Sony is expanding its line of True Wireless (TWS) earbuds with the launch of the Sony WF-SP800N. These are the fifth addition to Sony's true Wireless earbuds lineup. It's a direct successor to the Sony WF-SP700N that came in 2018 and brings some notable upgrades to the table including water and dust protection, improved battery life, and better design.
Just like its predecessor, the Sony WF-SP800N earbuds are designed for sports lovers and Sony is pitching it as a perfect companion for your workouts and runs. The earbuds are IP55 certified for water, sweat, and dust resistance — a step up from IPX4 protection on the last-gen model. The device utilizes soft-cushioned arc stabilizers and curved design to give you a secure fit during workouts activities.
Digital noise cancellation is one of the main attractions of the Sony WF-SP700N, which allows you to filter out unwanted and distracting noise. You can use the companion app to further customize the noise-canceling based on your surroundings (home, work, outdoors) and even tweak the equalizer to your liking. The app even lets you create location-based profiles - for example, you can set it to automatically kick in the noise cancellation when you arrive at the office or gym.
The battery life is a strong point of the WF-SP800N. Sony claims up to 9 hours of continuous battery life with noise cancelation turned on (13 hours without NC). This can be further extended to 18 hours using the charging case (26 hours without NC). The case charges via USB-C (no wireless charging) and supports quick charging — a 10-minute charge is enough for 1 hour of music playback.
You also get Sony's Quick Attention mode which turns down the music volume and amplifies the outside voices when you place a finger on one of the buds. Similar to other Sony headphones and earbuds, the WF-SP800N also offer touch controls to let you pause/skip/change tracks, answer calls, and summon Google Assistant with a simple tap.
Coming to the sound quality, the Sony WF-SP800N uses the same Bluetooth chip as the high-end WF-1000XM3 earbuds. However, the sound quality will likely not be as neutral and detailed since these earbuds are part of Sony’s Extra Bass lineup which is known for offering bass-driven sound. The earbuds only support basic Bluetooth codes such as SBC and AAC — no support for aptX, aptX HD, or LDAC.
Available in three colors — Blue, Orange, Black — the Sony WF-SP800N retail for $200 and can be purchased directly from Sony or Amazon.
Source: The Verge