Sony's recent WH-1000XM6 over-ears earned a five-star review and a place on our list of best wireless headphones. And now an earbud version could be landing soon.
As the successor to the Sony WF-1000XM5, the WF-1000XM6 would have big shoes to fill. Those multi-Award winners have been around for two years now – a good innings, for sure, especially for such a stellar pair of 'buds. But is it time for a successor?
The rumours are definitely pointing that way. Sony generally launches new flagship wireless earbuds every two years, which would be now. Then there are the leaks that have emerged in recent months...
Sony's XM range of true wireless earbuds have continually set the standard of what's possible. The brand has brought some of this magic to its cheaper pairs too, like the Award-winning WF-C510 budget 'buds and recent WF-C710N noise cancellers.
So what will we see from the WF-1000XM6? What would we like to see? And when are they expected to launch? Let's see...
Sony WF-1000XM6: release date rumours
A recent import filing from June suggests that Sony is in the final testing phase of the WF-1000XM6. Which would suggest that a launch will happen very soon.
This makes sense if you look at the history of the Sony WF-1000XM line's launches.
The WF-1000XM3 were released in August 2019, followed by the WF-1000XM4 in June 2021. The current XM5 made their debut in July 2023.
You don't have to be a Harvard maths professor to figure out the pattern here. Sony tends to release its premium wireless earbuds every two years, usually in the northern hemisphere's summer months. That would mean that the next pair, the hypothetical WF-1000XM6, would arrive sometime between now and August 2025.
This typical biennial launch timeframe makes sense considering how many spinning plates the Sony audio department has to deal with. Interspersed with the premium WF-1000XM earbuds range is the WH-1000XM over-ear headphones line, which is also usually released every two years (the WH-1000XM6 arrived in May 2025).
Then there are Sony's budget headphones – the C510 and C710N earbuds, plus WH-CH520 and WH-CH720N over-ears.
Undoubtedly, Sony has a lot on its audio plate. But hopefully the WF-1000XM6 will launch soon and won't disappoint.
Sony WF-1000XM6: price prediction
At launch, the WF-1000XM5 set you back £259 / $299 / AU$419. Those prices have come down as time has gone by – it isn't unusual to see them widely available around the £200 / $250 / AU$350 – and the lowest they have dropped to is £149 / $198 (during Black Friday 2024).
Their launch price was a little higher than that of their predecessors, the WF-1000XM4, which arrived in mid-2021 for £250 / $280 / AU$450, while the preceding WF-1000XM3 were tested at £220 / $230.
Prices have steadily risen, then – as they have for seemingly everything – though not by so much as to make this flagship range utterly unaffordable. It's going to be interesting to see whether Sony sticks to this price range or if the trajectory will head even further north. If it does, Sony will have to make sure the quality and features the next buds offer match up to the price point.
Sure, we would still say that the XM5 are the market's best-value proposition at this premium level, but they certainly face tough competition today – not least from the similarly priced and five-star Apple AirPods Pro 2, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (whose second-generation model has just launched).
If Sony is going to go for a more ambitious next-gen model with a more ambitious price to match, it better make sure they fare better than formidable newcomers like the Technics EAH-AZ100 and Bowers & Wilkins Pi8.
If you are in the market for a new pair of earbuds and don't want to wait around for the WF-1000XM6, check out our best Sony WF-1000XM5 deals roundup (or the live price widget below) or, for other class-leading options, our best wireless earbuds buying guide.
Sony WF-1000XM6: 6 things we'd like to see
There weren't many what we would call "disappointments" with the Sony WF-1000XM5 – they arrived as a pretty compelling package and haven't lost their shine since. Our headphones guru, Andy Madden, has recently speculated whether there will be revamped audio architecture within the XM6, based on what the new Sony LinkBuds Fit earbuds bring. And there are a handful of other areas that could be improved upon too...
1. A slightly better fit
Despite a lighter build and smaller profile (which offers more comfort than the XM4), one of our main quibbles with the XM5 is the way they fit.
This varies from person to person, yet enough members of our expert review team feel that the premium buds don't quite sit in their ears as snugly as they would like, especially when compared to the lighter, and better-fitting, mid-range Sony WF-C710N.
