Sony electronics aren't exactly budget fare, but when it comes to true wireless earbuds, its WF-C500 delivered on the fundamentals at $100 — sturdy build, comfy fit, and quality sound. That said, at the same price point, you'll find other earbud makers bringing in advanced features like active noise cancellation and multipoint support. The Japanese tech company of Walkman fame might just meet the challenge with the upcoming WF-C700N: we just learned all about the specs and now we're learning when we can expect to buy a pair.
Big box retailer Best Buy has posted up a pre-release product page for the WF-C700N (via Roland Quandt) and while it doesn't have images — you can see some leaked product renders below — it does say that it will cost $120 and go out to consumers on April 21. As of press time, the page is still online and you can opt to be notified of when stock becomes available.
The product description confirms many features from previous intelligence including active noise cancellation thanks to its "Noise Sensor Technology," Sony's Digital Sound Enhancement Engine, support for two simultaneous active connections, and an overall battery life of 15 hours between a fully-charged pair of earbuds (presumably with ANC on) and the charging case. We also learn that they are rated IPX4 which means they're resistant to immersion from splashing water.
Each earbud should have a button: the left one controls ANC and passthrough modes while the right one controls media. Users will also be able to take calls and access their voice assistants through those buttons.
The $120 price tag is $20 up from what the WF-C500 cost, but is on target with what's been rumored for the WF-C700N, which run on Bluetooth 5.2.
There are some loose ends that still need tying up, though. One leak claims that the multipoint support will only arrive for the C700N this summer with a firmware update. Best Buy makes it sound like the feature will be available out of the box. There are other details, too, such as advanced codec support, fit, and sound quality.
Of course, any questions you might have about these promising wireless earbuds can be answered with a review. We just need a few more weeks before any of us can get our hands on a pair.