Sony WF-C710N Announced
Sony has announced the new WF-C710N, photos and details were leaked in my original post last month, but now we know the price and availability.
The new WF-C710N is available for pre-order right now, and will ship starting this week Germany and the UK. Similarly for the US, shipping is end of this week/early next. I do not see any shipping information for Canada, but Amazon Canada says availability is April 18th. Sony Japan still does not have these up yet, but hopefully in the next few days. Pricing is 119,99 € / $120 USD / £99.99 / $169 CAD. which is not that bad.
The specifications are the same as my earlier post:
- 5mm driver
- Colours: black, white, pink, glass blue
- IPX4
- DSEE
- Multipoint support
- Battery life
- up to 8.5 Hrs NC on
- up to 12 hrs NC off
- with case up to 12 Hrs NC on
- with case up to 30 Hrs NC off
- Charging time: 1.5 hrs Earbuds, 3.5 hrs case
- Bluetooth 5.3
- SBC, AAC
- Auto pause and wear detection
- Touch sensor
- 70mAh earbud battery, 500mAh in the case
- Call function
- HD Voice
- Echo cancellation
- Noise suppression
We know the weight now as well, 5.2g per earbud, with the case 38g. Previously the WF-C700N were 4.6g per earbud and 31g for the case. The increased case weight is due to the larger internal battery, now 500mAh, versus 300mAh previously. The internal earbud battery remains the same, 70mAh.
The product pages confirm the dual noise cancellation microphones but there are no photos showing their positions. But we do know there are mics on the inside and outside from a section about voice calls:
Crystal-clear calls
With Precise Voice Pickup Technology that optimally controls microphones on the outside and inside of the earbud, and advanced audio signal processing, conversations are ultra clear, even in noisy environments
So I would imagine the setup is could similar to the previous LinkBuds S, where both the feedback and feedforward microphones were practically beside each other but facing in opposite directions. A teardown will confirm this assumptions. Our best chance is the FCC internal photos which are supposed become available on June 16th 2025, but with the announcement, I suspect we will see them earlier.
Sony WF-1000XM5 AI
The earbuds use a special wind reduction structure around the microphone to reduce wind noise. which on the surface looks similar to the one found on the WF-1000XM5. In addition, the new WF-C710N borrows the WF-1000XM5's AI-trained noise reduction algorithm for voice calls as well, which should offer clearer voice calls.
Mystery Bluetooth SoC
We do not know what Bluetooth SoC Sony has used in the new model. The AI-trained noise reduction algorithm could indicate the V1 (MT2822), but even other Airoha variants could even match, like the AB1585 or AB157x. But I have my doubts, and I suspect it might be the same SoC as the WF-C510 uses, the AB1563. Information about the AB1563 is non-existent right now, unless it is just a newer version of the AB1562 which was used in the WF-C700N. Shame the Mexican certification did not show the SoC.
Driver
The driver is a 5mm unit, which Sony has "uniquely tuned to provide powerful bass and clear vocal quality." The driver is supposedly well balanced from low to high frequencies. Either we are looking at the exact same driver as in the WF-C700N, or the old LinkBuds S driver, which also was 5mm, and offered similar attributes. But this is just speculation on my part. I hope we get a Sony Engineer interview but not holding my breath.
Glass Blue - Back to the 90s!
The best feature on the new model is definitely the new glass Blue colour option with the see thru design. This evokes the nostalgic feel to the 1990s where almost anything electronic was offered with a transparent design. I will be honest, the design is my favourite one and might be the colour I pick up. What do people think, should Sony offer such a transparent design on the WH-1000XM6? How about the WF-1000XM6?
Nothing is Perfect
As good as the new WF-C710N sounds, it is not perfect, and has its shortcomings. First, no support for LDAC, which is a unfortunate. But the lack of LC3 support is puzzling. I am aware LE Audio support is still sketchy, but why not future proof the earbuds for when more smartphones support LE Audio and LC3? No brainer. Maybe we will see a future firmware update which adds LC3?
Second, there is no wireless charging in the case, which at this price point is offered by some competitors, like the Anker Liberty 4 NC Earbuds. which are cheaper and might even offer better ANC. But they do not offer a transparent design.
Third, Sony really should considering offering better quality tips on all of their wireless earbuds. Silicone is nice and easy to clean. but adding soft memory foam inside the tips would added a better seal, which ultimately will lead to better ANC performance and sound quality.
And finally, the Sound Connect app. I like it, but the customization for the touch function is very limited with the current headsets, and I do not foresee this changing with this model. Come on Sony, let us select what each press of a button does, not pre-set options.
And with that, we are done. Seeing as Sony does not send me any reviews units, I will be picking up a pair myself once they are available, so stay tuned for my review once I get them. I have the WF-C700N and WF-C510 which I will be comparing them to.
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