Whether it's a case of using a different material for the eartips themselves or a different mechanism for locking the fit in, or offering an even larger eartip size, we think these are subtle ways the XM6 could improve to give a better fit for all.
2. Dynamic head tracking for Apple users
The XM5 were the first Sony buds to support dynamic head tracking on Sony's 360 Reality Audio immersive tracks, via Tidal and Amazon Music. This only works on Android devices, however, and Tidal has since ditched Sony's immersive format.
We would love to see Sony make more of spatial audio technology, for both Android and iOS devices, not least as nearly all other headphone implementations, by Bose for example, haven't quite hit the spot yet.
Apple's spatial audio tracks on Apple Music and its dynamic-head-tracking AirPods are the immersive headphones experience to beat here. Let's see if Sony can give them a run for their money.
3. Boost the battery life
The battery life of the XM5 was – and is – by no means a disgrace, but we think it can be improved for the next iteration.
The XM5 buds themselves offer eight hours of life with Bluetooth and ANC, with 24 hours in total including the charging case. Those are the same figures boasted by the previous XM4, and while those aren't bad numbers at all, remaining competitive today, we hope Sony takes the XM6's battery life to the next level.
After all, the XM5's total battery figure is bettered by more than a handful of earbuds both cheaper and pricier, including the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (29.5 hours), Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 (30 hours) and Cambridge Audio Melomania M100 (46 hours).
And two subsequent generations without a change would seem a little like stagnation.
4. Bring back the fun
Okay, this really is the definition of "have your cake and eat it", we accept. Not only are the Sony XM5 a stunning-sounding pair of buds, but they're also a surprising break from the sonic signature of the XM4 (and XM3 before it).
While they deliver plenty in terms of punch, dynamism and energy, the XM5 focus more heavily on clarity, space and detail to a quite mindblowing degree.
We do love how the XM5 sound, especially after getting used to the change, but a request to inject a bit more fun and fluid musicality back for the XM6 alongside the newfound clarity and analytical approach really is asking for the best of all worlds.
In the immortal words of Tony Stark, though, "Is it too much to ask for both?" We don't think so, especially as new (aforementioned) earbuds from Bowers & Wilkins and Technics have recently raised the sound performance bar (and price level) somewhat.
Again, considering the developments made for the company's new LinkFit model, could we perhaps see a new driver, new processor and new sound engine here?
5. Support for aptX Bluetooth codecs
Sony's headphones and earbuds support one of the highest-quality and best-sounding Bluetooth codecs out there – the company's very own LDAC – but that aside it only tends to offer the standard SBC and AAC ones.
It overlooks Qualcomm's aptX HD (good), aptX Adaptive (better) and aptX Lossless (best) codecs, which are also some of the best quality, not to mention widely supported, codecs in audio hardware.
We get why Sony doesn't feel the need to offer aptX when it has its own solid offering, but if the WF-1000XM6 did have it onboard, it would be a win for customers who own devices supporting aptX but not LDAC.
6. Better colours and aesthetics
Our favourite part of using the Sony WF-1000XM5 is, obviously, listening to them. That said, we are a little underwhelmed with how the new pair look, especially concerning the limited colour scheme of black and 'silver'.
The latter is closer to a grey that hovers somewhere between what various members of the What Hi-Fi? team have dubbed either "hearing aid beige" or "aeroplane in-flight entertainment grey".
While the buds themselves feel premium in build quality, we would like to see these flagship Sony pairs available in more luxurious, stylish hues... please.
Will the Sony WF-1000XM6 be class-leaders?
We aren't gambling types, but based on the track record of Sony's WF-1000XM line, we think it's a rather safe bet that Sony's next instalment will be right up there, if not at the very top.
After all, its XM5 are already there, and we are talking about an improved version here.
You can tell how excited we are when thinking about where Sony could go next with its acclaimed top-tier wireless earbuds. The XM5 felt like they had altered the paradigm, overhauling Sony's sound profile while delivering new levels of detail and precision. That, in itself, makes the next step for the XM6 intriguing.
And considering the increasing competition they are up against, they will need to fight hard to keep Sony at the top of the tree.
MORE:
Here are the best wireless earbuds in the world, tried and tested
5 sound settings you shouldn't ignore on the Sony WF-1000XM5
I spoke to Sony's audio experts about how they tune the WF-1000XM5 earbuds' stunning sound
