Sony improves its budget earbuds by making them smaller, lighter, and cheaper

Sony is following up on its fantastic WF-C500 wireless earbuds by launching a new budget pair: the WF-C510. Like its predecessor, the refresh aims to deliver a high-quality audio experience at an affordable price. This time, however, the series has gone through a slight design change.

The WF-C510 is now more compact. Sony reportedly told online outlets that their model is “20 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter than the C500.” It is also apparently their smallest closed-type buds. The company said in the official announcement that the earbuds have an “ergonomic surface design [allowing] for a more stable fit” in the users’ ears. They also have a button on the outside for audio control.

Even the charging case saw an update. It is now thinner so it can better fit inside a pants pocket or bag. Despite the shrunken size, the WF-C510 proves big things can come in smaller packages because it introduces several improvements.

For starters, the earbuds have a slightly longer battery life at 11 hours or 22 hours with the charging case. Sony says this number can be shorter depending on how you use the pair and what features you have active.

Features

The WF-C510 wireless earbuds pack in a ton of functionality within their tiny frame. They’re capable of outputting high-quality audio thanks to their support of the DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine). This piece of software optimizes low and high frequencies ensuring sound is well-balanced.

360 Reality Audio is present as well, enabling immersive “spatial listening.” If you want to personalize the output further, you can connect the devices to the Sony | Headphones Connect app and then fine-tune them via custom EQ profiles. Hopping between different audio sources is easy to do as the WF-C510 sports Multipoint Connection, letting you connect to “two Bluetooth devices simultaneously”.

Speaking from personal experience, other people often find it annoying when they try talking to you, but you can’t hear them. Sony’s earbuds offer a solution. Activating Ambient Sound Mode allows outside noise to better flow into your ears so you can be aware of your surroundings. Additionally, users can turn on “Voice Focus” to better capture people's voices. Ambient sound is blocked out.

Other notable features include a water resistance rating of IPX4 and Fast Pair. Just like the old model, the WC-C510 earbuds lack active noise canceling.

Sony’s WF-C510 wireless earbuds are available for pre-order on the company’s website and Amazon for $59.99 . That’s cheaper than the WF-C500  when it first came out.

The ship date from Amazon is set for September 2 and you can get the pair in three different colors: black, white, and yellow. Sony won’t ship their pair until September 9 although the tech giant does offer an exclusive baby blue option.

While we have you, be sure to check out TechRadar's roundup for the best earbuds for 2024 .

You might also like

• JBL unveils Tour Pro 3: a screen-toting earbuds case that's now an Auracast source device
• The best budget wireless earbuds 2024, chosen by our reviewers
• The best soundbars for 2024: TV audio upgrades for all budgets