Sony is familiar with sound products, and the newest one from its gaming label, INZONE Buds, has many impressive features to enjoy. They have special noise-canceling and 360-degree sound. However, we found minor problems, like a weak Bluetooth connection. We suggest getting a standard gaming headset like the 99 Razer Barracuda X. This is because they give you better sound. The range of Sony INZONE Buds is excellent. However, you can read our detailed article on the best gaming earbuds in 2024.
They have a white-and-black look, making the PlayStation 5 so easy to spot. These gaming earbuds have a charging case that could be more special for additional power. It holds two earbuds and a piece that connects them to plugs. You can find them solid with hook shapes that point their microphones toward your mouth. They stick out only slightly to look like old-fashioned Bluetooth earphones, which is good.
The nice thing is that these earbuds are easy to wear even though they are slightly oversized. One can use them for a few hours at once with no worries. The charging case has a space for the connectivity dongle, which can be put between the two earbuds during charging. This makes it less likely that you will lose it.
Using the INZONE Buds is a peek into a more accessible way to improve your things. It's less of an all-around experience compared to wearing them. The INZONE Buds for gamers are ideal, like the Sony WF-1000XM5, which also brings clear music sound and notable noise cancellation. Their playtime is 12 hours with a single charge, and the charging case extends the battery life up to 24 hours.
Features of Sony INZONE Buds
Sony INZONE Buds feature active noise cancellation and support spatial sound technologies with prolonged battery life. Let’s discuss the complete specifications of the product in detail.
| Brand | Sony |
| Model Name | WFG700/B |
| Form Factor | In-Ear |
| Connectivity Technology | Wireless, Bluetooth |
| Playtime | 12 Hours |
| Playtime with Case | 24 Hours with Bluetooth |
| Charging Time | 2 Hours |
| Fast Charging | 10 Minutes of Charging Gives You 2 Hours of Playtime |
| Noise Cancellation | Active Noise Cancellation |
| Not Supported Codecs | LDAC, SBC, AAC, aptX |
| Special Features | 360 Spatial Sound for Gaming, Low Latency 30ms |
| First Available Date | October 10, 2023 |
| Price | $199.99 |
| Country of Origin | Japan |
Design and Comfort
The Sony INZONE Buds use the spacey, curved design of white and black first found in the PlayStation 5, which is a good fit and works well. Also, black colors are available if you want a quieter look. But the white and black design is careful enough that it won’t look strange in an office. Gamers will take them as PlayStation headphones, but everybody else will think they’re just ordinary Sony headphones.
There are no fancy lights like RGB on the headphones or their charging box, which keeps that plain look. It is up to you: I don’t worry about lighting on earbuds or headsets, but people who like flashy things might not like it. Other brands’ buds with similar prices, like the Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed, have lighting.
Sony’s design experience comes through in one critical area: comfort. I liked wearing the INZONE Buds; they stay in my ears nicely, and I feel good when using them. The earbuds have a charging box shaped like a treasure chest. The charging case of the INZONE Buds is big and thick compared to other earbuds of similar cost, which makes it hard to put in clothing with small pockets or hidden places.
In another sense, the big box can sit flat on a desk or place for music and fun. You can connect the USB-C charger to the back of the case. This makes it simple to handle the cable and keep it organized. This charging box also supports the earplugs’ extra USB-C wireless adapter inside.
Sound Quality
The Sony INZONE Buds give a joyful hearing experience and are enjoyable to use while playing games. Users can enjoy rich and good-quality music and communicate clearly during meeting calls. I like them while using them for songs from computers or powerful singing by someone’s voice. In the Final Fantasy 14 Online game, Amanda Achen’s great voice made songs like Flow and Return to Oblivion feel strong. That big voice is perfect for podcasts and stories on audio, too.
