.
The Ultimate Ears Drops support USB TYPE-C, a standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.
Sony LinkBuds S too use USB TYPE-C. This USB-C plug comes along with most current electronics.
Ultimate Ears Drops have Bluetooth version of 4.2, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that enables 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,
newer than that of Ultimate Ears Drops
. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
The Ultimate Ears Drops have a 10meters distance to connect via Bluetooth.
Sony LinkBuds S have a maximum range of 10meters,
equal to that of the Ultimate Ears Drops
Ultimate Ears Drops support AAC, a codec used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Since it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it provides better results than other codecs at the same bit rate.
Since its the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Ultimate Ears Drops will work well with your MacBook. 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.
The 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, which provides high-resolution audio.
Ultimate Ears Drops support APTX Adaptive, an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that are developed by Qualcomm. It has a variable bit rate (between 279kbps and 420kbps).
The Ultimate Ears Drops have 2 microphones.
Sony LinkBuds S microphones are 6,
more than that of Ultimate Ears Drops by 4
. More microphones result in better sound quality and enable the device to filter out noise.
The Ultimate Ears Drops support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to pass through ambient sound to still be heard even when wearing them
The Sony LinkBuds S support ambient sound mode as well, it’s useful when you want to listen to music but also be aware of your surrounding, say you’re having a jog but would still want to hear traffic.
Sony LinkBuds S support in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the device can detect when they are removed from your ears .
If misplaced in a room, or can't easily find them in your bag, Ultimate Ears Drops have a find earbuds feature.
The Sony LinkBuds S too have the find earbuds feature. You can use the device app on your smartphone to play an alarm from your device to locate them.
Ultimate Ears Drops support fast charging. Commonly, technologies like Qualcomm’s Quick Charge, are used to lower the amount of time it takes to charge the earbuds.
Sony LinkBuds S too support fast charging. This kind is similar to regular charging, only that the battery is filling up much faster. For example, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery is charged to 50% in just thirty minutes.
Ultimate Ears Drops support multipoint of 2 connections, the multipoint 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 having to manually disconnect and reconnect.
Ultimate Ears Drops have a mute function, they have the option to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the earbuds.
The Sony LinkBuds S also have this function. The mute function means that you unilaterally turn off the earbuds' microphone, but you can still hear the other party's voice.
With the Ultimate Ears Drops, so you can easily access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the earbuds.
Sony LinkBuds S also have a control panel on them.
The Ultimate Ears Drops support voice prompts. With voice prompts, you receive information via audio messages, say if there is an issue with the connection.
The Sony LinkBuds S also have voice prompts meaning the earbuds notifies you if the battery is low, and you need to recharge them.
The Ultimate Ears Drops come with their own special case. Carrying earbuds without a case, or placing them in your bag without a casing may easily put them at risk of getting damaged.
Sony LinkBuds S also have a travel bag included, which offers safe transportation.