Sony’s next budget earbuds reportedly leak, but don’t get too excited
We’re big fans of the Sony WF-C500 wireless earbuds: they’re fantastic value for money, and while they’re not quite as ridiculously priced as the same company’s Sony WF-C700N, our current pick for the best budget earbuds , they’re considerably cheaper and still a lot of fun. And it looks like a new version is on the way that will be slightly better but only very slightly different, according to a supposed leak (via Check notebook).
If you’re looking for cutting-edge earbud technology, then these don’t seem to be the earbuds for you. But the improvements Sony has made here would be worth it, and assuming the WF-C510 earbuds retain the same cheap cheerfulness that made them a deserving headphone hit, there’s no doubt they’ll still be great.
Sony WF-C510 wireless earbuds: what’s new?
The new ‘buds’ have been leaked via Arsène Lupin on Xwho posted multiple images and what appears to be a marketing image. The earbuds and their case look nearly identical to the current models, and have the same assignable function button; on the back of the case is the pairing button and the USB-C port. This time around, you can pair with two devices at once.
Key features touted in the marketing image include 22 hours of battery life, which is two hours more than the current model; IPX4 water resistance; and Ambient Sound. As before, these aren’t ANC earbuds, so if you’re after noise-cancellation you might be better off opting for the more expensive WF-C700N earbuds.
We don’t yet know how much the new models will cost, but the current version costs around £39 in the UK and $40 in the US, so we’d expect a very similar price to the WF-C510 – possibly a little more at launch, though they won’t be able to go much higher or they’ll be dangerously close to the WF-C700N. No release date has been announced yet, but given that the product images appear to be marketing shots, an official reveal shouldn’t be too far away – we’ll soon see whether they can compete with the best wireless earbuds in the same budget.