Sony continues to expand its entry-level headphone lineup with the newly unveiled WF-C700N wireless noise-cancelling earbuds.
Priced at $119 / £99 / AU$199, the WF-C700N go on full sale from April 17. In the meantime, they are available to pre-order via Sony's website. Buyers have a choice of three color options including black, white, and lavender — a sage green version will also be available to buy in certain territories.
Sony's most affordable ANC earbuds
Despite being a budget-friendly option, the new WF-C700N are IPX4-rated for water resistance and come with some serious functionality, including adaptive noise cancelling, dual connectivity via Bluetooth 5.2, Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) Extreme, and Sony Headphones Connect app support. Sony also says they're fitted with a 5mm dynamic driver for powerful bass and clear vocal delivery, but there's no mention of 360 Reality Audio support.
Although a $119 pair of earbuds aren't likely to be up to the noise-defeating capabilities of the Sony's $279 WF-1000XM4 flagship earbuds — one of the best noise-canceling earbuds available — the new WF-C700N have Adaptive Sound Control to reduce background noise. This adjusts the amount of noise cancelling applied by recognizing locations that you frequently visit, such as your workplace, gym, or coffee shop, and auto switching the sound mode to suit your surroundings and situation.
Unlike the Sony WH-CH720N over-ear headphones launched last month that are fitted with the same Integrated Processor V1 chip as found in the flagship WH-1000XM5, there's no mention as to whether the new WF-C700N incorporate similar technology.
Ambient Sound mode is on board, though, so you can enjoy listening to your favorite music or podcasts, say, while staying connected to your surroundings. Users can personalize their settings via the Sony Headphones Connect app, or use the Focus on Voice setting to chat without removing the earbuds.
At just 0.2 ounces (4.6g), the WF-C700N weigh the same as the Sony WF-C500 earbuds. Battery life is also similar at 10 hours playback time and 20 hours from the cylindrical charging case, but with ANC enabled this falls to 7.5 playback and 7.5 hours from the charging case respectively.
Fast pair and swift pair enable the WF-C700N to be connected to your wireless devices, but there's no voice assistant support using wake words. Build and finish look to be up to Sony's usual high standards, but we'll make a thorough assessment in our full review coming soon.
The noise-cancelling WF-C700N earbuds are priced at $119 / £99 / AU$199 and are available to order from Sony's website.
