Sony WI-C100 review: Reliable budget neckband earphones
Sony, the maker of the iconic walkmen is a pioneer in the audible device industry. Over the years, it has developed the finest headphones in several price categories. The last one I reviewed was WF-1000XM4 True Wireless Stereo(TWS) earphones and I loved them, it is one of the best in the sub-Rs 25,000.
Now, the Japanese technology major has come up with affordable WI-C100 earphones. I have been using it for a little over a week and here are my thoughts on Sony's latest earpiece.
Design and build quality
The new Sony WI-C100 features soft and sturdy silicone bands connecting two nodules, the right one houses the battery and the other has controllers. The latter has three multi-functional keys. To adjust the volume, the user has to tap multiple times in short intervals on these two -- + or - buttons. If you long press them, it will take you to the next or the previous track, while playing music.
If you tap on the middle button, it will pause, and also, whenever calls come, you need to press it to connect the phone call. If you double tap, you can summon smart digital assistants (Siri or Google Assistant) on the phone. There is also a Type-C charging slot with protective dust/water cover. There is also a mic as well.
Another interesting thing to note is that the controllers on the node are more pronounced and offer a really good tactile touch feel. Also, they come with IPX4 dust and water splash-resistant rating. This ensures the device resists sweat during workouts in the gym or jogging outdoors. Also, it can sustain accidental water splashes too.
The earphones weigh around 20g. Initially, at the start of the run, I noticed the weight of nodules on the shoulders, but after a while, I did not feel any more irritation while I enjoyed the old Eminem's powerful tracks. But, while walking, I never felt any discomfort at all.
The in-ear design with silicone tips made a perfect fit at least for my ears. The company offers two other sizes-- small and large- in the compact retail box.
Speaking of the packaging, Sony says, it has limited the use of plastic to less than 5 percent in the box to reduce the negative impact on the environment.
User interface and performance
Like any other Sony earphones, WI-C100 too offers simple straightforward wireless Bluetooth pairing with companion phones or even computers and tablets.
Just switch on the earphones by long pressing the central button on the left nodule and go check on Bluetooth devices list in the settings.
With Android phones, it promises to have a stronger connection with Fast Pair. I actually tested with an iPhone and yes, WI-C100 worked well in terms of quick auto re-connection and stable connection during the entire review period.
It hardly took two minutes to pair the device with the iPhone.
There is also the Sony Headphones Connect app, which offers personalisation options. It offers nine options with different pre-set bass levels--Bright, Excited, Mellow, Relaxed, Vocal, Treble Boost, Bass Boost, Speech, and Manual-- in addition to two custom options to set customised sound equaliser settings to match your taste of sound output.
If you happen to store old songs transferred from a PC to the phone and audio quality is kind of degraded, the Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) feature will upscale the quality to improve the user experience. Each earbud has a 9mm driver and high-grade magnet (Neodymium) to deliver good quality audio.
I had a delightful time listening to the tracks on Amazon Music and watching food vlogs of Kripal Amannna's Gourmet on the Road channel on YouTube, during the long commute from home to the office and vice versa. Though it doesn't support active noise cancellation, the in-ear design does a really fine job controlling the traffic noise creeping in, to a good extent.
As far as the sound quality during phone calls, for obvious reasons, it wasn't as great as WF-1000XM4 TWS, but definitely. But, it is better than most of the TWS earphones I have tested in the sub-Rs 5,000 segments.
With a full charge, it can last for 24 hours of continuous music. During the one week of usage, I had to charge only once and I liked the voice message whenever I switch on the earphones, it tells me how much battery charge is left. This actually gives me an assurance, that it will last the whole commute. Also, it supports Type C fast charging. With just 10 minutes of charging, it can offer close to one hour of listening time.
However, it needs three hours to fully charge from zero to 100 percent capacity. Another downside is that the earphones' retail box doesn't come with a charging cable.
Final thoughts
Overall, the Sony WI-C100 is a decent in-ear neckband in terms of audio output for its price. Also, it has a really good build quality, and long battery life and I love the tactile controllers.
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