Sony WI-C400 Wireless vs Anker SoundBuds Life

Which Headphones Are Better?

Products

Sony WI-C400 Wireless
Anker SoundBuds Life

Tested using Methodology v1.4

Updated Apr 21, 2025 04:49 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v1.3.1

Updated Apr 21, 2025 04:49 PM

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Amazon.com
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Picture

Track

Anker SoundBuds Life Picture

Track

Our Verdict

Sony WI-C400 Wireless

Anker SoundBuds Life

The Anker SoundBuds Life are better around-the-neck in-ears than the Sony WI-C400 Wireless. The Anker have a much better sound quality and a more premium and durable design despite their thin cables. The Anker also have a much better battery and latency performance when compared to the Sony. On the other hand, the Sony are more lightweight and have slightly better cable management. The Sony also support NFC, which makes pairing with mobile phones a lot easier.

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Variants

  • WI-C400 (Black)
  • WI-C400 (Blue)
  • SoundBuds Life (Gray)

Check Price

Black
WI-C400
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray
SoundBuds Life
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
WI-C400
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray
SoundBuds Life
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
White
WI-C400
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray
SoundBuds Life
B&H
 
Gray
SoundBuds Life
BestBuy.com
 
Gray
SoundBuds Life
Anker
Read more

Main Differences for
Mixed Usage

Threshold 

0.10

Mixed Usage 
 

6.7
6.8

Treble Accuracy 
 

9.0
6.2

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Design Picture 2
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Design Picture 2

Type  

In-ear
In-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Yes
Yes

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic

Comfort 
 

7.0
7.0

Comfort Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Comfort Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.08 lbs
0.12 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0 lbs

Controls 
 

6.6
7.4

Controls Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Controls Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
N/A

Ease Of Use  

Decent
Good

Feedback  

Good
Decent

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

Yes
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
N/A

Noise Cancelling Control  

No
N/A

Talk-Through 
 

No
N/A

Additional Controls  

Bluetooth Sync
No

Breathability 
 

9.3
9.2

Breathability After Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Breathability After Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

0.7 °C
0.8 °C

Portability 
 

7.0
6.9

Portability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Portability Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Portability Picture

 

6.5"
7"

 

5.4"
5.8"

 

1"
1"

Volume  

35 in³
40 in³

Transmitter Required  

No
N/A

Case 
 

0.0
5.5

Case Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Case Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Case Picture

Type  

No case
Pouch

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

 

N/A
N/A

Volume  

N/A
N/A

Build Quality 
 

6.5
7.0

Build Quality Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Build Quality Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Build Quality Picture

Stability 
 

7.5
7.5

Stability Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Stability Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Stability Picture

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Angled Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Angled Picture

Side Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Side Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Front Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Front Picture

Rear Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Rear Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Top Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless In The Box Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life In The Box Picture
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Frequency Response

Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Frequency Response

Bass Amount 
 

-6.13 dB
3.22 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-1.88 dB
-0.57 dB

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

10
9.6

Consistency L  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Consistency L
 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Consistency L

Consistency R  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Consistency R
 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Consistency R

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0 dB
0.08 dB

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Raw FR L

Raw FR L  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Raw FR L

Raw FR R  

 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Raw FR R

Raw FR R  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Raw FR R

Bass Accuracy 
 

5.5
8.0

Bass  

 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Bass

Bass  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Bass

Std. Err. 
 

5.94 dB
2.75 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

68.25 Hz
10 Hz

Low-Bass 
 

-11.52 dB
4.03 dB

Mid-Bass 
 

-2.33 dB
2.08 dB

High-Bass 
 

3.05 dB
2.91 dB

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.4
7.8

Mid  

 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Mid

Mid  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Mid

Std. Err. 
 

2.07 dB
3 dB

Low-Mid 
 

2.15 dB
-1.65 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-1.61 dB
-4.29 dB

High-Mid 
 

0 dB
-1.68 dB

Treble Accuracy 
 

9.0
6.2

Treble  

 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Treble

Treble  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Treble

Std. Err. 
 

