Sony WF-SP800N revealed, could feature QN1e (update 2)

I reported on this upcoming wireless headset back in December, not much was revealed in the FCC filing, a photo of part of the case, the presence of the Mediatek MT2811 and Bluetooth 5.0. But now with the Anatel certification, we have a bit more information, including the full design.

Update and correction February 2021

 

In the original post from March 2020, I assumed the WF-SP800N would come with 2 microphones for NC. But I was wrong, we know that there is no QN1e in the model and while comparing teardown photos, there is no second microphone for NC, only one. This can bee seen in the photos below. The 2 wires, yellow/blue, come off the ribbon cable and go to the driver.

Now in this photo from the WF-1000XM3 teardown by 52Audio, there are 4 cables, 2 (yellow/blue) to the driver and red/green to the NC microphone.

Source: 52Audio.com

Likewise in the teardown of the WF-H800N, same cable connection to the driver, yellow/blue.

Source: 52Audio.com

The shape and design looks to be similar to the WF-1000XM3, but is more tapered to one end rather than a rounded rectangle. I suspect the driver size is identical, 6mm, along with the same battery, VARTA CP1254. Compared to the WF-SP700N this replaces, water resistance has been increased to IPX5, from IPX4. This increase is similar like in the upcoming WI-SP510. This resistance means you can rinse the units under running tap water. The manual has no information on weight or any battery life unfortunately, but I guessing in the same ballpark as the WF-1000XM3.

Codec support is identical to the WF-1000XM3, SBC and AAC, no LDAC. The WF-SP800N will also have noise cancellation as denoted by the model name (N), so it will be interesting to see if Sony decides to use the NC from the MT2811 (Airoha AB155x) or from the QN1e. One thing I have noticed in the external photos from the Anatel filing are presence of dual mics on the units. The QN1e needs dual microphones for NC (feed-forward and feedback), which the WF-1000XM3 has and if the WF-SP800N also uses dual microphones, then Sony can mention the QN1e as a feature.

I am quite certain there will be at least one microphone on the outside for NC and picking up the voice but the second microphone does seem to be present under the arc supporter in the photos. The position is similar in the WF-1000XM3. Once Sony announces the model, we will know if this is the case.

The case design departs from the WF-1000XM3 and WF-H800. From the photos in the filing and the manual, there does not appear to be a lip in the front but rather a straight line. Good news is, the Arc supports can be attached to each unit and will fit in the charging case for recharging. The bottom seems more rounded and I wonder how stable the case will be on a flat surface. There is no mention of NFC in the manual and no NFC logo, so perhaps it is absent, which would be unfortunate.

Onto the rest of the photos. The model in the filing looks to be pre-production model as well since the quality of the plastic does not look that amazing. Just like the WF-1000XM3, there appears to be a sensor (proximity?) on the underside as well. The shinny section on the top of the earbuds is a touch sensor like the one present on the WF-1000XM3.

Using the filing, a rough estimate of the the length would be between 35-37.5mm. It is hard to tell if the unit is laying flat on the table or not, so this estimate might be wrong. The width at the widest part is 23mm. It will be interesting what colour options this model will have, black for sure as seen in the filing but will it mimic the WF-1000XM3 or go for more funkier colour options like the WF-SP700N had? Pricing is unknown, but hopefully will not cost more than the WF-1000XM3. If the WF-SP800N feature the same specs as the WF-1000XM3 (including QN1e) and IPX5 water resistance, then these may cost more. Release date could be early to late Spring 2020, since the short term confidentiality ends on May 26th, so an announcement should happen before then. Hopefully there is no delay due to the coronavirus.

Inside the case, the power rating when charging is 5V ⎓ 80mA. The other models from Sony have the following values:

WF-1000XM3 - 5V ⎓ 120mA
WF-H800 - 5V ⎓70mA
WF-XB700 - 5V ⎓100mA

I am not an electrical engineer, my only guess is that this is have fast the buds are charged? Maybe someone with more knowledge and understanding can explain this in the comments.

That is all I could gather from the photos and the manual, I can post up the manual if people want me to.

Update: 

Colours of the upcoming WF-SP800N are now known, black, blue, orange and white. These again might be region specific, but this looks like the colours for North America.

Update #2 and #3

The WF-SP800N has appeared on a retail site in Finland, but I would not take those prices as the true price, since the WF-XB700 on that site is priced at 129 euros, but it shows the price on Sony Finland as 150 Euros.

Checking the retailer again, seems like a date of May 15th for availability.

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Source: Anatel