Sony launches its smallest wireless earbuds at an equally small price

Sony has dipped below the $100 barrier for the first time on a set of wireless earbuds with the launch of its WF-C510. The new model comes in blue, yellow, black, and white, and costs just $60 — 40% less than its predecessor, the $100 WF-C500. They can be preordered starting August 26.

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The price is obviously a big deal. Sony has never offered wireless earbuds at less than $100 until now. However, Sony says it has also managed to make several improvements to performance and features.

The WF-C510 are 20% smaller and 15% lighter than the WF-C500, which should make them more comfortable, while giving those with smaller ears a better chance of getting a good fit. Sony claims they also have a slightly improved battery life — 11 hours on a single charge, and 22 hours when you include the case’s capacity (up from 10/20 on the C500).

Water resistance is unchanged at IPX4, but the new buds get Bluetooth multipoint for simultaneous connections to two devices, something the C500 lacked.

The C510 also get another feature the C500 was missing: transparency mode. The earbuds use Bluetooth 5.3 and get the same app-based controls as the rest of Sony’s wireless earbuds.

As on the WF-C500, the C510 get the company’s DSEE software for upscaling compressed music, but they won’t get LDAC — the hi-res Bluetooth codec that provides better sound on many of Sony’s other wireless products.

They have Google Fast Pair, Microsoft Swift Pair, Spotify Tap, and they’re compatible with Sony’s 360 Reality Audio music format.

Sony’s move to create a highly affordable set of wireless earbuds comes shortly after Beats released its own sub-$100 model — the Beats Solo Buds. The WF-C510 may also help Sony grab back some market share from brands like Earfun, 1More, and Soundcore, whose models have continuously topped our list of the best budget wireless earbuds and headphones.

Editor’s note: an earlier version of this article said the price of the WF-C510 was $70. Sony has since revised the price to $60.