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

Sony Electronics Inc. today announced the WF-C510 truly wireless earbuds offering Sony's renowned quality sound in a compact design. The earbuds pack a powerful battery life and comfortable design along with enhanced features at an affordable price. 

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.

Sporting a smaller and more compact design verses previous generations, the WF-C510 are all about comfort. The WF-C510 are Sony's smallest¹  ever closed type earbuds so those with even smaller ears can achieve a more stable fit. The WF-C510 headphones combine a shape that perfectly matches the human ear with an ergonomic surface design for a more stable fit. The WF-C510 were designed using extensive ear shape data to ensure an ideal shape that is comfortable for many people. The earbuds also feature a rounded design and matte finish for additional comfort. A flat and wider surface button has been added to ensure effortless operation, so users can listen to their music with no interruptions.

The compact cylindrical charging case has a smaller and thinner design compared to the previous model making it even more convenient to carry in a pocket or bag.  

Users can enjoy hours of uninterrupted play time² with a long-lasting battery life of up to 11 hours, and 5 minutes of quick charging provides that provides up to 60 minutes of listening time.

The WF-C510 come in a choice of colors: blue, yellow, black, or white. Users can combine texture, quality, and color to effortlessly create their own style.

Designed for everyday convenience

The WF-C510 are compatible with Sony's Multipoint Connection which lets users connect to two Bluetooth^® devices simultaneously.³ The earbuds also feature Ambient Sound Mode allowing users to hear the sound around them while listening to music. In addition, by turning on the "Voice Focus" function, the WF-C510 capture human voices while suppressing noise.

Users can personalize the sound settings within the Sony | Headphones Connect app where they can listen to music how it meant to be listened to with custom EQs.⁴

Small size, great sound 

Thanks to DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), the earbuds deliver high quality sound and create an authentic listening experience with well-balanced sound tuning from low to high frequencies, as well as immersive 360 Reality Audio for spatial listening.

Make every day listening easy

With 'Quick Access' users can easily operate Spotify Tap⁵ to access music in just a few simple taps. The WF-C510 earbuds have an IPX4⁶ water resistance rating to ensure splashes and sweat won't stop the music.

The WF-C510 can easily be paired to a device with Fast Pair and Swift Pair. Users can also remove either the left or right earbud from the charging case and use it independently.

Having the Environment in mind

Sony has crafted the WF-C510 to be both stylish and environmentally conscious. The earbuds and case are partially made of recycled plastic⁷ and feature packaging⁸ made entirely without plastic, highlighting Sony's dedication to minimising the environmental impact of their products and practices.

Pricing and availability

The WF-C510 earbuds have a suggested retail price of $59.99 USD