Sony WF-C510

Sony WF-C510

By Sony · Budget Wireless Earbuds · Audio & Electronics

  • Bluetooth 5.3 with Multipoint Connection (two devices simultaneously)
  • 6 mm closed-type dynamic drivers, approx. 4.6 g per earbud

Lowest price seen
$68.00
from $68.00 at Abt · Checked Oct 3, 2026

Prices are snapshots. Check the current price with the store.

Problems, parts and running costs

Summary

A small, button-operated true-wireless earbud with 6 mm drivers, Bluetooth 5.3, Multipoint and up to 11 hours of in-bud playback, rated by reviewers as sounding better than its price. The catches are a case that adds only one extra charge and a stripped feature set with no active noise cancellation and no high-resolution codecs.

Strengths

  • Reviewers rate the sound above its price, with deep bass and clear highs.
  • Up to 11 hours in the earbuds, among the longest in this price class.
  • Physical buttons and Multipoint, both rare in the segment.
  • The app EQ and a preference test let owners tune the default sound.
  • Small, light and secure: the buds stayed in through cycling and a gym session.
  • Sony publishes model-specific troubleshooting and a reset and initialize path.

Weaknesses

  • The case adds only one 11-hour charge, where many rivals add at least two.
  • No active noise cancellation, wear detection, low-latency mode, wireless charging or find-my.
  • No LDAC; audio is SBC and AAC only.
  • The default tuning is poor until you change the EQ in the Sony app.
  • Pressing the physical buttons pushes the buds further into the ear.
  • The box may not include a charging cable, and the case has no water-resistance rating.

Verified specifications

ModelWF-C510; US colorways WF-C510/B, WF-C510/L, WF-C510/W and WF-C510/Y.
Driver6 mm, closed type.
Frequency response20 Hz–20,000 Hz, 44.1 kHz sampling.
Bluetooth5.3; effective range 32.81 ft (10 m).
ProfilesA2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP.
CodecsSBC and AAC only; no LDAC.
Multipointup to two devices.
Ambient Sound Modeyes; there is no active noise cancellation.
DSEEyes.
Water resistanceIPX4 on the earbuds only, excluding the sound tube; the case has no rating.
Battery, musicup to 11 hours with Ambient Sound Mode off, 8 hours with it on.
Battery, communicationup to 5 hours.
Battery, total22 hours when Ambient Sound Mode, DSEE and EQ Custom are all off; the case adds one 11-hour charge.
Charge timeabout 1.5 hours for the earbuds via the case, about 3 hours for the case by USB.
Quick charge5 minutes in the case for up to 1 hour of playback.
Weightabout 4.6 g per earbud; about 31 g for the case.
AppSony | Sound Connect, for EQ, Ambient Mode, Multipoint pairing and 360 Reality Audio.
Eartipsthree pairs supplied.
Full research notes and sources

Sound

Reviewers agree the sound is the reason to consider this earbud, but they do not agree on its character. PCMag called it better than the price suggests, with deep bass and clean high end and no distortion, though percussion was less detailed than expected. Consumer Reports placed the sound in the very good range but described a warmish, slightly bassy character with treble that is extended but smeared. TechRadar heard punchy audio that some listeners may read as bass-light. Scarbir, a specialist site, named it for cheap-earbud guides in 2026 and treats the in-app EQ as what produces the good result. Owners say the same thing: the loudest single theme in the r/SonyHeadphones thread is that the stock tuning sounds poor and much better after EQ changes.

Battery and the case

The earbuds are the strong half and the case is the weak half. Sony states up to 11 hours per charge with Ambient Sound Mode off, 8 hours with it on, and up to 5 hours of continuous communication. The 22-hour total assumes the case and only applies when Ambient Sound Mode, DSEE and EQ Custom are all off. The case adds one additional 11-hour charge, which both PCMag and TechRadar single out as the main weakness versus rivals that supply at least two. A 5-minute charge in the case gives up to an hour of playback, a full earbud charge takes about 1.5 hours, and the case takes about 3 hours by USB. Sony notes batteries are consumables and does not guarantee their lifespan.

Features and the app

This is a deliberately stripped earbud. There is no active noise cancellation, only Ambient Sound Mode, which PCMag found surprisingly natural but with audible background noise. There is no wear detection, no low-latency game mode, no wireless charging on the case and no find-my feature. Audio is SBC and AAC over Bluetooth 5.3, with no LDAC. Water resistance is IPX4 on the earbuds, explicitly excluding the sound tube, and the case carries no rating at all. Multipoint for two simultaneous devices is present and is one of the few extras owners single out. The Sony | Sound Connect app drives Ambient Mode, a custom EQ, Multipoint pairing and 360 Reality Audio; TechRadar notes DSEE has to be enabled there to get the intended sound. Buttons are physical and pressable rather than touch, which some reviewers prefer and PCMag finds pushes the buds into the ear.

Is it worth it?

The evidence supports a band, not a single figure. Under about $40, the WF-C510 is hard to argue against, since every reviewer who tested it found the sound competitive with dearer models. From about $40 to $55 it remains the pick, which is the range where most of the testing was done. Between $56 and $70, covering the $68 at Sweetwater and the $68 at Walmart that reviewers linked to, the case for the premium is the physical buttons, Multipoint and Sony’s firmware and service support rather than measured sound superiority. Above about $70, the missing active noise cancellation, wear detection, wireless charging and high-resolution codecs make a step up easier to justify. Sony’s US store lists the black pair at $69.99 (2026), and the launch price was $59.99 in September 2024.

Which model this is

This page covers the Sony WF-C510, Sony’s cheapest true-wireless line, sold as WF-C510/B, /L, /W and /Y for the four colors; all four share the same published core specifications. It is the follow-up to the 2021 WF-C500 and sits below the WF-C700N, so do not merge WF-C510 evidence with the WF-C500, WF-C700N, WF-C710N or WH-CH520. The listing used here is ASIN B0D9R4GYTN, Sony’s US black or blue listing.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

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