Engadget reviews the $130 Sony XB700 wireless earbuds
By: Sohrab Osati
Tags: Sony, Headphones, Airpods, Mobile, Audio

Engadget reviews the $130 Sony XB700 wireless earbuds

Looking to capture a broader audience beyond the premium market, in early April, Sony unveiled the WF-XB700 wireless earbuds. Priced at $130, the XB700 obviously lacks features found in the well-reviewed 1000XM3, like noise-cancellation, but do offer their own unique characteristics, like being the first truly wireless earbuds from the company to carry the EXTRA BASS branding.

So is the more affordable XB700 worth your money or are you better off spending $100 more to get the 1000XM3? Billy Steele tackled that in his review on Engadget.

Sony’s Extra Bass line has long been a haven for listeners who want their headphones to have more low-end tone. We’re not necessarily talking early Beats levels of boom here, but there is a noticeable difference between the tuning on these and the company’s “core” lineup. […] Since reproducing punchy bass can be a struggle in this type of earbuds, it’s nice to see Sony bring its low end expertise to field. Plus it’s doing so while keeping the price low. […] Thankfully, the sound is respectable out of the box. As you might expect, it doesn’t have quite the range and dimensionality that the WF-1000XM3 offers, but it’s solid nonetheless. And when someone kicks a bass drum or a drum machine delivers a sonic punch, the WF-XB700 does a respectable job beaming that into your ears. The synth-laden beats of Purity Ring, Phantogram and Sylvan Esso ring full and clear. There’s not just noticeably more bass, there’s detail to it. Sustained chords drone in waves and the kick drums boom and pop with life.

I’m not saying sound doesn’t matter at more entry-level price points, but it’s typically not a priority. Good enough is often, well, good enough, so it’s great to hear (pun intended) that the XB700 earbuds offer more than good enough audio.

Instead of touch controls on the outside of the earbuds or physical ones along the top, Sony chose to put a single, tiny button on the bottom edge on both sides. Despite only having a single button, you still have a full range of controls. On the left, you press once to increase the volume and press-and-hold to turn it down. On the right, press once to play/pause, press twice to skip tracks forward and press three times to skip tracks backward. A press-and-hold on the right earbud will summon the voice assistant of your choice. And lastly that button on the right side is used to answer and end calls. The WF-XB700 doesn’t have ANC or an ambient sound mode, so these controls cover everything that’s available without reaching for your phone. They’re not only simple, but they’re also reliable. I didn’t have any trouble getting those tricky double and triple clicks to register accurately.

To me, control features like this stem from an engineering mentality of the ’90s. Is anyone going to actually remember all the different clicks required to make your headphones do what you want, or is it easier to pull out your phone or raise your watch and tap a few times to raise the volume or change the track? Plus, while in motion, I find the interaction cumbersome, though I equally feel weird when I’m in public and fidgeting around with my headphones on my ear to make something happen. In my opinion it draws too much attention and comes off pretentious, but maybe that’s my social anxiety shining through.

One of the best features of the higher-end WF-1000XM3 is the ability to adjust everything from noise cancellation to the EQ inside Sony’s Headphones app. This isn’t unique to Sony earbuds as several companies offer companion apps with similar functionality. Unfortunately, the WF-XB700 don’t work with the app. It’s not just that some features aren’t available either. These earbuds won’t even connect with the software. That means any customization is out the window.

This is where tech reviewers often get lost in the weeds. Is this a nice feature to have? I guess, but I’d be willing to bet that a single-digit percentile of owners uses it. This is even more true when the headphones are entry-level and positioned for everyone and not the elite who care about LDAC and other nonsense.¹

The WF-XB700 also doesn’t automatically pause when you take them out of your ear, which is a slightly bigger nuisance than some of the other omissions.

A lack of auto-pause/play, however, is a terrible omission. Once you’re used to the idea of removing your headphones and having your music or movie pause, there’s no going back.

With the WF-XB700, Sony promises up to nine hours of battery life on a charge. That’s three hours longer than the WF-1000XM3. I eked out eight hours and 15 minutes during the course of my testing. That’s well within the stated range considering the volume at which I typically listen to music. The only downside is that the included charging case only offers one full charge. With most of the competition, you get at least two (sometimes more) additional charges. Still, 18 hours is a decent amount of listening before you have to plug in the whole set to recharge. And if you’re in a hurry, a 10-minute charge will give you an hour of use.

Short of flying, I don’t see this as a problem, whatsoever. Frankly, even 8+ hours is more than adequate for most, so the fact that you can double that via the carrying case and placing them inside for 10min gets you another hour should satisfy nearly everyone.