- A new leak shows Sony WF-C710N earplugs in detail
- Specifications suggest a proximity sensor and updates to ANC and battery life
- The earbuds could launch as soon as May 2025
Two years after the Sony WF-C700N was released and topped our list of the best budget wireless earplugs at the time, the electronics manufacturer looks to do so again.
The Walkman blog has got leaked photos of WF-C710N earplugs along with a number of specifications and guidance on price and a release window, apparently provided by “a well-trusted source”.
This follows a previous design leakage via a Taiwanese certification body in January, but there are many more details this time.
The ears appear in four different colors – black, white, pink and a pleasant retro transparent blue that shows the knob’s inner work – along with an accompanying charging case.
WF-C710N earplugs share its predecessor’s 5 mm drivers, IPX4 water resistance and support for the ANC with a few notable changes.
First, there is now a double microphone setup for more advanced noise cancellation, and a proximity sensor will hopefully mean that they will offer wear detection that the previous model lacked. Bluetooth 5.3 is also included, up from Bluetooth 5.2 in the last model.
The life of the battery also changes slightly, with the buds reaching 8.5 hours with the ANC enabled and 12 hours in total through the charging case, rather than the 7.5 hours from the buds and 15 hours in total through the charging case for the previous model. It is an improvement in one direction, but one step back in the other – maybe we will be pleasantly surprised and find that the overall battery life is better than it looks.
The Walkman blog predicts a window in late May, to a $ 110-120 RRP, about the same price as the previous model.
Improving perfection
In our WF-C700N review, Techradar’s audio editor Becky Scarrott wrote that “Sony has taken everything I loved by his more expensive earplugs and spread it to smaller earplugs, at a lower price. You do not get lossless LDAC or the company’s top-tier dsee-upscaler, but for this money the sound quality can not be beaten at the moment. “
While there are better headphones out there, this line of earplugs is pretty much perfect for their nearly $ 100 price, and it’s exciting to see Sony build on that success with a new model. It looks like an iterative upgrade rather than a transformative change, but if it holds WF-C710N earplugs affordable, we have little to complain about.
Let’s just hope that we get some of the more interesting colors on the WF-C700N, like lavender or sage green, down the line.
