Following the now common pre-launch online leaks, Sony has officially announced the successor to 2021's WF-1000XM4 noise-canceling true-wireless earphones. The flagship formula has been improved, and everything squeezed into a smaller and lighter pair of buds.
The most obvious change to the new WF-1000XM5 earphones is their size – with Sony reducing the bulk of the housing and juggling component placement to produce a more comfortable earpiece that's around 25% smaller and 20% lighter than the WF-1000XM4.
Noise cancellation has also been upgraded, now featuring a pair of proprietary processors, a total of six microphones (including dual feedback mics), a new Dynamic Driver X design and passive-isolation foam tips to help listeners to focus on the music. ANC settings can be tweaked for specific situations too, to cut engine rumble on an airplane, for example, or blocking out daily street noise.
The earphones boast 24-bit audio processing, support for voice assistants, and there's a new Auto Play app – which is in beta at the moment – that can start the music as soon as you pop in your buds, while also sounding notification alerts from a paired smartphone when appropriate.
Despite the more compact housing, Sony has included a larger (8.4-mm) high-performance driver that features different materials for the dome and edge, which is said to result in clear, low-distortion audio output at Sony's usual high quality.
Listeners connect with a music source over Bluetooth 5.3, with Sony opting for its proprietary high-resolution LDAC decoding rather than third-party codecs. AI-assisted upscaling is cooked in to improve playback quality of compressed music files in real-time. And head-tracking technology can automatically compensate for head movement during audio playback, so the stage onscreen will remain out front even if you turn your head to the side, or help immerse mobile players in the game using spatial sound chops.
The earphones employ a noise-reduction algorithm (trained on more than 500 million voice samples) and bone-conduction sensors to isolate speech from ambient noise during calls, while the combination of a mesh wrap in the microphone with a structure designed with noise reduction in mind allows users to be "heard clearly in windy conditions."
Calls can be taken or declined using head gestures, and a Speak-to-Chat feature can pause playback when you start a conversation. The earphones are also IPX4-rated for a safe dash in the rain or sweaty workout at the gym.
Per-charge battery life remains the same as before, at 8 hours of playback for each earphone with ANC enabled and 16 additional hours available via the charging case. If you do let your buds drain completely, a 3-minute top up provides an hour of playback. The case's battery can be juiced wirelessly using an optional Qi charging pad, or even via a compatible power-share smartphone.
The WF-1000XM5 earphones come in black or silver, and are up for pre-order now for US$299.99. Shipping is expected to start later in the week.
Product page: Sony WF-1000XM5
