Sony WF-C710N review

When Sony announced the WF-C710N wireless earbuds, you could feel a wave of excitement wash over the review team here at What Hi-Fi? Towers.

Why? Well, the answer is twofold. Firstly, these buds replace the WF-C700N, a pair that’s not only been our pick of the best cheap wireless earbuds you can buy for many months now, but also our reigning Product of the Year in the What Hi-Fi? Awards wireless earbuds category.

The second reason is that the WF-C710N see Sony introduce a new eye-catching finish. Not only are the case and buds transparent, but they’re in a cool blue hue – Glass Blue to be precise – which is something we haven’t seen from the brand before.

Needless to say, we were intrigued to see just how good they looked and, of course, sounded in the flesh. And we’re here to report that we don’t think you’ll be disappointed on either front.

Price

To its credit, Sony hasn’t bumped the pricing of the WF-C710N and kept it in line with the WF-C700N. This means you’re looking at spending £100 / €120 / $120 / AU$189 on a pair.

However, it’s worth noting that the arrival of the new model seems to have triggered more regular price drops for the older pair, which is going to be worth keeping an eye on, especially if you’re hunting for a bargain.

Their pricing positions the WF-C710N nicely in a market where there are numerous rivals just above this level and below, including the Apple AirPods 4 (£129 / $129 / AU$219) and Sony’s own WF-C510 (£55 / $60 / AU$109.95).

Another rival to consider is JBL's Live Pro 2 TWS set. We tested these earbuds at £130 / $150 / AU$200 but they have dropped in price and can regularly be found at and around the same price as the WF-C710N.

Design

Before we talk about that Glass Blue finish, there’s quite a lot that’s new going on with the WF-C710N design. Unbox the buds, and the case immediately looks and feels bulkier and chunkier than that of the C700N, which is a big hint at what lies inside. Although if you opt for the transparent finish, you can already see what’s there!

The earbuds are chunkier than their predecessors, and noticeably so. The WF-C700N were some of the dinkiest earbuds we’ve tested, and the WF-C710N feel like a clear (pun intended) step up in size. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though.

Some members of our test team found them easier to grip out of the case and manoeuvre into place. Depending on the size of your ear’s concha, they might also sit a bit more snugly than their predecessors. Obviously, this is down to personal preference, but those with smaller ears still might find the smaller pair a better fit. Worth trying out if you can.

We assume the increase in size is because Sony needs to make room for a couple of other design changes in the new model. The first is the inclusion of an extra mic for each earbud to help with noise cancelling (more on that later). The second is the introduction of touch controls on the WF-C710N and, presumably, all the circuitry that goes with it.

And as for the Glass Blue finish? In our opinion at least, it looks cool and fresh. If you’re into tech, getting a look inside the finer workings of your wireless earbuds is always going to appeal to the inner geek, and that’s the case here.

The finish is quite subtle, too, so when the earbuds are in place, they don’t stand out too much. The touch-sensitive surface appears to be a little darker and less transparent than the rest of the earbud body, so the buds don’t look overly punchy.

One thing we’ll be keeping an eye on as we use the earbuds more is how the plastics hold up over time. Those used feel nice and smooth, and not too cheap, but we can imagine scratches and scrapes could stand out, especially when they catch the light.

In case you were wondering, the other finishes available – pink, white and black – aren’t transparent.

The silicone eartips used on the WF-C710N appear virtually identical to those used on the WF-C700N, and you get three sizes supplied in the box – XS, M and XL – although we’re not sure why you wouldn’t just call them small, medium and large.

Features

The Sonys support Bluetooth 5.3 (the previous model was 5.2) and both SBC and AAC audio codecs, which is pretty standard at this level. Fans of aptX HD or Sony’s own LDAC codec might be disappointed to learn neither of these is supported, but we don’t think it's a huge surprise.

The new model is IPX4 rated, just like the older model, and the Sonys also have Bluetooth multipoint, so you can have two devices connected simultaneously.

Battery life for the WF-C710N is eight and a half hours compared to seven and a half hours with the C700N. Bring the charging case into the equation and this brings total battery life to 30 hours with ANC on and 40 hours with it turned off. As is standard at this level, the charging case is wired only (via USB-C).

As we’ve already touched on, active noise cancelling is on the menu, and Sony has added Dual Noise Sensor filters to help boost performance over their predecessors. There’s no adjustment here – it’s either on or off, which isn’t unusual at this price point.

