It’s taken a while but Sony has finally announced that it is ready to enter India’s burgeoning truly wireless market. Sony is kicking things off with two TWS earbuds, both of which target two very different price points. There’s the entry-level WF-XB700 and the slightly more premium WF-SP800N. The WF-XB700s are geared towards an audience (in the age group of 18-35) that prioritizes “extra” bass. The WF-SP800Ns are designed for an audience (in the age group of 22-35) that’s a fitness enthusiast with sound that’s said to be fine tuned for workout sessions and sports, plus they have noise cancellation.
Sony has launched the WF-SP800Ns in India at a price of Rs 9,900 in black and blue colour options. The WF-SP800Ns will meanwhile cost Rs 18,990 in black, blue and white. The WF-SP800Ns are available starting today, while WF-SP800Ns will be available for buying from June 26. Sony is looking to achieve 30% share of India’s truly wireless market with both the products in the Rs 9,000 and above TWS category. The WF-XB700s and WF-SP800Ns will compete with Samsung’s Galaxy Buds and Jabra’s Elite 65T (and a host of other TWS earbuds from JBL and Skullcandy).
Sony WF-XB700, WF-SP800N closer look
The WF-SP800Ns are the premium offering in Sony’s debut truly wireless India portfolio. The headlining features here are noise cancellation, touch control, water and dust resistance, and up to 26-hour battery life. Interestingly, these TWS earbuds bring many features we’ve (already) seen in the critically acclaimed WH-1000XM3s, so you can say Sony has somehow miniaturized all this tech for what is clearly one of the most buzzing categories in the market today.
There’s noise cancellation of course, but Sony has also added its ambient mode to these TWS earbuds that can help filter outside noise when you want to and be aware of your surroundings when you’re out and about. Sony has also added its quick attention mode and sense engine and location recognizer technologies to the WF-SP800Ns so these can adapt more seamlessly (using artificial intelligence) to users’ environment and offer the most balanced sound accordingly.
Speaking of which, the WF-SP800Ns pack Sony’s ExtraBass sound so you probably already know what you’re getting into, should you be looking to buy them.
The WF-SP800Ns also come with sensors for wear detection and touch controls for play/pause or to fire up your default voice assistant. There’s Bluetooth 5.0 for connectivity.
The WF-XB700s are a more toned down affair which is understandable considering their entry-level pricing. They have smaller 12mm drivers (bass-heavy) and they are only splashproof. They have no fancy touch controls (instead they come with physical buttons) and a claimed battery life of up to 18 hours. Luckily, there’s USB Type-C charging.
