- Sony’s next-gen WH-1000XM6 headphones are here at last
- They look familiar, but bring back a folding design
- New processor and mics for better noise cancellation
It’s been a long time coming, but Sony’s just made its next-generation, flagship WH-1000X6 headphones official. We’ve already published our full Sony WH-1000XM5 review if you want to get straight to an in-depth look at them, or read on to learn the essentials.
The XM6 look a lot like the Sony WH-1000XM5, with a modern look and well-sized earcups, but the company is promising a leap in performance and has fixed a major design issue we have with the previous model.
Sony’s shipping these real soon, and the XM6 is up for order right now at $449.99 / £399 / AU$699. That’s notably more expensive in the US than the Sony XM5 were at launch (which remain for sale, and are now regularly under $300).
That higher US price matches Bose’s highest-end option, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, but still undercuts the rival AirPods Max from Apple. Still, it’s a seriously premium price compared to the best noise cancelling headphones in general.
Leading the upgrades in terms of technology is an entirely new processor inside the WH-1000XM6 headphones – the Sony QN3 chip – which powers noise cancelling, audio playback, and a bunch of other facets.
But let’s break down that and the other key changes, starting with a design change.
1. The XM6 can get pretty compact
Sony has corrected a pretty vocal piece of feedback from the XM5 compared to the previous XM4: you can now once again fold these down into themselves for better portability, as there are two hinges on the earcups. This is something we look for from the best travel headphones, it was a real shame the XM5 dropped them – but the XM6 fix all that.
This design change also arrives with a wider top headband to aid in comfort for extended listening hours. Sony’s again promising 30 hours of battery life, so a more comfortable fit for those long sessions is always a wind. The headband and earcups feature plush memory foam padding inside.
As I mentioned above, the earcups are still over-ear, making them fit pretty comfortably around the ears themselves. I pretty quickly tried these and also didn’t feel tremendous pressure applied to the stems of my glasses behind my ears. The earcups have some touch controls and the ability to hold your hand over the cup to turn on passthrough mode in a jiffy – a great feature of Sony’s last few headphones.
You’ll also have a physical button for Bluetooth pairing and power, a USB-C cable for recharging, and an audio jack. Sony ships cables for both in the box.
Lastly, regarding design, Sony’s WH-1000XM6 will launch in three colors: black, silver, and blue. The included carrying case is a bit slimmer, which should make it easier to tuck in a bag. I like that it ditches a zipper for a magnetic clasp instead, though that’s as long as it holds together even when being tossed around in a bag.
2. Sony promises the best noise cancellation, with a key upgrade
While the XM5 over the XM4 didn’t deliver a generational leap for active noise cancellation, Sony is promising that the XM6 will offer the best of the best, and there is a hardware leap. Powering the XM6 is the Sony-made QN3 processor, which is seven times faster than the QN1, which powered the WH-1000XM5.
Of course, what’s noise cancellation tech with just a chip and no microphones? Sony is also stepping up that spec – the WH-1000XM6 boasts 12 microphones, four more than the WH-1000XM5. This should all come together for stellar noise-cancellation performance and deliver a passthrough mode that lets you hear the world around you.
Sony’s also upgraded the adaptive noise cancellation optimizer to work across more frequencies, which should further reduce noise. This way, you can turn on ANC on the WH-1000XM6, play your favorite tunes, and not be distracted by the world around you.
The 30-hour battery life estimate is with active noise cancellation or passthrough mode engaged; that spec jumps to 40 hours with either mode turned off, though. There is also still a quick-charge function – about three hours of playback from three minutes of charging – and with the XM6, you can still listen while charging the headphones, which is a handy upgrade.
3. Better Audio and Call Quality
Rounding out the WH-1000XM6 upgrades are new driver units in the left and right earcups. These, of course, produce the audio for your listening pleasure and feature a more rigid dome, with the aim of producing better high-frequency audio. That should translate to clearer vocals and the ability to pick out more fine details when listening.
The XM5 were no slouch for playback, but with the same 30mm size of driver, this looks more like refinement than a drastic upgrade. In a brief demo, I noticed crisp, clear playback with an improvement in the bass as well.
Sony is also adding upscaling of standard stereo audio for music or other sources – ie, movies, videos, or TV shows – to spatial audio for a more immersive listening experience.
Last but not least, Sony’s also improved the voice pickup for taking calls, dictating messages, or talking with a virtual assistant. Six beamforming microphones now capture your voice better, and they’re paired with a new AI Noise Reduction model for 2025, which was trained on over 500 million voice samples, according to Sony.
With promised upgrades to noise cancellation and audio playback, a headphone design that truly collapses smaller for easy portability, and still plenty of battery life, there is a lot to like about Sony’s WH-1000M6.
Curious about just how well they perform? Well, go check out our full review – the short version is that they’re very, very good, but are outshone in a few areas by competitors… but as all-rounders, they’re incredibly strong.
The Sony WH-1000XM6 are available now in those three shades for $449 / £399 / AU$699.
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jacob.krol@futurenet.com (Jacob Krol)
