Sony WF-1000XM3 vs Sony WF-C500

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WF-1000XM3 compared with WF-C500

	SonyWF-1000XM3	SonyWF-C500
Overview
Released
Released	July 2019	October 2021
Sound
Type
Type	In-ear	In-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	No
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	No
Driver size
Driver size	6 mm	5.8 mm
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Chip
Chip	HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1e	–
Drivers
Drivers	6 mm dome drivers with CCAW voice coils and neodymium magnets; Bluetooth frequency response 20 Hz–20 kHz at 44.1 kHz sampling	Closed dynamic 5.8 mm drivers with neodymium magnets; the maker figure is retained rather than TechRadar's rounded 6 mm in its design discussion
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Dual Noise Sensor technology with feedforward and feedback microphones; Ambient Sound Mode, Quick Attention and Adaptive Sound Control	No active noise cancelling or ambient listening mode; the reviews confirm these omissions. Call noise suppression is separate from listening noise cancellation.
Audio features
Audio features	QN1e combines 24-bit processing, a DAC and amplifier; DSEE HX upscales compressed audio, with a battery-life cost	DSEE processing, app equaliser and personalised 360 Reality Audio playback with compatible services
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 6 hours	Up to 10 hours
With the case
With the case	Up to 24 hours	Up to 20 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	–	No
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	With DSEE HX off, AAC playback is up to 6 hours with noise cancelling or 8 hours off; SBC is 5.5 hours on or 7.5 hours off. DSEE HX AUTO with noise cancelling is up to 3 hours. The maker claims 24 hours total with the case with noise cancelling, or 32 hours off.	Up to ten hours per charge and 20 hours including the case with DSEE and equaliser off. The manual lists ten hours for AAC or SBC with DSEE AUTO or OFF, but warns that equaliser and DSEE settings can shorten runtime. Talk time up to five hours.
Charging case
Charging case	USB-C charging; approximately 1.5 hours for the earbuds and 3.5 hours for the case	USB-C charging; maker UK support gives approximately 2.5 hours for the earbuds and three hours for the case. No wireless charging, as confirmed by both reviews.
Fast charging
Fast charging	10 minutes gives about 90 minutes of playback	Ten minutes charging provides approximately one hour playback
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	8.5 g	5.4 g (better)
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	–	IPX4
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	No	No
Controls
Controls	Touch panels for playback, calls and sound modes; app-configurable functions; wear detection pauses and resumes music; holding the left panel activates Quick Attention	Physical buttons for playback, tracks, volume, calls and the paired phone's voice assistant
Microphones
Microphones	Dual noise-sensing microphones also used for calls	Omnidirectional MEMS microphones; maker Japanese specifications
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Tri-hold structure with high-friction rubber; Long Hybrid silicone tips in SS, S, M and L, plus Triple-comfort tips in S, M and L	Hybrid silicone tips in SS, M and LL; either earbud works independently
Case weight
Case weight	Approximately 77 g	Approximately 35 g; the earbud weight is approximately 5.4 g each
Dimensions
Dimensions	–	Charging case approximately 80.0 × 34.9 × 30.9 mm
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	The manual states that the unit is not waterproof	IPX4 applies to the earbuds excluding the sound outlets; the charging case is not water resistant
Works with
Works with	Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP; NFC pairing through the case; one connected device at a time, without multipoint; the two earbuds receive audio simultaneously and either can be used alone	Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP; up to eight remembered paired devices. Maker manual explicitly excludes multipoint. Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair; Sony Headphones Connect app. European maker announcement states October 2021 availability; Japan specifies 8 October, while Hong Kong specifies late October.
Colours
Colours	Black, Platinum Silver	Black, White, Ice Green and Coral Orange
In the box
In the box	Earbuds, charging case, four sizes of Long Hybrid silicone tips, three sizes of Triple-comfort tips, approximately 20 cm USB-A to USB-C cable	Earbuds, charging case, hybrid silicone tips in SS, M and LL, approximately 20 cm USB-C cable and documents