Sony LinkBuds S uneven battery drain issue in left & right earbuds troubles some (potential workaround inside)

Here’s the crux of the article in video form:

The Sony LinkBuds S are an excellent choice for anyone looking for a pair of true wireless headphones with noise cancelation and natural sound.

In May, Sony released the v.3.0.5 firmware update that added support for the beta version of LE Audio, and tweaked the ‘Quick Access Settings for the Endel service, making it easier for one to configure it.

However, despite the update, multiple LinkBuds S owners are still grappling with a long-standing issue affecting their wireless earbuds.

According to reports (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10), some Sony LinkBuds S owners have been witnessing an uneven battery drain issue in the left and right earbuds.

Users allege that just after about 1.5 hours of usage, the batteries on both sides discharge unevenly and significantly. And this is happening even when one has not activated DSEE, Service Link, or the voice assistant.

People have also shared instances of severe battery drain, where the right bud only lasted around 30 minutes while the left bud still had 82% battery charge remaining.

And sadly, they are unable to get rid of this issue by factory resetting their units. As per the claims, the issue has been persistent for the past few months and remains unresolved until now.

Enjoyed the quality of sound and comfort. But in roughly 1.5 hours usage, end of with this uneven battery discharge. Didn’t switch on Service link, No voice assistant, DSEE Off. Using Noise cancellation, and Equalizer. Any advice on moving forward?
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Severe uneven battery drain on Linkbuds S, right bud only lasted like 30 min…
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Another user asserts that the uneven battery drain issue affects the earphones that utilize ZeniPower batteries, such as LinkBuds, LinkBuds S, and the WF-1000XM4.

Notably, Sony is preparing to replace the battery supplier for the upcoming WF-1000XM5 owing to issues with the WF-1000XM4 that have created worries among potential buyers.

Fortunately, you can try disabling the ‘Hey Google’ voice searches and actions function on your LinkBuds to get rid of the uneven battery drain.

Although it must be noted that you can still access Google Assistant by keeping your finger adjacent to the touch sensor to input a voice command after this tweak.

It’s also worth mentioning that the remaining battery charge level can vary between the left and right buds, since either can operate as the main unit depending on the usage environment..

The primary unit consumes more power than the other side, due to which battery levels may vary.

We’ll keep an eye on the issue with uneven battery drain in left and right earbuds of the Sony LinkBuds S and update this article as and when something noteworthy comes up.

Note: There are more such stories in our dedicated Accessories section, so make sure that you follow them as well.

Featured image source: Sony LinkBuds S.

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