True Wireless
Huawei FreeBuds Neo
85Outstanding
$110
Full review dataHuawei FreeBuds Neo vs Sony WF-C500: which should you buy?
On aggregated review scores the Huawei FreeBuds Neo comes out ahead with a HearWiki score of 85. The full breakdown - sub-scores, specs and what reviewers actually said - is below.
Our pick: Huawei FreeBuds Neo - Outstanding overall at around $109.
Score breakdown
Each axis is a 0–10 blend of what reviewers scored, not a lab measurement.
Huawei FreeBuds Neo leads on 6 of 7 measures.
- Huawei FreeBuds Neo
- Sony WF-C500
HearWiki score
85
71
Sound
8.0
7.4
Noise cancelling
8.0
-
Battery
8.0
7.4
Calls
8.0
6.1
Value
9.0
5.8
Price (USD)
$110
$79
Generation & platform
The scores rank quality. This is the other question: is the newer one actually newer technology, or the same platform in a new shell?
New platform
Huawei FreeBuds Neo (2026) against Sony WF-C500 (2021). The Huawei FreeBuds Neo is the newer platform here: Top codec LDAC against AAC and ANC type Adaptive against None. It also adds Transparency mode and Water resistance IP55 against IPX4.
- FreeBuds Neo20265 yr newer
- WF-C5002021
What differsFreeBuds NeoWF-C500
- Top codec
- LDAC
- AAC
- ANC type
- Adaptive
- None
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- No
- Water resistance
- IP55
- IPX4
Platform
Everyday features
Level on: Custom EQ, Companion app.
Specifications
FreeBuds NeoWF-C500
- Type
- True Wireless
- True Wireless
- Price (USD)
- $110
- $79
- HearWiki score
- 85
- 71
- Released
- 2026
- 2021
- Availability
- Sold new
- Still sold new
- Driver
- dynamic
- 5.8 mm dynamic
- Driver type
- dynamic
- dynamic
- Driver size
- -
- 5.8 mm
- Drivers per side
- -
- 1
- Frequency response
- 10 Hz - 48 kHz
- 20 Hz - 20 kHz
- Bluetooth
- -
- 5.0
- Codecs
- LDAC
- SBC, AAC
- Multipoint pairing
- -
- No
- Wireless range
- -
- 10 m
- Battery life
- 10 h
- 10 h
- Battery life (ANC on)
- 6.5 h
- -
- Battery incl. case
- 40 h
- 20 h
- Full charge time
- -
- 150 min
- Wireless charging
- -
- No
- Active noise cancelling
- Yes
- No
- ANC type
- adaptive
- none
- Transparency mode
- Yes
- No
- Companion app
- Yes
- Yes
- Custom EQ
- Yes
- Yes
- Wear detection
- -
- No
- Controls
- touch
- both
- Voice assistant
- -
- Yes
- Weight
- 4.8 g
- 5.4 g
- Case weight
- -
- 35 g
- Water resistance
- IP55
- IPX4
- Foldable
- -
- No
- Detachable cable
- -
- No
- USB-C
- -
- Yes
- Microphones
- 4
- -
- Call noise reduction
- -
- No
What reviewers said
Huawei FreeBuds Neo
The Huawei FreeBuds Neo are lightweight, comfortable true wireless earbuds with adaptive active noise cancellation and a robust feature set for their price. They offer solid call quality, a lively sound signature, and practical extras like transparency mode and app support, making them a versatile mid-range option for travel and daily use.
- Pro:Comfortable and lightweight fit
- Pro:Effective adaptive ANC
- Pro:Good call quality with 4 mics
- Con:Battery life with ANC is modest
- Con:May not satisfy audiophiles seeking specialized tuning
- Con:Touch controls may require adjustment
Sony WF-C500
The Sony WF-C500 earbuds offer a solid foundation for wireless listening under $100, but their default sound may require some adjustment. Using the companion app's equalizer is key to unlocking better performance, especially at higher volumes. They are a dependable, budget-friendly option from Sony for those willing to customize their audio experience.
- Pro:Compact and lightweight design
- Pro:Customizable sound via app EQ
- Pro:Good battery life with charging case
- Con:Default sound needs tweaking
- Con:No active noise cancellation
- Con:Lacks multipoint connectivity
Summaries are AI-condensed and paraphrased from published reviews and specs - not original hands-on testing. More on our method.
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