The earbuds could work better when they are more flat or less noticeable. The audio seemed dirty and unclear when it was very loud or brassier. It’s not too bad, but when playing Gran Turismo 7, I found that the engine’s low growls and screaming tires sounded less good. They also need to work better when many sounds happen at once. That’s a usual thing in Final Fantasy 14 Online games. Often, weapon skills and character’s talking or chatting are continuously happening. Everything was like watery soup in more crowded eight-person or 24-person team activities. Gamers can also enjoy 360-degree spatial audio with Sony WF-C700N Buds to enhance the background music experience while playing.
On PS5, the buds boost sound using 3D audio. This can be either Tempest 3D from Sony or Dolby Atmos, which was added recently to the current-gen console. It makes the sound more authentic and enjoyable. These ways did help to make the sound better, but they’re different from the fantastic change offered by some popular PS5 headsets or cordless gaming headsets. Examples are SteelSeries Arctis 9 and Sony INZONE H9.
The sound experience in space is better on a PC because you can download the INZONE Hub app. This app helps you make changes and adjust settings for a better experience.
Call Quality of Sony INZONE Buds
The INZONE Buds have a built-in microphone that you can’t take out. Usually, it worked well for an earbud mic inside a device, but it had some usual problems. The mic sounds like a little earbud microphone. The recorded voice felt like I was speaking to someone through a loudspeaker. This was more noticeable when I compared it to a better-quality headset mic. The microphone’s low-key display had trouble breaking through the talking.
The sound you get on the mic is okay, and your friends on Discord will be able to hear you. This is partly because of Sony’s smart software that cuts out noise. The mic caught louder and more varied noises, but it almost completely cut out the sound of my typing keyboard when I was chatting on Discord, which is something most earphones don’t do. Sounds from further away, like loud talk in a room next to you, weren’t heard either.
The INZONE Buds have a regular mic that makes recordings sound like a phone call. So, I spoke loudly, and it was easy to hear. They are okay for talking in Discord chats but not the best for making podcasts. The microphones on the wired and unwired versions of the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro gaming headsets are much better. However, Sony WF-1000XM4 uses beamforming microphone technology with advanced algorithms to isolate your voice from background noise during calls.
Connectivity
Some people are annoyed with the way Bluetooth connects on the INZONE Buds. When I connected the earbuds with Bluetooth, the right bud wouldn’t change to USB transceiver mode. It didn’t matter if I took it apart from my phone or plugged it in with a dongle that fits USB-C. We needed to reset the gadget by pressing the switch at the bottom. It solved the issue, but it was still annoying. Also, it’s helpful to know that the buds use a type of Bluetooth called Low Energy or LE. Because of this, they won’t work with devices like the Nintendo Switch or older Android and iOS devices.
The INZONE Buds work with Bluetooth 5.3 like Jabra Elite 8 Active wireless earbuds, and Bluetooth LE helps in game playing. However, this will be better only if your phone supports this feature. Modern phones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 and the Google Pixel 8 are with us on this journey, but, likely, older phones won’t be. My phone, iPhone 15 Pro, and Nintendo Switch are not filled with fancy words either. The INZONE Buds can’t use the usual Bluetooth if LE isn’t supported.
So, if your phone doesn’t work with them, you must use the special dongle. If your toy doesn’t fit in the toy box, you need a giant toy to connect appropriately. This meant I could not use the Buds called INZONE when I was playing my iPhone using Backbone One since this required the iPhone’s USB-C port.
INZONE Buds came out before Sony introduced a new system, so they must have this tech built-in. You can’t use them with the PlayStation Portal because it doesn’t support Bluetooth. The new Pulse Explore wireless earbuds, an absolute PS5 accessory, are a little pricey, but unfortunately, I have not been able to try them yet.
Active Noise Cancellation
The INZONE Buds have Sony’s best noise-canceling feature, easy to find with earbuds. Putting the INZONE Buds’ noise-canceling part in my ears felt like a soft, warm covering on my head. Almost all noises were slowed down or even completely covered up. It was from the wind sound in my garden, hidden from the far-away knocking of roof workers and the non-stop whoosh of a heater for keeping warm. The crows who live close to my house garden were very quiet.
