Probably you've seen a lot of positive reviews on both the Jabra Elite 3 and Sony WF-C500, they are both budget earbuds with solid bluetooth connection and good sound quality. You’re uncertain which one is the best bang for the buck. It depends on your use cases, and we’ve made comparisons for you based on the Design, comfort, build quality, sound quality, ANC performance and voice call quality.
| Jabra Elite 3 | Sony WF-C500 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price* | ||
| Release year | Aug, 2021 | Dec, 2021 |
| Photo |  | |
| Bluetooth version | Bluetooth 5.2 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Codec | aptX, SBC | AAC, SBC |
| Battery life | Rated up to 7.00 hours | Rated up to 8.00 hours |
| Weight | 4.60 grams | 5.40 grams |
| Water-resistant | IPX 55 | IPX4 |
| Driver | ø6mm dynamic driver | ø5.8mm Dynamic Driver |
| Noise reduction Tech | Two integrated mic on each earbud | A single built-in microphone |
| Fast charging | 10min = 1 hour | No |
| Wireless charging case | No | No |
| Transparency mode | Yes | No |
| ANC | No | No |
| Multipoint | No | No |
| Personalized hearing | No | No |
| Spatial Audio | No | Sony's 360 Reality Audio |
| HR Tracking | ✖ | ✖ |
| Dynamic head tracking | ✖ | ✖ |
Jabra Elite 3 vs. Sony WF-C500: The good and The bad
| Jabra Elite 3 | Sony WF-C500 | |
| Pros | Comfortable fit, A very competitive price, given the quality you're getting. | Solid build quality, especially for earbuds. |
| Cons | No multipoint connectivity | No wireless charging, No multipoint connectivity |
| Short review | Come with minimum features (no multipoint, ANC or touch control), the Jabra Elite 3 are more into the style and sound. They are really worth consideration for earbuds under $100. | A taste for Sony's 360 reality Audio, good sound and comfortable fit, the Sony WF-C500 is the best for what it offer in a price range $50-$100. |
Jabra Elite 3 vs. Sony WF-C500: Fit and Comfort
Both pairs provide quite similar fit, however the Jabra Elite 3 are a bit more comfortable and have more snug fit. They are also lighter than WF-C500 (4.60 grams vs 5.40 grams). For noise isolation, they are equal in capacity.
Winner: Jabra Elite 3 for slimmer, housing, more secure and more comfortable fit.
Jabra Elite 3 vs. Sony WF-C500: App and Control
Both pairs support touch controls. The Jabra Elite 3 have better touch controls regarding reponsiveness and intuitiveness.
For the Jabra Elite 3, on the left earbud you can tap and hold to decrease the volume, double tap to activate voice assistant or tap to switch HearThrough on. On the right earbuds you can do things like tap to play/pause audio, double tap to skip to the next track, triple tap to skip forward and tap and hold to increase the volume. On both earbuds you can do things like tap to answer calls, double tap to end/reject calls.
For the Sony WF-C500, on the left earbud you can adjust the volume by tap/tap and hold, on the right earbud you can do thing like tap to play/pause audio, double tap to skip forward, tripble tap to skip back and tap and hold to activate voice assistant. On both earbuds you can do things like tap to answer/end calls, tap and hold to reject call and tap and hold both earbuds to enter paring mode.
Winner: Jabra Elite 3
Jabra Elite 3 vs. Sony WF-C500: Call quality
Both pairs works quite well for calls in quiet environments, but when increasing the background noise, like it gets a bit more windy, the caller will start to hear a bit more cracking sound, because their mics don't handle well the noise, but you are still able to hear the caller's voice pretty well with earbuds' noise isolation
The Jabra Elite 3 have two mics on earch earbuds for calls hand HearingThrough feature, and you can tap any bud on Jabra Elite 3 to receive calls. The Jabra Elite 3 have a single mic for calls. Those mics are struggled to separate your voice from background noises.
Winner: Draw
Jabra Elite 3 vs. Sony WF-C500: Sound quality
Sound wise, they do sound good.
But how bass is reproduced? the Sony WF-C500 feels more right for bass than the Jabra Elite 3, despite the fact that you will feel more bass with Jabra Elite 3 than Sony WF-C500. The WF-C500's bass is more controled while the treble is a bit enhanced, making the balanced sound WF-C500 a bit recessed. The Elite 3's bass is also manageable, mid-range loads with more details and the treble somewhat feels softer. The Elite 3 represents a better sound image.
Winner: Jabra Elite 3
Jabra Elite 3 vs. Sony WF-C500: Battery life
The Jabra Elite 3 provide up to 7 hours of listening time, while you get 8 hours of listening time for Sony WF-C500.
Winner: Sony
Jabra Elite 3 vs. Sony WF-C500: Codecs
The Jabra Elite 3 support aptX, SBC while Sony WF-C500 support AAC, SBC
Jabra Elite 3 vs. Sony WF-C500: Immersive Sound
The Sony WF-C500 support 3D surround, which requires compatible content mixed, mastered with Sony's 360 Reality Audio in order to take effect. The Jabra Elite 3 don't support 3D surround.
Winner: Sony
Jabra Elite 3 vs. Sony WF-C500: Which pair should you buy?
It's tough to decide between those entry-level earbuds, and they are best TWS earbuds under $100 you could buy. The Jabra Elite 3 provide more snug, comfortable fit, they also have HearThrough feature it's useful in some situations - but a lot of users reports that sound they hear is pretty quiet. We prefer Jabra Elite 3 for their sound imaging and we can toggle over different modes in app for better bass performance. You may like Sony WF-C500 for their correct bass reproduction and as Sony's earbuds, you often figure out something distinct in their sound.