Sony WF-C710N Review: Great Budget Earbuds

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Compared to rivals like Bose and Apple, which tend to offer just a handful of earbuds and headphones at a time, Sony‘s earbud and headphone offerings are extensive — and confusing.

Sony has dozens of options, ranging from headphones for studio use to industry-leading active noise cancellation (ANC) headphones to gaming headsets. Sony’s byzantine naming scheme doesn’t exactly help distinguish all the options, either. But what is clear is that Sony’s new WF-C710N earbuds, released in March, are contenders for the best budget earbuds.

Sony’s WF-C710N Earbuds: Design

The WF-C710N earbuds share a similar design to the WF-C700N earbuds, released in 2023, with a pill-shaped case. The earbuds feature a pod-shaped, in-ear design, rather than the stemmed shape popularized by AirPods.

I’m not necessarily partial to one design over the other; some of my favorite noise-canceling earbuds are stemmed, while others are the pod shape Sony seems to prefer. The C710N earbuds are comfortable and relatively lightweight; I found them easy to wear for extended periods of time.

The earbud case is slightly bulky and not as pocket-friendly as those from Apple or Nothing, but it’s not overly large. The aesthetic is also fun; I tested the pink colorway, but the “glass blue” colorway is the clear standout, with a transparent plastic build that shows off the earbuds’ inner workings.

Sony’s WF-C710N Earbuds: Features

Sony’s C710N earbuds utilize the same Sound Connect app used by Sony for most of its wireless earbuds and headphones. The Sound Connect app lets you take advantage of unique features that are rare at earbuds at this price point.

One of the most notable features is Adaptive Sound Control, which automatically adjusts the ANC based on your activity. There are modes for sitting, walking, running, and riding in a vehicle, allowing you to customize the ANC settings between the three available modes. As for the ANC, the modes are noise-canceling, off, and ambient, which filters in voices while blocking out louder background noise.

There are plenty of other features in the Sound Connect app, including the ability to customize (some) of the tap controls and the EQ. You can customize the controls for the left and right earbuds, with a playback control mode that plays/pauses with a single tap or an ambient sound mode that activates noise canceling with a single tap.

I would have liked to see more detailed customization, with individual controls for the various tap sequences, rather than just two presets. I also find the Sound Connect app to be overly cluttered, with too many menus to toggle through to find what I’m looking for. But I do appreciate how many features the C710N earbuds have, particularly at this price point.

Sony’s WF-C710N Earbuds: Sound Quality and Performance

Performance-wise, the ANC does a good job of reducing background noise, but the ANC is not quite as robust as that of Bose’s QuietComfort earbuds or Apple’s AirPods Pro 2. You’ll still hear voices and sounds in the background, but you don’t have to drive up the volume to compensate in noisy environments.

Audio performance is excellent for a pair of budget earbuds, although you won’t achieve the same clarity and detail as you would with Sony’s flagship XM5 line or other contenders for the best-sounding earbuds. You’ll also lose out on higher-end features, such as support for Qualcomm’s aptX HD or Sony’s LDAC codecs. However, Sony’s DSEE is designed to enhance audio performance from lower-resolution sources.

The battery life is also solid. According to Sony, you get up to 8.5 hours on a charge and up to 21.5 hours in the case for a total of 30 hours, and a five-minute quick charge adds an extra hour of playtime.

In terms of connectivity, the earbuds have multipoint pairing if you want to connect to your laptop and phone at the same time, and reliable in-ear detection plays and pauses the music when you pop an earbud out.

Sony’s WF-C710N Earbuds: Verdict

Sony’s C710N earbuds are excellent everyday earbuds, particularly at this price point (though at $120, they just miss the cutoff for the best earbuds under $100).

The sound quality is solid, and the app (while clunky) has plenty of features. You also get features like reliable in-ear detection and ANC that adapts to your surroundings and activity.

The design is also fun, and Sony hopped on the transparent plastic trend that brands like Beats and Nothing have utilized on their earbuds. Overall, these are another hit from one of the most dependable brands in audio, with great sound and excellent battery life.