The Sony WF-C500 are currently the most ‘affordable’ true wireless earbuds in Sony’s ‘WF’ audio segment. Priced at Rs 8,990 (Rs 5,990 on Amazon), these earbuds promise to deliver an immersive sound experience, but we don’t get popular features like active noise cancellation (ANC), find my buds, and wireless charging support. However, unlike other Sony WF earbuds, the Sony WF-C500 are available in four colour options that even many rival brands don’t offer.
ALSO READ: Vivo V23 Review: Great Design, Camera Is Even Better
Therefore, these earbuds are not only targeted towards music-loving audiences, Sony clearly wants to expand its market by attracting young customers who cannot splurge roughly Rs 20,000 on earbuds like the premium Sony WF-1000XM4 (Rs 19,990 on Amazon). In that case, can the Sony WF-C500 successfully compete against Nothing Ear 1, Huawei FreeBuds 4i, and Jabra Elite 3? Let’s find out.
Design: Design: When we’re purchasing TWS earbuds, design and fit are equally important qualities to consider aside from the sound experience. Because there are no external elements like dangling wires or a neckband to give the proper balance, companies thoroughly study the shape of ears to ensure that earbuds fit snugly. Therefore, most TWS earbuds sit heavily on the concha region (the outer hollow area next to the ear canal) to tackle this problem. The Sony WF-C500 are no different, and we get an in-ear design that doesn’t feel so stuffy, which I have previously noticed on several ANC-enabled TWS earbuds.
Both Sony WF-C500 earbuds and the charging case adopt the same colours, and customers can choose between Orange, Green, White, and Black options. We received the Black colour unit that has a matte finish – a good decision to avoid fingerprint smudges. The finish of the pill-shaped charging case is coarse – another thoughtful decision to avoid fingerprint smudges and obvious scratch marks. The case material is plastic which makes it very light to carry. There are no buttons on the case, and at the back, there’s a USB-C port for charging. The pill-shaped case also bears the Sony branding.
The Sony WF-C500 earbuds have physical buttons to establish a connection over Bluetooth and to control music. The touch controls are not customisable that rivals like Nothing Ear 1 earbuds offer. It also takes some time to get used to the touch controls as the left earbud offers the option to manage volume and the right earbud lets you play/pause music. Users can also activate voice assistants via the right earbud.
Now, I am not a big fan of physical buttons as opposed to gesture/ touch controls since the former further pushes the earbuds into your ears – oftentimes causing discomfort. Secondly, the lack of option to let users customise touch controls doesn’t look promising, especially at this price point. However, I will maintain saying the Sony WF-C500 are easy to wear and fit snugly in your ears without causing discomfort. But, I have also said in my past reviews that I am not blessed with big ears and wearing in-canal-style earbuds for too long ends up hurting the concha region. I noticed this with the Sony WF-C500 as well.
Just to be safe, I asked some friends with naturally big ears to test the Sony WF-C500, and they did not feel any discomfort.
App compatibility and sound: The Sony WF-C500 are compatible with Android smartphones and Apple iPhones, and users will need to download the Sony Headphones Connect app to tweak the equaliser. The app also allows users to view battery levels or enable/disable notifications and voice guides. The app supports English but no regional languages.
Overall, the Sony Headphones Connect app is pretty basic, and users can choose between pre-set audio modes like bass boost, speech, treble boosts, relaxed, and mellow. We also get the option to customise sound that many rivals in this range do not offer.
Notably, the Sony WF-C500 earbuds work with a Windows PC, but the Headphones Connect app on Microsoft Store is not free to use.
Coming to the sound output, the Sony WF-C500 deliver what these earbuds promise – an immersive experience. The audio quality is clear, sharp with a decent amount of bass – perfect for songs with both low and high frequencies. I tested these earbuds with an iPhone, and the earbuds automatically switched to an AAC Bluetooth codec. When compared against, Nothing Ear 1, the Sony WF-C500 clearly deliver a much clearer voice, though the sound is not bass-heavy, so do keep in mind. What is even more surprising is that earbuds have 5.8 mm drivers, yet the sound output is loud without compromising clarity.
The app will let users choose between DSEE on (auto) or disabled for a rich sound experience. Sony explains, “With our Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE), high frequency sound and fine fade-out sound are restored to the track for a more authentic listening experience.”
Interestingly, the packaging says the Sony WF-C500 are “made for iPhones and iPad”, though that is a bit of stretch. It will be difficult to notice a lag even while gaming, but the quick pair feature does not always work seamlessly. At times, iPhone users will need to connect the earbuds from the Bluetooth settings manually.
Watch Video: Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 (5410) Review: Solid Productivity-Focused Laptop
Lastly, the audio input on these earbuds is sharp. Whether indoors or outdoors, voice input remained clear – as told by many call receivers.
Battery: As mentioned, the Sony WF-C500 do not support wireless charging that rivals like Nothing Ear 1 offer. A full recharge will fetch a total of 20 hours of music playback (with the case) and each earbud touted to deliver up to 10 hours of battery backup. You can charge the full device in an hour, and there’s an orange LED light to indicate that the case/earbuds are charging.
Verdict: The Sony WF-C500 earbuds are definitely one of the best TWS earbuds in terms of sound in this price range. We get clear and sharp sound with a decent amount of bass, but that shouldn’t disappoint regular customers. More surprisingly, these earbuds prove that features like Active Noise Cancellations aren’t always going to promise the best listening experience as the noise isolation on these earbuds is heavily reliable. But the addition of ambient sound mode to be aware of the surroundings could’ve been much more useful (read: safe).
We get a splash-proof and sweat-proof build (IPX4 rating), so even fitness-oriented customers can use these earbuds carefree. However, the company should’ve given the option to tweak touch controls, and the physical buttons to manage music on the Sony WF-C500 are a little difficult to operate. Overall, the Sony WF-C500 aren’t going to disappoint if you get the right price of approx Rs 6,000.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.
For all the latest Technology News Click Here
