Are you in the market to buy a pair of affordable earbuds that pack a punch in audio? If yes then you should definitely check out the Sony WF-C510. Getting a pair of earbuds with good sound is usually an expensive affair. To get more you have to pay more. But there are also products that buck the trend. Or rather, products that give users more bang for their buck. The Sony WF-C510, despite its minor flaws and lack of some features, is one such product.

Although Sony’s WF-C510 earbuds may not be the absolute best, we found these earbuds to be one of the top contenders under Rs 5,000, offering excellent sound, battery life, and a compact form factor. Drawbacks? Yes, there are some. But before we talk about all that, let’s take a look at what the Sony WF-C510 promises.

The Sony WF-C510 promise up to 22 hours of total battery life – 11 hours from the earbuds and 11 hours from the charging case – as well as providing 1 hour of playback with a 5-minute quick charge capability. The stated battery figures are tremendous. The earbuds feature IPX4 water resistance, multipoint connectivity, and quick pairing options, including Fast Pair and Swift Pair support. While there is no active noise cancellation, the earbuds offer ambient sound mode and voice focus for better call clarity.

The earbuds also use Sony’s DSEE technology to deliver balanced audio and 360 Reality Audio support to provide users an immersive audio experience.

Well, that pretty much sums up what’s inside and what’s being promised. Let’s now take a closer look at what the Sony WF-C510 actually offers and the reasons why it has become one of my favorite earbuds in the price range.

light and comfortable

We judge earbuds with our ears, but before we hit the play button, we judge them by their looks – because the eyes don’t lie. In the case of the Sony WF-C510, my eyes were definitely struck by the beautiful and compact design. I got the Sony WF-C510 in a light blue variant, which looks attractive and seems straight out of the spring color palette. The case of the earbuds is rectangular and compact and fits in the palm of my hand. In fact, for me, it’s about the size of my little finger. Cute colour, compact and lightweight.

What impressed me even more is that despite the case’s lightweight construction – and Sony says it’s made from partially recycled materials – the plastic doesn’t feel cheap at all. At first glance, when I opened the case, I thought these were another pair of Sony earbuds from their premium lineup. Also, the case comes with IPX 4, which means it can handle accidental water splashes.

Inside the beautiful case are two in-ear earbuds that match the color of the case, equipped with silicone tips. Both the earbuds are also light with a weight of 4.6 grams. Even though they are lightweight, the fit is fine, though not exactly comfortable. It took me a while to bend the earbuds and get the angle right, but once they were secured well, they remained secure even during walks and gym workouts. However the fit felt a little loose whenever I used the button controls – there are no touch controls here – and I’ll get into that later.

Overall, in terms of build and fit, the Sony WF-C510 offers a comfortable fit in a compact design and can be easily carried around.

Powerful audio and great battery

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, the Sony WF-C510 is one of the best earbuds for sound quality right now. Sony has established itself as a top manufacturer of audio products, especially in the premium price segment. Surprisingly, they managed to bring almost the same quality and experience to these comparatively affordable earbuds.

As I played my well-known tracks – most of which are pop songs – I loved the balanced audio and clear instrument separation they offered. Not even once did I feel that the songs were sounding flat. Be it Jenny’s new song Mantra or Bollywood’s latest Ami J Tomar from Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, the Sony WF-C510 delivered an amazing and enjoyable listening experience. I also went back to Queen’s classic Bohemian Rhapsody, and the WF-C510 didn’t disappoint, smoothly balancing the sound as the song changed between different styles.

To personalize the audio, I connected the Sony WF-C510 to Sony’s Sound Connect app. Here, the app offered a series of preset equalizers and custom options to tailor the sound to my liking.

Although I really loved the sound, I missed the active noise cancellation. A few years ago, the ANC’s disappearance at this price would not have been a big deal. However, with many brands — like the OnePlus Buds 3 I reviewed a month ago or even Nothing’s CMF earbuds — now including ANC in similarly priced models, its absence felt like a drawback. . However, to compensate, Sony has included a transparency feature, called Ambient Sound Mode, which offers some control over filtering out surrounding sounds. And given that the earbuds have silicone tips, and a somewhat good fit – if twisted and tried on correctly – there was a slight reduction in external noise, even without active noise cancellation.

Talking about ambient sound mode, as I mentioned earlier, the Sony WF-C510 earbuds lack touch controls, relying on physical buttons. To play, pause, or activate transparency mode, you must press these buttons. However, the fit of the earbuds was affected every time I pressed them, and they even fell out a few times, especially while working out. This was a major inconvenience and sometimes even inconvenient.

The second thing is call quality. I did not face any problem inside the house. However, while traveling or out, I faced many problems, as the person on the other end often had difficulty hearing my voice.

Oh, and also, the Sony WF-C510 lacks in-ear detection. So, if you remove the earbuds and place them on the table, the song will continue to play. This was a big problem for me.

Talking about the battery, Sony WF-C510 promises up to 22 hours of battery life with the case. In my usage, the earbuds lasted for about 2-3 days. Typically, I use the earbuds for about 4-5 hours, so it was good.

Sony WF-C510 Earbuds Review: Should You Buy It?

If you want a good pair of earbuds that sound great, are compact, and offer good battery life, the Sony WF-C510 are definitely worth considering. The earbuds offer really good sound quality, the app offers additional options to customize the equalizer, the battery will last a few days depending on usage, and they’re lightweight.

While the fit also depends on your ear canals, silicone tips generally provide a comfortable fit and, in my case, were good to go.

However, if features like touch controls as well as active noise cancellation are one of your priorities, you may want to look for other options. But if sound is the main priority in this budget segment, the Sony WF-C510 is definitely one of the best sounding earbuds you can get.