After multiple leaks, there wasn’t much left for Sony to announce, but nonetheless, today it’s official: Sony’s WH-1000XM6 are here and as expected, they feature a generous number of upgrades from the WH-1000XM5, including a new metal folding hinge that’s designed to be both more durable and more flexible. The new XM6 comes in three colors: black, midnight blue, and Sony’s strangely named platinum silver (which is actually an off-white, sandy color seen here). They’re priced at $450 in the U.S., a $50 increase over the XM5 that appears partially tariff-driven, given their $599 Canadian dollar price (about $428 U.S.). They’re available starting today at major online retailers and sony.com.
Sony took a bit of criticism for it fold-flat design of the WH-1000XM5, which some viewed as less travel friendly. The XM6 is a clever response to those concerns — Sony has kept the XM5’s sleek lines while adding in that missing second degree of motion in the hinge. It has also reduced the size of the travel case and given it a quick release magnetic closure instead of the usual zipper.
The headband is now a bit wider and Sony has given it an asymmetrical shape, similar to the Sonos Ace, which Sony says should help folks orient the headphones correctly without needing to look at the left/right labels. The earcushions have also been beefed up with greater padding.
For the XM6, Sony has chosen a new finish to its plastic. Gone is the slightly rubberized coating of the XM4 and XM5, replaced with an almost ceramic-like texture.
Sony considers itself a master of active noise cancellation (ANC), so it likely took note when Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones began racking up the awards for best ANC over the WH-1000XM5. For the XM6, Sony attempts to address that gap with three improvements, beginning with a new processor (the QN3) that apparently measures and responds to noise conditions seven times faster than the QN1 chip in the XM5. There are now 4 more mics (12 vs. 8) to capture those externals sounds, and Sony has replaced the XM5’s Auto NC optimizer algorithm with a new Adaptive NC optimizer. These are the algorithms that make ANC adjustments based on your hair or eyeglasses or anything else that could get in the way of the earcups providing a strong seal.
Six of those 12 mics are now involved when making calls (versus 4 on the XM5), and Sony says it employs an AI noise reduction algorithm that was trained on 500 million voice samples, letting the XM6 better separate your voice from background sounds. New for the XM6 is the ability to mute those mics while on a call.
On the sound side of the equation, Sony has given the XM6 new drivers (the XM5 drivers were also different from the WH-1000XM4) with a high rigidity carbon fiber composite material dome, which it says will help with balance and a perforated voice coil bobbin for better high frequency performance. It’s also touting the XM6’s extensive tuning, performed by several Grammy-winning audio engineers.
Spatial audio returns on the XM6, as “360 Reality Audio Upmix for Cinema.” Sony is positioning it as an immersive upgrade for movie content (in the app, it’s labeled as “Cinema” mode) but it works any stereo source, on both iOS and Android. On the XM5, spatial was limited to just Sony’s proprietary Sony 360 Reality Audio format. Unfortunately, head tracking remains an Android-only feature.
Battery life hasn’t changed — it’s still 30 hours with ANC on and 40 hours when it’s off — but Sony has finally given us the ability to charge the XM6 while they’re being used, something we’ve never been able to do with Sony’s wireless headphones.
Sony downplayed this in its press briefing, but just like its LinkBuds Open and LinkBuds Fit, you’ll be able to use Bluetooth Auracast if you switch the headphones to LE Audio, and if your smartphone’s operating system is Auracast-compatible. In other words, it should work on most Android handsets running the latest version of that OS, but not on iPhones.
New for the XM6 is a feature called Scene-based Listening. According to the company, it “uses sensing technology to automatically play music according to the user’s activity and adjust noise cancellation level based on their environment and location.” It appears to be an extension of the existing Adaptive Sound Control option that manages just ANC/transparency based on activity and location.