Edifier's NeoBuds S are very similar to the previously launched NeoBuds Pro, but pack more tech into the same package. The NeoBuds S have great ANC and are very comfortable to wear, and that combo means you'll keep them on for hours at a time.

Specifications
  • Battery Life: 5.5 hours with ANC, 6.5 hours without
  • Charging Case Included?: Yes
  • Microphones: 6
  • Brand: Edifier
  • Supported codecs: AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX Adaptive, Snapdragon Sound
  • Bluetooth: 5.2
  • IP Rating: 54
  • Driver Size: 10mm, with additional Knowles balanced armature
  • Charging type: No
  • Case battery: Up to 19 hours
  • Weight: 6g (0.21oz) per bud
  • Colors: Black, white
  • Charging Port: USB Type-C
Pros
  • Comfortable, lightweight design
  • ANC works well
  • Good audio quality
  • Edifier Connect app is handy
  • Lots of ear tip options
Cons
  • Battery life so-so
  • Touch controls terrible
  • Snapdragon Sound only works with select devices
Buy This Product
Edifier NeoBuds S

Edifier's NeoBuds S bear more than a passing similarity to the company's NeoBuds Pro earbuds—but pack more features into the same form factor.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound-equipped true wireless earbuds feature decent active noise cancellation tech and battery life that might keep you going for most of the day, while the Edifier Connect app is filled with handy features. They're also a comfortable wear and lightweight enough that you can keep them in for hours at a time.

So, are the Edifier NeoBuds S worth the money? Find out in our Edifier NeoBuds S review.

Edifier NeoBuds S Style and Comfort

The Edifier NeoBuds S come with an interesting design, with a flat, wide ear stem attached to the main earbud that could easily pass for an earbud on its own. The ear stem is home to some of the NeoBuds S tech, such as the microphones for making calls and active noise cancellation (with three microphones in each stem), and the entire housing is made from durable, toughened plastic.

edifier neobuds s both buds eartip side

Weighing in at 6g (0.21oz), the Edifier NeoBuds S remain lightweight despite packing in heaps of tech, a testament to Edifier's attention to detail in this department. For comparison, Apple's AirPods weigh just 4g (0.14oz) but don't come with nearly as many features, perhaps most notably, ANC.

In the box, Edifier has included seven different ear tip sizes, each color-coded so you can keep tabs on what you're wearing. It's a nice touch from Edifier, and it means that everyone should find a comfortable ear tip combination, an important part of securing the buds in your ears and delivering the best sound quality.

edifier neobuds s eartips

Once you find your perfect ear tip selection, you'll also find the NeoBuds S a comfortable, pleasing wear. Although the overall design and form factor is a little chunky, you don't notice this at all when the earbuds are secured firmly in your ears, and you can absolutely wear the NeoBuds S for hours at a time. I took them on a train journey and wore them almost the entire time without experiencing any ear fatigue, which is a major plus point for any earbuds.

Edifier's NeoBuds S case is tidy, a predominantly plastic affair with a central metal plate featuring the Edifier logo that adds a nice touch of style, distinguishing it from other earbuds. I don't know about you, but hand-feel is an important part of the earbud experience for me, and although this is a plastic case, its overall size and weight feel good.

edifier neobuds s buds case closed

Adding to the style is the customizable LED light strip found on the front of the case, which you can customize using the Edifier Connect app. There are several colors to choose from, and this is a feature you don't really see anywhere else.

Touch Control Design

One thing to note about the Edifier NeoBuds S design is the touch controls' positioning and responsiveness. In short: it's bad and needs refining for future designs or updates to the NeoBuds.

First, Edifier's touch control positioning on the NeoBuds S leaves me a little baffled, with the instructions directing you to tap a tiny area at the very top of the earbud. Okay, so that's not all that bad.

edifier neobuds s both buds with logo

However, I cannot help but feel that this minute area contributes directly to the NeoBuds lack of responsiveness to touch inputs. Frustratingly, the NeoBuds S touch controls constantly fail to recognize any input, which at times drove me up the wall. If you're using the NeoBuds S with your smartphone and have the Edifier Connect app installed, you can at least default to using that to control ANC and other settings. But if you're using the NeoBuds S with your laptop or desktop or otherwise, it might take five attempts to switch the ANC mode, which is quite frankly rubbish.

The touch controls are customizable within the Edifier Connect app, which is at least something positive. You can even customize the touch control sensitivity, but it apparently made very little difference to the touch control experience.

Edifier NeoBuds S Battery Life

Edifier rates the NeoBuds S for 5.5 hours of playback with ANC-enabled, rising to 6.5 hours with ANC-disabled. During testing, the battery life was closer to 4.5 hours while using ANC and between five and six hours without. Of course, volume level also makes a difference to battery life, as does connecting to different devices, scanning for new devices, and so on.

edifier neobuds s buds in case on table

In terms of playback, the NeoBuds S isn't best-in-class or anything like that, and 4.5 hours with ANC is definitely on the lower end. But with between 16 and 19 hours of playback in the earbuds carry case, you have enough backup power to keep you going when you need a little boost. The NeoBuds S also feature fast charging, delivering 1.5 hours of playback on a rapid ten-minute charge.

