Sony Quietly Introduces the WI-C100
Sony has quietly put up the new WI-C100 onto their website, stating it is coming soon. While on the surface the new headset looks like the previous WI-C200, there are some differences both on the outside and inside.
The earpods have the same design as the WI-C200, even the cable is the same round one. But comparing the black models, the colours look a bit different. Whether this is because of just different lighting or different materials is unknown, but even the while colour is different in appearance between the 2 models. The new WI-C100 will be available in 4 colours, black, white, blue and beige but not all colour options might be available in all regions. While Sony has not revealed a price on their website, I have seen the new model for around 40 Euros on some retailers and Sony Spain’s website shows a price of 50 euros.
The most obvious design change is the remote. Sony claims the redesigned buttons are more pronounced which makes them easier to press. The differences can be seen below. I also suspect the redesign is also connected to the new IPX4 water resistance. The weight difference is only 1 gram, so unlikely to be noticeable.
The remote contains the controls, Bluetooth antenna, USB type-C port on the side and the microphone on the other side. The other pod has the rechargeable battery. The WI-C200/C310 both used a 135mAh/0.5Wh battery, so will be interesting to see if the same one is used in the WI-C100. There is a quick charge feature providing up to 60 minutes of playback with 10 minute of charging. A full recharge requires around 3 hours.
The 9mm driver will probably be the same as in the WI-C200/C310 but the WI-C100 adds IPX4 water resistance, DSEE, Sony | Headphones Connect app compatible, Fast Pair, and support for 360 Reality Audio. I suspect these additional features is why the price is around 40-50 Euros.
Battery life is now up to 25 hours in AAC and up to 20 hours with SBC. Using the equalizer and DSEE in the app will lower the operating time, but Sony does not specify by how much. The Bluetooth version is still 5.0, but the Bluetooth SoC will be new, the previous models used the Realtek RTL8763B, while the new model will be using an Airoha chipset. The extra battery life (up to 10 hours) is most likely due to the new Bluetooth SoC. The FCC internal images will be available on April 11th, so hopefully the battery capacity and Bluetooth SoC will be revealed on that date.
Of course the biggest question will be sound quality and if these will sound better than the WI-C200/C310. Out of the box I suspect they might be close, but I would give the WI-C100 the edge since the Bluetooth SoC is newer and will include better technology. Likewise, with the addition of DSEE and equalizer support, the WI-C100 should sound better overall.
The new headset is listed as coming soon, so it should be available shortly.
