When I first came across Sony’s sports-focused WF-SP800N headphones, I was a little sceptical. On the one hand, they have most of the features that you’d expect from a premium-priced pair of headphones—but on the other, a price tag of RM849 means that the Sony WF-SP800N (or the Sony SPOON, as I call...

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

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;

Sony's WF-1000XM3 is considered one of the best set of true wireless noise-canceling earbuds. But to the dismay of some people, it lacked any sort of water-resistance, making it unsuitable for sports. It took a while, but now we finally have a new true wireless noise-canceling sports model from Sony: The WF-SP800N ($200, £180, AU$450).

While they don't perform quite as well the WF-1000XM3 and lack a little bit of premium touch for their price, the WF-SP800N are very good active noise-canceling true wireless sports earbuds.

Very good sound with strong bass; Active noise canceling and good call quality; IP55 water-resistant (splashproof and dustproof) and secure fit; Excellent battery life (up to 9 hours with noise canceling on); Responsive touch controls;

Earbuds stick out from your ears a fair amount; Noise canceling and sound quality aren't quite as good as the WF-1000XM3's; No XL eartips in the box;

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;

The field of true wireless earbuds with ANC (active noise cancellation) is still relatively new, but Apple's AirPods Pro aren't the only game in town. Sony's WF-SP800N earphones offer solid ANC and several other features that ought to put them on the radar of any prospective Airpods Pro buyers. At $200, the wire-free in-ears are aimed at gym goers and runners, with a better water-resistance rating than the AirPods and a super-secure fit. A companion app provides user-adjustable EQ, in addition to built-in support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Throw in the best battery life we've seen in this category yet, and the you get a fantastic value that doesn't quite unseat the AirPods as our Editors' Choice.Design Available in black or blue (with orange and white models in the works), the chunky earpieces feel like they actually have some weight to them, but they come equipped with earfins to help stabilize the fit. The in-ear fit is comfortable and secure, ideal for the gym or jo...

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

The Sony WF-SP800N are legit wireless sports earbuds with strong aesthetics, battery life, and sound, but are missing some features. The Sony WF-SP800N is a solid addition to Sony’s popular wireless earbuds lineup with dynamic audio, strong battery life, and water-resistant protection.

Deep, customizable sound, Superb battery life (on a single charge), IP55 water-resistant, Tons of features via Sony Headphones app, Modest active noise cancellation

Very buggy, Missing QN1e processor and other signature Sony features, Bulky, protruding design

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

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.