Touch controls can be an acquired taste and aren’t always executed as we’d like, but the introduction of them to the WF-C710N proves to be relatively hassle-free. The slightly concave touch-sensitive surface seems to help guide our finger into place, and the controls are responsive to our tapping.

You can control various elements from volume to playback to sound modes, and you can also fire up a virtual assistant if you feel so inclined. We would like a tiny bit more customisation, especially over the volume controls, as repeatedly tapping a bud to send the volume up or down doesn’t feel particularly great.

It’s like you’re hammering on the earbud to go further down your ear canal at times. We’d much rather press and hold, which is an alternative control method employed by some rival manufacturers.

Auto pause and wear detection are new for the WF-C710N, so you can take an earbud out, and your music will stop and start again when it’s put back. Alternatively, Quick Attention mode can be activated by pressing and holding your finger on the surface of the right earbud.

This drops the volume and enables a transparency mode so you can chat without taking an earbud out, but we found the slight delay between pressing the button and the mode kicking in fully a little too long, so we preferred to just remove an earbud.

Noise cancelling and call quality

So, has the introduction of Sony’s Dual Noise Sensor filters made a difference to noise cancelling? We think so. You can hear the earbuds increase the intensity of the ANC and extract an extra layer or two of noise, especially in the lower mid and bass frequencies.

They’re not as accomplished as more expensive rivals such as Sony’s own WF-1000XM5 or the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (2024), especially when it comes to cancelling out upper mids and highs, but these buds cost significantly more. The ANC on the WF-C710N is a step up from the WF-C700N which is all you can really ask of them.

Sony’s taken steps to try and ensure call quality is up to a good standard too. The wind noise reduction structure around the mic returns from WF-C700N, as does the Precise Voice Pickup Technology for clearer calls.

And in testing, we found the new model to be very impressive for a product of its type. We found our voices better defined and clearer while background noise, including gentle gusts of wind, was suppressed better too.

We’re not talking a ridiculous amount, but enough for the reviewer on the other end of the call to notice a difference when comparing the two side by side.

Sound

Before we get stuck into sound quality, we should point out that our first review sample of the WF-C710N had a slight sonic quirk. We noticed what can only be described as a tiny, springy “boing” sound when walking or when tapping the earbud. We found it most noticeable with no sound coming out of the buds and with ANC or transparency mode turned on, but it also intruded into podcasts. We asked for a second review sample, which didn’t have the issue.

The Sony WF-C710N have some huge shoes to fill sonically and, somehow, Sony has managed to up the performance levels.

Playing Mombasa from the Inception OST, the track immediately makes big bold, powerful strides. There’s a weight, solidity and fullness in the bass which makes the WF-C700N sound lightweight and a little top-heavy. The new model fleshes things out better.

The Sonys deliver the song with a real sense of intensity, and you can feel the drama unfolding – you don’t need to see the movie to get a feeling that something serious is going down.

The WF-C710N extract a fantastic amount of detail for the money. We switch over to Eminem’s Mockingbird and the buds give you a bit of everything. You have tightly defined, punchy bass that is weighty and nicely balanced.

You also have the spritely percussion and clapping that punctuates higher up the frequency range. It sounds crisp, but not overcooked – notes are painted in texture and sharply defined.

There’s a good level of detail to Eminem’s vocal delivery and a good sense of expression with a natural warmth that connects with the listener.

You also get Sony’s trademark musicality in spades. The WF-C710N hold a tune very well, when called upon to deal with the timing gymnastics demanded by Radiohead's 15 Step. They remain fleet-footed at all times and don’t get bogged down in the music or lost in what feels like a million other elements going on in the track.

Verdict

We know we’re starting to sound like a broken record, but this is yet another pair of Sony wireless earbuds that we can’t help but be impressed by.

Once again, the company has managed to elevate the performance of its budget earbuds to another level. The WF-C710N improve on their predecessors in several key areas, including ANC performance and sound quality, and Sony has wrapped it all up in an attractive and comfortable package for a great price. Seriously impressive.

First reviewed: April 2025

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 4
• Comfort 5

MORE:

Read our review of the Sony WF-C700N

Also consider the JBL Live Pro 2 TWS

Best wireless earbuds: top pairs tested by our reviewers