Import filing shows new affordable in-ears will boast active noise cancellation

The Sony WF-C500 are pictured here – the C700 may be a straight replacement for them. (Image credit: TechRadar)

Not content with refreshing its mid-range headphone line up recently, Sony is all set to unveil a new pair of noise cancelling earbuds, according to reports. 

Sony fan site The Walkman Blog (opens in new tab) claims the Japanese tech giant is readying a successor to its popular entry-level Sony WF-C500 true wireless buds, pictured above, with the all-new model adding active noise cancellation.

The blog references an import filing which reveals the new model will be called the WF-C700N and will support Bluetooth 5.2.

The filing also reveals a different sized 7x3x2cm battery will be installed, raising hopes that the new model could have an increased capacity running beyond the 10 hours offered by the WF-C500 – though noise cancellation uses a lot of power, so it might just be necessary to combat that increased energy use.

It remains unclear, however, which wireless audio codecs the new buds will support. The WF-C500’s were limited to just AAC and SBC codecs, and weren’t compatible with Sony’s high resolution LDAC streaming – a feature that is now standard on most mid-range headphones from the brand.

The report comes after a schematic was leaked last year showing that a WF-C500 successor was on its way, and would maintain the same look as its predecessor, with the same black, green, violet and white color options set to be offered. 

While it doesn’t reveal any pricing details, the FCC documentation suggests we might not have too long wait for the WF-C700N, because its confidentiality runs out in the next couple of months, so we have to assume Sony will officially announce it before then.

Analysis: New buds could be a budget breakthrough for ANC

We were more than a little fond of the Sony WF-C500 when they first released a couple of years ago.

While they had some understandable compromises for their price, such as their middling battery life, their lively sound and comfortable design made them an excellent budget proposition.

The affordable true wireless market is a ridiculously competitive space right now, but if Sony can add noise cancelling to an already excellent pair of cheap buds, while also beefing up battery life, it’s going to be tough to see a match for the WF-C700N’s within this price bracket, other than perhaps the Earfun Air Pro 3.

While we wait to get an official list of the new model’s features, be sure to check out our guide to the best cheap earbuds available today.

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