Sony’s next wireless earbuds might be new version of the LinkBuds

It seems that Sony’s next flagship over-ear headphones aren’t the only ones that have leaked ahead of a public announcement, as official-looking images of a new set of Sony noise-canceling wireless earbuds have hit the web thanks to leaker SnoopyTech (via Android Police). According to SnoopyTech, the earbuds will be called the LinkBuds S, suggesting they could share some similarities to Sony’s LinkBuds released in February.

The original LinkBuds have a distinctive “open-style” design with an unconventional donut-like hole that’s intended to help you better hear your surroundings while you have the earbuds in. The LinkBuds S, in contrast, have a more traditional closed design like that of Sony’s WF-1000XM4s.

However, looking at the images shared by SnoopyTech, it appears the LinkBuds S will have a big vent on the outside of each bud, which could be used to help with some kind of transparency mode so you can hear what’s going on around you. SnoopyTech also says the LinkBuds S will be able to “seamlessly shift from ambient sound to advanced noise-canceling and enable automatic playback that learns from your behaviour.”

Based on the images, the new earbuds will come in a golden beige, black, and, as The Walkman Blog reports, white. The Walkman Blog also notes that the LinkBuds S have a proximity sensor that looks identical to the one on the WF-1000XM4s.

A PR representative for Sony didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.