The Sony WF-C510 TWS earphones manage to carve out a space for themselves for under Rs 5,000, despite missing out on a few features. The earbuds benefit from Sony’s incredible sound support, respectable battery life, intuitive app support, comfortable fit, and multi-device connectivity support. Read this review to learn more about the Sony WF-C510 and who should consider buying the earbuds.
Table of Contents
Design and fit
The Sony WF-C510 earbuds come in a compact, pill-shaped case that is both lightweight and easy to carry. It slips conveniently into most pockets; however, if you’re wearing skintight jeans, it may create a noticeable bulge in your front pocket. The case features a groove on the front to make opening the lid and accessing the earbuds easier, though opening it single-handedly can be tricky and may require some finger gymnastics. That doesn’t make any difference to the performance however.
Speaking of the styling of Sony WF-C510 earbuds, they boast an in-ear design with silicone tips of three different sizes: small, medium, and large. The default medium tips provide a secure, comfortable fit in my ears, keeping the earbuds firmly in place, even during workouts. Moreover, with each bud weighing 4.6 grams, they remain comfortable to wear for prolonged usage. The earbuds don’t feature any sensors for wear detection, which is a bummer, or touch controls for that matter. But, you do get a physical button on the outer shell of the earbuds to pause/ play music, answer/ reject calls, and enable/ disable ambient noise, among other things. The controls can be customised via the compatible Sound Connect app, which I’ll explain in detail in the dedicated app connectivity section.
The earbuds come in four colour options: black, blue, yellow, and white. We received the black variant, which should be a good choice for anyone who doesn’t like cleaning their buds often. The front of the Sony WF-C510 case features a multi-core LED for pairing mode and battery indication. The top edge has Sony’s branding etched on it, whereas around the back, the case features a USB Type-C port and a pairing button. The bottom edge of the case is flat, preventing it from rolling off the desk.
Features and app connectivity
The Sony WF-C510 features are relatively modest. The buds only come with passive noise cancellation and standard codec support such as SBC and AAC. However, Sony has deployed its DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) sound technology, which can be enabled via the compatible app, to enhance the quality of compressed audio files. The app also lets you prioritise audio quality over connectivity or vice versa—more about this in the sound quality section below.
The earbuds are IPX4 certified for resistance against sweat and minor splashes of water. They pair with your device via Bluetooth v5.3, and for Android devices, there is Google Fast Pairing that prompts a connection request as soon as the case is opened and brought near to the device. The Sony WF-C510 supports multi-point connectivity – there is a pairing button on the case for that – and connects to two devices simultaneously. The latter requires an app to enable the option.
The Sony WF-C510 earbuds can be controlled via the Sound Connect app which is available for download on both Android and iOS devices. The app is intuitive and lets you update the earbuds to the latest software and customise their EQ settings, controls, and Ambient Sound Control. Speaking of controls, each bud boasts a physical control that lets you pause/play music, answer/ reject calls, adjust volume, and launch Spotify. While the buttons are responsive, they don’t give a premium feel to the earbuds. Moreover, it would have been great if the earbuds included wear detection to automatically pause music or videos when removed and resume playback when worn again.
Sound quality and calling
Coming to the sound quality, the Sony WF-C510 earbuds are tuned well to offer a respectable performance for their price. While the soundstage isn’t as expansive as the premium Sony WF-1000XM5 (review), the 6mm dynamic drivers in each earbud offer a consistently balanced audio experience across various genres. The sound quality can be further tailored using preset EQ options or custom settings available through the companion app. The app’s “Find Your Equaliser” feature simplifies the process, allowing users to identify their ideal sound profile without manually tweaking individual frequency sliders.
I had a good experience listening to tracks like Chaiya Chaiya, Houdini, Peaches, Levitating, I Feel It Coming, Uptown Funk, Vanjhali Vaja, Goat, and more using the custom ‘Clear Bass +9’ EQ settings. This setup hit the perfect sweet spot for me, delivering crisp vocals, with just enough bass to groove and rich instrumental sounds for an enjoyable listening experience. While the lack of advanced Bluetooth audio codecs is noticeable in some scenarios, it doesn’t detract significantly from the overall sound quality. That said, the earbuds could benefit from greater depth in audio and enhanced 360-degree support to create a more robust stereo effect. Sony’s DSEE could be utilised to make the earbuds sound marginally better, but it might eat up some battery.
Be that as it may, the Sony WF-C510 sounds fuller compared to the similarly-priced (and its closest competitor), the Beats Solo Buds (review). Despite the bigger driver size, the Beats earbuds fall short of delivering the same level of balance, depth, and overall richness that the Sony TWS provides. Listening to Chaiya Chaiya with their default audio profiles (Beats Solo Buds do not have EQ support), it sounded better on the Sony WF-C510. The Sony buds handle AR Rahman’s beats and the vocals of Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi with greater clarity and musicality.
The call quality of the Sony WF-C510 earbuds appears underwhelming though, particularly in noisy environments. Despite having microphones positioned on the edges of the earbuds for optimal voice capture, they struggle to effectively separate human voices from ambient noise. This limitation often results in complaints from receivers about not being able to hear clearly—a contrast to the Moto Buds+ (review), which seems to manage voice clarity better in similar conditions.
Battery life
Despite their compact form factor, the Sony WF-C510 earbuds offer impressive battery life. Sony claims up to 22 hours of total playtime with the charging case. In my experience, a full charge provided around six hours of playtime, with Ambient Sound mode, DSEE upscaling, and the AAC codec enabled, and volume set between 60-70 percent. Disabling these features can add approximately 4 hours to the playtime. The case supplies an additional 11 hours of battery life and supports quick charging, adding up to an hour of usage in just 5 minutes. The only niggle is the time taken by the case to achieve a full charge. The Sony WF-C510 comes with a USB Type-C port for charging and takes over two and a half hours to lift a dead battery to 100 percent.
Verdict
Priced at Rs 4,990, the Sony WF-C510 may not be the most feature-packed TWS earphones in the market, but they still offer excellent value for money. With impressive sound quality, a comfortable fit, and strong battery life, the pair is a solid choice for casual listening. While the call quality might not meet the needs of those who prioritise voice clarity, the earbuds excel in other areas, making them ideal for both Android and iOS users. Even with standard audio codecs, the Sony WF-C510 provides a well-balanced audio experience, further enhanced by Sony’s DSEE technology and customisable sound settings.
Editor’s rating: 7.5 / 10
Pros
- Customisable sound with Sony’s DSEE tech
- Decent sound quality
- Comfortable, secure fit
- Impressive battery life
Cons
- Lacks advanced Bluetooth codecs
- Underwhelming call quality
- Slow charging speed