A small downside to the NeoBuds S is the lack of wireless charging. It's not a massive issue by any means, but you'll need a cable to keep your case juiced up.

Edifier NeoBuds S Snapdragon Sound and Connectivity

I normally combine the battery and connectivity section, but the Edifier NeoBuds S gets a special solo connectivity mention for its use of Qualcomm's Snapdragon Sound.

edifier neobuds s buds in case wooden background

The inclusion of Snapdragon Sound on its own is interesting. Unfortunately, Qualcomm's high-res 24-bit/96 kHz streaming format isn't actually available on many smartphones at the time of review, featuring predominantly on Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Vivo, and Nubia. That means I haven't had the chance to review the NeoBuds S Snapdragon Sound feature. Many of those smartphone brands aren't available to the US market anyway, making it a somewhat niche feature.

However, all is not lost. The NeoBuds S also support AAC, SBC, and Qualcomm aptX and aptX Adaptive. The inclusion of aptX and aptX Adaptive is a boon for the NeoBuds S, as the former comes with a bitrate of 325 kbit/s, while the latter delivers an adaptive bitrate between 279 kbit/s and 420 kbit/s and transmits data more efficiently.

Edifier NeoBuds S Sound Quality and ANC

The NeoBuds S have a 10mm dynamic driver paired with a Knowles balanced armature driver. Combing a regular driver with a balanced armature driver should deliver a more balanced, richer sound.

And with other earbuds, that's definitely the case, but the default tuning Edifier has opted for negates some of those benefits. Out of the box, the NeoBuds S Classic tuning uses a V shape, adding some extra oomph to the bass and treble while slightly depressing the mid-range.

edifier neobuds s buds

It's a familiar sound that most users will find perfectly acceptable, and in all honesty, it doesn't sound bad at all. That's the idea behind the tuning; to create a fun sound that works with most genres. What you're hearing isn't how your music was created, but it does sound bouncy and jolly. It's what most people want from a set of earbuds. Interestingly, when you experience this tuning style on other earbuds, you tend to lose some audio definition, but Edifier's NeoBuds S maintain a level of clarity that enables you to hear most instruments and deliver relatively clear vocals. The sound isn't a complete washout, that's for sure.

edifier neobuds s both buds open case

Other EQ settings are available in the Edifier Connect app. For example, switching on the Dynamic sound pushes those extremes further, adding some extra brightness and sparkle to the sound. Again, this sound is fun and makes your music sound punchy, bright, and full of bass, but it's not really how the artist intended their music to be heard. Pushing the NeoBuds S tuning further into the high-end results in some tracks sounding outright tinny, especially found out in dance music.

But, you do you. They're your earbuds, after all.

Edifier NeoBuds S ANC

The NeoBuds S is rated for -49Db of ANC, meaning they should block out a good chunk of noise. How much audio is blocked depends on the level of ANC you use, whether High, Low, or Wind Reduction. On the highest setting, the background noise of my house was completely gone—and we're mid-summer holidays with three kids running around. So that's a good start. Up against an in-flight white noise audio track, there was some leakage, but the NeoBuds S High ANC works well enough to reduce that background noise drastically.

edifier neobuds s single bud with logo

Cranking up the ANC to 11 does have a small effect on the audio, compressing the soundstage a little. But versus excessive background noise, you'll take the slight compromise for comfort.

If you've read any review of mine before, you'll know I dislike ambient and passthrough modes in general. However, the Edifier NeoBuds S strike a good balance between allowing audio to pass through and not overly amplifying that audio.

Overall, the NeoBuds S ANC settings are one of the earbud's best features.

Edifier Connect App

Like the ANC, the Edifier Connect app is one of the best features, contributing to the overall NeoBuds S experience. Within the app, you'll find the various ANC settings, plus the option to change the NeoBuds S EQ settings.

While I appreciate the customized options on the EQ, it's overly complicated, especially for anyone not well versed in what specific frequencies do to your audio. Could it be a moment for learning? Yes, absolutely—but is that why you buy a pair of earbuds? To learn how to adjust individual audio frequencies to create a unique sound? Probably not.

Still, the option is there, and a cursory internet search will reveal what you need to know about creating a custom EQ with the frequencies available.

The Edifier Connect app also adds a really handy quick access bar to your notifications (on Android—I haven't tested this on iOS). It's great having quick access to your ANC settings, especially if you find the touch controls less than useful.

Should You Buy the Edifier NeoBuds S?

The Edifier NeoBuds S currently retail for $179.99.

It's difficult to fully articulate whether you should pick these earbuds up, as, without access to a device supporting Snapdragon Sound, there was no way to test one of the NeoBuds S most important features. Assuming it works well and that Snapdragon Sound will feature on more devices, and more devices that will launch in the US, then yes, it's great.

On the other hand, if it doesn't, well, you know the rest.

The NeoBuds S isn't without positives, though. The sound quality delivered using the other Bluetooth codecs is good, and you can trust that aptX Adaptive and regular aptX are perfectly decent alternatives. They're also comfortable to wear for long periods, come with numerous ear tip options, and the Edifier Connect app adds a heap of functionality. The NeoBuds S ANC is also well worth mentioning.

I'll say this: I've enjoyed my time with the Edifier NeoBuds S, and if you have a Snapdragon Sound device, these could be a great set of buds.