1.3 dB
4.92 dB

Low-Treble 
 

0.76 dB
2.41 dB

Mid-Treble 
 

0.92 dB
-0.03 dB

High-Treble 
 

-9.33 dB
-7.12 dB

Peaks/Dips 
 

7.2
6.7

Peaks/Dips Graph  

 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks/Dips Graph  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Peaks/Dips Graph

Peaks 
 

1.99 dB
1.95 dB

Dips 
 

0.95 dB
2.44 dB

Imaging 
 

8.1
9.1

Group Delay  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Group Delay
 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Group Delay

Phase Response  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Phase Response
 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Phase Response

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.16
0.18

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

1
0.82

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

3
0.76

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

4.77
1.29

Passive Soundstage 
 

1.3
1.3

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

4.0
4.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

1.7
2.5

Virtual Soundstage 
 

0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Sony WI-C400 Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

No

Speaker Modeling 
 

No

Room Ambience 
 

No

Head Tracking 
 

No

Virtual Surround 
 

No App

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

6.9
8.4

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Weighted Harmonic Distortion
 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Weighted Harmonic Distortion

WHD @ 90 
 

0.598
0.169

WHD @ 100 
 

0.301
0.064

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown

Power 
 

On

Connection 
 

Unknown

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

EQ 
 

No EQ

ANC 
 

No ANC

Tip/Pad 
 

Silicone (small)

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Isolation

Noise Isolation 
 

6.0
5.8

Noise Isolation  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Noise Isolation
 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Noise Isolation

Isolation Audio 
 

Overall Attenuation 
 

-16.07 dB
-13.99 dB

Noise Cancelling  

No
No

Bass 
 

-0.69 dB
-2.42 dB

Mid 
 

-13.69 dB
-15.16 dB

Treble 
 

-34.98 dB
-25.7 dB

Leakage 
 

8.5
7.9

Leakage  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Leakage
 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Leakage

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

30.12 dB
33.88 dB
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
N/A

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

6.1
6.8

Microphone Frequency Response  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Microphone Frequency Response
 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

164.69 Hz
289.23 Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.11 dB
1.61 dB

HFE 
 

1,836.52 Hz
3,368.2 Hz

Weighted THD 
 

3.049
7.188

Gain 
 

43.18 dB
36.22 dB

Noise Handling 
 

6.8
6.5

SpNR  

 Preview Graph
Sony WI-C400 Wireless SpNR
 Preview Graph
Anker SoundBuds Life SpNR

Speech + Pink Noise  

Speech + Subway Noise  

SpNR 
 

19.23 dB
17.19 dB
Active Features

Battery 
 

6.5
7.6

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

17.5 hrs
17 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

0.0
0

Total Battery Life 
 

17.5 hrs
17 hrs

Charge Time 
 

4 hrs
1.2 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

No
Standby mode

Audio While Charging 
 

No
No

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

micro-USB
micro-USB

App Support 
 

0.0
0.0

App Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless App Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life App Picture

App Name  

No App
N/A

iOS  

No
N/A

Android  

No
N/A

macOS  

No
N/A

Windows  

No
N/A

Equalizer 
 

No
N/A

ANC Control 
 

No
N/A

Mic Control  

No
N/A

Room Effects 
 

No
N/A

Playback Control 
 

No
N/A

Button Mapping  

No
N/A

Surround Sound  

N/A

Surround Support 
 

No
Connectivity

Bluetooth 
 

7.1
7.1

Bluetooth Version 
 

4.2
4.1

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
No

NFC Pairing 
 

Yes
No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

69 ft
129 ft

PC Latency (SBC) 
 

239 ms
140 ms

PC Latency (aptX) 
 

N/A
N/A

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A
N/A

iOS Latency 
 

106 ms

Android Latency 
 

128 ms

Non-Bluetooth Wireless 
 

0.0
0.0

Non-BT Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Non-BT Latency 
 

N/A
N/A

Wired 
 

0.0
0.0

Cable Picture 
 

Compare High-Res
Sony WI-C400 Wireless Cable Picture
Compare High-Res
Anker SoundBuds Life Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
N/A

USB Audio 
 

No
N/A

Detachable  

No
No

Length  

N/A
N/A

Connection  

No Wired Option
N/A

Wired Latency 
 

N/A

Analog/USB Audio Latency 
 

N/A

PC / PS4 Compatibility 
 

PC/PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox One Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Base/Dock 
 

0.0
0.0

Type 
 

No Base/Dock
N/A

USB Input 
 

No
N/A

Line In 
 

No
N/A

Line Out 
 

No
N/A

Optical Input 
 

No
N/A

RCA Input 
 

No
N/A

Dock Charging 
 

No
N/A

Power Supply 
 

No Base/Dock
N/A

Check Price

Black
WI-C400
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray
SoundBuds Life
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Blue
WI-C400
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray
SoundBuds Life
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
White
WI-C400
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Gray
SoundBuds Life
B&H
 
Gray
SoundBuds Life
BestBuy.com
 
Gray
SoundBuds Life
Anker

Sony WI-C400 Wireless

Anker SoundBuds Life

Comments

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Sony WI-C400 Wireless vs Anker SoundBuds Life: Main Discussion

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