Sony's next cheap earbuds reportedly leak, but don't get too excited

Leaked images of Sony WF-C510 earbuds
(Image credit: @MysteryLupin / X)

We're big fans of the Sony WF-C500 wireless earbuds: they're fantastic value for money and while they're not quite as ridiculously as the same firm's Sony WF-C700N, our current pick of the best budget earbuds, they're considerably cheaper and still provide a lot of fun. And it appears that there's a new version coming that set to be slightly better, but only very slightly different, according to a purported leak (via Notebookcheck).

If you're looking for cutting-edge earbud technology it's seems that these are not the earbuds for you. But the improvements Sony has made here would be worthwhile and assuming the WF-C510 earbuds retain the same cheap cheerfulness that's made them a deserved headphone hit, no doubt they'll still be great.

Sony WF-C510 wireless earbuds: what's new

Sony WF-C510 leak

The new WF-C510 earbuds haven't introduced a radical redesign. (Image credit: @mysterylupin / X)

The new 'buds have leaked via Arsène Lupin on X, who has posted multiple images and what appears to be a marketing graphic too. The earbuds and their case look pretty much identical to the current models and have the same mappable function button; round the back of the case there's the pairing button and USB-C port. This time around you can pair with two devices simultaneously.

The key features set out in the marketing graphic include 22 hours of battery life, which is two more hours than the current model; IPX4 water resistance; and Ambient Sound. As before, these aren't ANC buds, so if you're looking for noise canceling you'd be better with the more expensive WF-C700N earbuds instead. 

We don't know the new models' price yet but the current version is retailing at around £39 in the UK and $40 in the US, so we'd expect very similar pricing for the WF-C510 – possibly slightly more at launch, though they won't be able to too much higher, or they'll get dangerously close to the WF-C700N. The release date hasn't been announced yet but given that the product shots appear to be marketing ones, the official reveal shouldn't be too far away – we'll see soon if they can stand up to the best wireless earbuds in the same kind of budget range.

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Carrie Marshall
Contributor

Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.