Sony has unveiled a new Earth Blue color option for its most comfortable pair of wireless earbuds, the LinkBuds S. The finish is a beautiful blue marble effect, which is made using a material produced from recycled water dispensers, giving the LinkBuds another get boost S eco-friendly credentials.
The company has also pledged that $2 from every Sony LinkBuds S sale in Europe and Japan — not just the Earth Blue model — will be donated to US nonprofit Conservation International to support its work on ocean conservation.
This new promise comes after Sony already announced that all of its LinkBuds S models and their charging cases are made from a material that combines recycled plastic car parts with stone – a material that is apparently recyclable itself. Each version of the LinkBuds S also ships in unbleached, unprinted, and plastic-free packaging.
So even if you’re not a fan of the new Earth Blue design, you know that whichever model you choose will be more eco-friendly than many of the other best wireless earbuds out there.
Analysis: a drop in the ocean
While we’re always happy to see tech brands doing their bit for the environment, this latest effort from Sony is – almost literally – a drop in the ocean.
According to Conservation International and Sony stats, every $2 helps the charity protect about 58,824 square feet of our seas — that’s equivalent to the area covered by about 47 Olympic-sized swimming pools, so by our calculations, Sony should sell about 6 .2 billion pairs of its LinkBuds S to cover the entire ocean surface of the planet.
Still, it’s a commendable effort – so what about the LinkBuds S itself?
(Image credit: Sony)
In our four-star review, we praised the earbuds for their lightweight and comfortable design – we could happily wear them for hours on end – and their six-hour battery life (nine with active noise cancellation turned off) is respectable, if a little shorter than we’d like.
In terms of audio, we were also impressed. The pleasant and non-threatening sound was full of detail and had a well-balanced soundstage, although the Sony buttons could have been a bit more assertive; if you like feeling pumped up by bassy tunes, these may not be the best choice for you, and audiophiles may prefer a pair of Sony WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds.
But if they’re for you, not only will you have a great pair of earplugs, but the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing your part to save the planet, and especially your own patch of ocean.