Truly wireless earbuds are better than ever in 2019, but one thing’s been missing from a lot of them: some nice, vivid color. Coming off strong reviews for its WF-1000X M3 noise-canceling earbuds, Sony is announcing a new set: the WF-H800 Hear.In 3 that come in several colors that really stand out from the black and light gray of the M3s. The red / black combo is my favorite, but there are also green, blue, black, and coral choices.
Like the M3s, these earbuds each connect to your phone simultaneously. Sony says they can get a total of 16 hours of battery life. That’s eight hours of continuous playback from the earbuds themselves and an additional full charge from the battery case. They feature 6mm drivers and a “tri-hold” structure that makes contact with your ear in three spots to keep them there securely. You won’t get any active noise cancellation from these, but if they fit snug and you get a good amount of noise isolation, it might not matter all that much.
In Australia, the WF-H800 earbuds are scheduled to ship in January for $349.95. I’ve asked Sony for US release info in pricing and full tech specs on these. The main negative of the otherwise-excellent M3s is that they’re not sweat or water resistant, so I’m curious about whether that’s also true for these. The case takes after the M3 version but is more rounded on top.
Alongside the new earbuds, Sony also introduced new over-ear and on-ear headphones at IFA 2019 today along with, you guessed it, a new Walkman. For the full rundown on those, Sony’s got this press release.