Sony WF-XB700 review: Water-resistant, bass-first, TWS earbuds for under Rs 10,000

True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds are all the rage these days. Almost every audio and smartphone manufacturer has gotten in on the game. They range from under Rs 1,000 all the way to over Rs 25,000. That’s a mighty large price range.

The two most important aspects of a TWS earbud that a company needs to get right is battery life and audio quality.

A giant in the technology world from Japan, Sony, has finally gotten into the game in India with the launch of the WF-XB700 and WF-SP800N. The higher-end WF-1000XM3 is launching on August 6th.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Today we’ll be taking a look at the WF-XB700 that is priced at Rs 9,990.

Fit: Bulky, weird and uncomfortable

Sony’s WF-XB700 earbuds have an unusual design. They may not be sticking out of your ears but compared to a lot of the competitors they surely do stand out. It’s just that I found them uncomfortable while wearing them for long hours. Over the days though it got easier to wear them as I got used to the design.

Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla

The build quality though is superb on these earbuds. They’re made of plastic but they hold their own. They’ve got a matte finish and a touch of gloss. As always, extra silicone tips are provided in the box and you can pick the size that suits your ear.

According to Sony, each earbud weighs just 8gm but in reality I found them a touch heavier.

Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla

The earbuds didn’t fall out of my ear at all, even when running, and that’s something Sony seems to have gotten right. You just need to twist them in place and you’re good to go.

Case: Compact and easy to open

The oval-shaped magnetic charging case comes in an oval-shaped design (like Samsung’s Galaxy Buds) and has a translucent cover.

Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla

There’s a USB Type-C port at the back (a cable is provided in the box). Magnets hold the earphones securely in the case and they won’t fall out even if you tried. There is a red charging LED light that you can see when the case is closed. Flipping the case open one-handed is a pretty easy task.

The earbuds are rated for 9 hours on a single charge while the case is good for an extra 9 hours of battery life.

Features: IPX4 rating!

One feature I feel that shouldn’t be left out of any TWS earbud going forward is an IPX4 rating. TWS earbuds are meant to be used both inside and outside. Whether sunshine or rain, your music/calls shouldn’t have to stop.

IPX4 is the rating for water and dust resistance. This means the Sony WF-XB700 can withstand sweat rain and even a good amount of dust and dirt.

Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla

Both earbuds also get a physical button. It’s not ideally placed and I’m not certain they are better than touch controls. For the most part it works but sometimes it’s hard to press the physical button without moving the earbud a lot.

A feature that is lacking though is that there is no app for EQ. There’s no way to manually adjust it. One can’t change the bass. Sony does have a Headphone Connect app so it’s strange as to why they just didn’t add support for the WF-XB700 earbuds.

Lastly, one more omission from Sony is the lack of active noise cancellation. It isn’t a given in this price range but it would have made for a nice addition. Nonetheless, the earbuds offer fairly good passive noise isolation even in loud environments.

Audio quality: For the bass lovers out there!

Opening up the earbuds and syncing them to my smartphone was almost instantaneous. You just open the case, find the buds in the Bluetooth devices settings and pair them up. It’s that easy. In fact, the connection is strong for up to 10 meters.

The tiny little physical button can perform a variety of taste. A single press on the left bud will increase the volume. Press and hold it to decrease the volume. The single press on the right bud plays and pauses the music. A double press will take you to the next song and a triple click will take you to the previous track. You can’t adjust these settings and that’s one thing that irked me.

With that out of the way, let’s get to the audio quality now. The Sony WF-XB700’s are loud, bass-first earbuds. Constantly I had to make a note of keeping the earbuds to a volume level of 75 percent. Anything over that and my ears would get instantly overwhelmed.

The lows on the WF-XB700’s are boosted with ample bass and a whole lot of thump. Sometimes the lows are exaggerated but thankfully it doesn’t overpower the balance of sounds. On jazz tracks like Dave Brubeck’s Take Five, you can clearly hear the arrangement of instruments. On a whole different note, pop sounds are exactly as they should be. Popping and thumping in your years while you bob your head to the summer’s biggest hits.

Songs like Kanye West’s Touch The Sky shone through. The vocals were clear and the high-mids shone through. The WF-XB700’s got enough punchiness to keep them going.

Saying all of this, if you’re really a bass-lover then you’re going to love these TWS earbuds.

Podcasts were also crystal clear. I had no issues hearing each individual talk and argue on the various podcasts I listen to.

Call quality: Will suit you fine

One can’t really complain about the call quality here. While wearing a mask and on a socially distant walk, the people on the other side of the call could hear me clearly and I could hear them just as well.

The voice may be hollow at times but it shouldn’t deter you. The only negative is that ambient noise seeps through to the call at times. Maybe a software update can fix this.

Battery life: Amazing!

Sony adversities 9 hours of battery life on a single charge for the WF-XB700. I got just about 9 hours with about 70% volume at all times. This is in the top tier of battery life on TWS earbuds. The case can also charge the buds one whole time. So 18 hours of battery life without having to plug it in.

One thing I’d like to mention is that even though I always used both the earbuds together, the right one lost battery faster than the left one. It fixed itself after a few full charges but just something to note.

Note: It’ll take you almost 3 hours to fully charge the case.

Verdict: One of the best TWS earbuds under Rs 10,000

Kudos to Sony for pricing these TWS earbuds under Rs 10,000. That puts it in the lower range of the TWS earbud field. It’s a crowded field below Rs 10,000 but these match up to the best in the industry.

These certainly aren’t budget TWS earbuds (there are far cheaper options) but these also offer a far superior audio experience. Some features like wear detection, lack of active noise cancellation, and issues with the physical button (and how the consumer can’t customise it) may not sit well with some people. With excellent sound quality and battery life, it’s hard to go wrong with the WF-XB700 TWS earbuds from Sony