Sony Sony WF-C510 True Wireless Earbuds (Black) Review

The Sony WF-C510 are connectivity and comfort champs with disappointing sound. The multipoint pairing and call quality are excellent, and they're incredibly light and comfortable for all-day wear. But the audio quality is flat and thin out of the box, landing in the bottom 2% of buds we've tested. For under $70, they're a great buy for calls and podcasts, but a poor choice for music lovers.

Let's talk about the Sony WF-C510. These are the earbuds you buy when you just need something simple, comfortable, and reliable to get you through the day. They're not trying to be audiophile gear or noise-canceling champions. They're the lightweight, colorful buds you toss in your pocket and forget about until you need them.

They're perfect for someone who's constantly on calls between their phone and laptop, thanks to that multipoint connection. They're also a solid pick for fitness, with an IPX4 rating that laughs at sweat and splashes. Our data shows they score a 61.8 out of 100 for fitness use, which is pretty decent for this price.

What makes them interesting is the trade-off. Sony put all their points into comfort, connectivity, and call quality, and basically left the sound profile as an afterthought. It's a very specific recipe, and it works for a specific kind of user.

Performance is a story of extremes. On the good side, the connectivity is rock solid. Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint pairing lands in the 97th percentile, which is genuinely impressive. Switching between your phone and laptop is seamless. The microphone quality is also top-tier, sitting in the 88th percentile. People will actually hear you clearly on calls, which is more than you can say for a lot of buds at this price.

Then there's the sound. It lands in the 2nd percentile. That's not a typo. The bass is thin, the highs can get a bit shrill, and everything sounds a bit compressed out of the box. The good news is they respond well to EQ tweaks in the Sony app. A few owners mentioned that fixing the sound profile made a world of difference. But you have to be willing to do that work yourself.

Priced between $44 and $70, the C510 sits in the budget-to-midrange bracket. You're not paying for premium sound or ANC. You're paying for Sony's brand reliability, top-notch connectivity, and a mic that punches above its weight. It's a value proposition built on convenience and comfort, not audio performance.

Compared to other buds in this range, you're trading sound quality for better call handling and multipoint. If your primary use is podcasts, calls, and audiobooks, that's a fair trade. If music is your main thing, your money goes further elsewhere.

The main competitors here highlight the C510's choices. The Nothing Ear (a) offers much better sound quality and a more fun design for a similar price, but its connectivity and mic aren't as polished. The Anker Soundcore P31i throws in real-time adaptive noise cancellation, which the Sony completely lacks, but might not match the comfort for all-day wear.

Then you have the JBL Tune Flex, which also has noise cancelling and typically better bass response out of the box. But JBL's multipoint implementation can be clunkier. The C510's ace in the hole is its seamless device switching and call clarity. It's a trade-off: do you want better sound and features, or do you want the most hassle-free connection for a hybrid workday?

Music lovers should steer clear. If your primary goal is to get lost in your favorite albums with rich, detailed sound, the C510's 2nd percentile audio performance will frustrate you. You'd be much happier with the Nothing Ear (a) or even a wired pair in this price range.

Frequent travelers or commuters who need peace and quiet should also skip. The complete lack of active noise cancellation means every rumble of the train or roar of the plane cabin will come through loud and clear. In a noisy environment, you'll be cranking the volume to compensate, which isn't ideal. Look for buds with ANC, even if it's a budget version.

We recommend the Sony WF-C510 if you're a hybrid worker who lives on Zoom or Teams calls, needs to hop between a laptop and phone constantly, and prioritizes all-day comfort over musical bliss. They're also a good, worry-free pick for the gym. The connectivity and mic are genuinely best-in-class for the price.

Skip these entirely if you're an audiophile or music-first listener. That 2nd percentile sound score is a dealbreaker. Also, if you commute on loud trains or planes, the lack of ANC is a major downside. For those users, the Nothing Ear (a) or spending a bit more on the Sony WF-C700N (which has ANC) is a much better path.