It's no secret that Sony is making some of the best wireless earbuds on the market these days, with more five-star ratings to its name than other brands at the moment.
So when there's a deal of two to be had on these great-sounding earbuds during the Amazon Prime Day sales, it's hard to ignore. Since yesterday (which was Day One of Prime Day), there have been two great deals on Sony earbuds. We're on to Day Two now, and the deals are even better today – but you only really need one pair, right?
First on the deal chopping block is the 'sensational' Sony WF-C700N, which combined the winningly small size of the WF-C500s with active noise-cancelling (ANC) for a ridiculously low price of £100 at launch. Yes, that RRP got slashed down to £79 yesterday, but the C700N have just had a second Prime Day price drop today: they're now £24 off at Amazon, bringing the price to a super-low £76.
Then there's the Sony Linkbuds S, an older but still talented ANC pair that goes big on features, launched in 2022 at £180 RRP. This model is now a chunky £60 off at Sevenoaks and yours for just £119.
So you make a bigger saving with the Linkbuds S deal, but the C700N is cheaper overall. Crucially, though, which buds' set of features and sound performance is the best, and which is the better buy? You don't want to waste your saved-up dosh on the wrong pair, so I'm here to help you make that choice.
Sony Prime Day earbuds deals
On the face of it, both buds look nigh-on identical. Both Linkbuds S and the C700N sport a similarly small and lightweight design; they both feature good ANC and transparency modes; and they both come in bright colours beyond the standard white and black finishes.
Sony claimed the Linkbuds S were the world’s smallest noise-cancelling wireless earbuds at launch, but I think the C700N just about trumps them. The Linkbuds S weigh in at 4.8g, while the C700N are 4.6g – not a huge difference on paper, but it'll matter a lot when you're wearing them out and about for hours and don't want listening fatigue. Both fit well and stay secure even in my small ears, and the touch controls are responsive enough for the basic music playback commands (you can tweak plenty more in the app).
They don't have the same features, however. Sony's handy Speak-to-Chat feature (which recognises when you're speaking and pauses music so you can converse without taking the buds off) and the higher-quality LDAC Bluetooth codec are available on the Linkbuds S only. The C700N also don't automatically pause when taking an earbud out – a nifty feature that I wish they had.
But the C700N have a longer battery life which is ideal if you, like me, listen to music daily to help the work day (and commute) go by quicker. They have 7.5 hours on a single charge (with ANC on; 15 hours in total), while the Linkbuds S fall behind with six hours on a single charge. And their charging case is rather bulky compared with the C700N's more compact tube-like case that's much easier to fit into pockets and bags.
But which ones sound better? That's easy: the C700N. While both models feature a 5mm driver, it's the five-star C700N that I love listening to more. The way it digs up layers of detail, its sense of power and drive, and its surprisingly refined presentation for such a budget pair are really impressive. The four-star Linkbuds S are no slouches; they sound crisp and detailed, but lack the drive and dynamic excitement to really get the most out of my playlists.
So the C700N may not have all the Sony features, but they are more compact, have slightly longer battery life and deliver a better, more exciting and mature sonic performance overall. Oh, and they're even cheaper now. If you're on the hunt for budget buds and like what Sony does, then the WF-C700N's current £76 deal price at Amazon is definitely the better buy for my money.
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