Sony’s active noise-canceling is far superior to anything else. If you prefer good noise-canceling while playing online games with your teammates, you should stop searching now.
INZONE Buds works smartly with your gaming device, which is the ideal option that comes close. The INZONE Buds’ features are set up using an app you can download on your computer. Moreover, the app gives many choices, like a sound balance changer, and lets you set how the earbud touch buttons work.
However, Sony has unexpectedly chosen not to create a mobile app for Android or iOS. It means you can’t adjust to some conditions while away from home.
Playtime
The INZONE Buds are very happy when it comes to battery life. They give a very long battery life of 12 hours from a single charge via a 2.4GHz connection like Amazfit Zenbuds Smart Sleep Earbuds (and about 24 through Bluetooth). It significantly improves over most competitors: The Razer Hammerhead Pro HyperSpeed gives the most of 6.5 hours. Meanwhile, the Logitech G Fits says it will last up to 8 hours. The INZONE Buds’ battery case extends battery life up to 24 hours (wireless) and a massive 48 hours (Bluetooth) with 2.4GHz wireless connections.
My experience was just as significant as these important numbers. I charged the earbuds only once a week of use, and since I’m still deep in Starfield and World of Warcraft, my playtime was more than usual. I spent much time playing hard. It was simple to recharge, and the case gives a full charge in two hours, just like other wireless earbuds. USB-C charges the thing that charges, so there’s no problem finding a suitable cable that can go over six inches.
Limited Bluetooth Compatibility
The INZONE Buds use Bluetooth 5.3, and that is normal. You need an item with LE Audio to use Bluetooth. Newer phones like the Google Pixel 8 and Samsung Galaxy S23 allow you to join the INZONE Buds without problems. But my old iPhone 11 could not hook up with these earbuds. Even the new iPhone 15 has to let go of its USB-C port to accommodate the 2.4GHz receiver.
As a PlayStation VR2 user, I was happy to try the INZONE Buds instead of the wire buds that come with the headset. But the PS5 doesn’t work with LE Audio. So, I couldn’t pair my earbuds using Bluetooth. The VR headset takes over the console’s single available USB-C slot. That means the buds can’t work with the PlayStation 4 but work fine with the Nintendo Switch when it is being held to play games.
The PS5 Slim, which is coming out soon, will have two USB-C ports. This means you will be okay with having enough ports to use. Now, PS5 owners can use a USB-A-to-USB-C connector to fix the problem, but it isn’t enjoyable. It makes using the system more complex.
Final Verdict About Sony
Sony INZONE Buds is a marvelous earbud set to enjoy your playing experience while switching on the Gaming Mode. They look comfortable, providing excellent battery life and a convenient companion PC app. Noise-canceling is fantastic, and the warm, full-bodied audio makes music and games a pleasure.
The INZONE Buds haven’t done anything to change my opinion on gaming earbuds. It’s still possible that we’ll get to the point where something hits the market that can be a one-stop shop for gaming in a tiny package, but these are different from what I’d hoped.
Elsewhere, after all, the INZONE Buds do pretty well – their battery life stands at 12 hours on a charge, which is remarkable for any true wireless earbud. The case contains one full extra charge, which is equally surprisingly low but hardly an issue.
With the fast charging, you can enjoy 2 hours of playtime while charging these earphones for 10 minutes. You get excellent sound, and the form factor and comfort are solid, but microphone performance has a significant drawback, making it an uneven option. If you don’t care about voice chat, there’s plenty to like here.
Pros and Cons of Sony INZONE Buds
Overall sound quality and active noise cancellation of the INZONE Buds are impressive and designed to bridge the gap between gaming and everyday earbuds. Here below, we will discuss some good and bad points:
Pros
- Long Playtime
- Active Noise Cancellation
- Impressive Call Quality
- Comfortable for Longer Time
Cons
- Limited Bluetooth Connectivity
- Chunky Charging Case
FAQs About Sony INZONE Buds
Are you curious about some features of Sony INZONE Buds? Please read our frequently asked questions section to make your mind clear about this product.
