The WF-SP800N don’t have great battery life or discreet good looks, but their vigorous, subtle and dynamic sound is a fine counter-punch

Vibrant; buoyant sound; Good noise-cancelling; Comfortable fit

Slightly coarse sound; Average battery life

Sony WF-SP800N offer a great deal for their very reasonable price. The excellent sound quality, water resistance and a secure fit make it easy to get over their slightly bulbous looks and short-ish battery life

Big specification; Detailed; expressive and upfront sound; Built to last

Big dimensions; Ho-hum battery life; Can sound slightly edgy in extremis

Looking for an athlete-approved set of Sony wireless earphones, equipped with active noise cancellation and a series of fancy features? The Sony WF-SP800N are a treat!

Excellent battery life, Dust and water-resistant, Decent comfortable design, ANC and EQ controls, Google assistant and Amazon Alexa, Fantastic active noise cancellation, Good grip for athletes, Decent intuitive controls

Bulky charging case, Not entirely waterproof

“Like an elite athlete, Sony's WF-SP800N earbuds excel at everything they do.”

Great sound; Class-leading battery life; Very good water and dust protection; Good active noise cancellation; Excellent call quality

Bulky charging case; No wireless charging

Sony’s new mid-range model offers a lot of high-end features at an affordable price. The WF-SP800N are designed to withstand your sweaty workouts with the company’s powerful Adaptive Sound Control on top of great sound quality, reliable touch controls and customizable EQ.

Price; Deep punchy bass; Powerful ANC; 360 Reality Audio compatibility; Loads of premium features

Awkward fit; On-board volume controls requires sacrifice; No wireless charging

The Sony WF-SP800N headphones are truly wireless and conveniently feature adjustable noise cancelling. They particularly impress by having an IP55 rating, meaning not only vague water and dust resistance, but that you can literally rinse them when needed.

Sony shook things up last year when it launched its first set of true wireless active noise-cancelling earbuds, and now the new WF-SP800N are here to pick up that torch. With waterproofing and a lower price tag, they don’t replace the WF-1000XM3 but slot in underneath them.

Sound great and Extra Bass lives up to its name; Active noise cancellation is almost up to WF-1000XM3's; IP55 water/dustproofing is great for fitness use; Battery life is epic; Comfortable; secure fit

Charging case is bulky and lacks Qi; Doesn't quite match ANC/sound of WF-1000XM3's; Earbuds are a little heavy and protrude from your ears

Solid noise cancellation, powerful audio performance, and a water-resistant build make the Sony WF-SP800N a strong contender in this price range

Powerful audio performance with deep bass and sculpted highs; Excellent battery life; Water-resistant build; App has ANC and EQ controls; Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support

Limited controls; Large charging case offers less extra battery life than usual

These sporty in-ears offer a lot of Sony's smart ambient sound control and the noise-cancellation tech is the real star. Battery life is only average though, which is surprising given the size of the case. Overall these 'buds sound great and offer plenty of customisation.

Good noise-cancellation tech; Great ambient sound system; App offers lots of customisation; Great bass and sound quality; IP55 dust/water resistant

Case is really chunky; Headphones seem larger than they need to be; Controls won't cover all your needs

If you’ve spent any time looking at our roundup of the best true wireless earbuds over the last year, you know we think the world of Sony’s WF-1000XM3. They excel in so many areas, like noise cancellation, sound quality, and call quality, that you have to dig pretty deep to find any flaws. However, we were much less impressed with Sony’s last attempt at making a set of true wireless earbuds for the athletic crowd, the WF-SP700N. Lousy battery life was our chief criticism, and the active noise cancellation didn’t wow us. Sony’s follow-up, the $200 WF-SP800N, are a different story entirely. They’re now a bit pricier, but Sony appears to have applied all of the lessons it learned from the WF-1000XM3 to bring the SP800N up to par. Was Sony successful? Let’s take a closer look. The WF-SP800N follow the same general design that Sony has used for all of its earbuds — they have a slightly elongated body that protrudes from the ear. Gone is the odd lima bean shape of the WF-SP700N, but these ar...

Great sound; Class-leading battery life; Very good water and dust protection; Good active noise cancellation; Excellent call quality;

Bulky charging case; No wireless charging;