Sony’s WH-1000XM4 are one of the best noise-cancelling headphones money can buy. Its predecessors are also back with the company’s OG premium noise-cancelling headphones, the MDR-1000X.
In other words, Sony is doing pretty well. So I’m glad to see the new WH-1000XM5 starting to leak.
Leaked images of the new earphones posted by the Walkman Blog show that the design of the earphones deviates significantly from Sony’s usual aesthetic. Behold:
Someone on Reddit also posted an image of what appears to be a retail unit, seemingly confirming the design and some specs.
For reference, this is what the previous model looked like:
It looks cleaner if you ask me. The previous design was already starting to look a little dated, and this new one hints at the old while introducing a more minimalist look.
That said, so far, Sony doesn’t appear to be planning more colors, sticking with the black and off-white silver of previous models.
Oddly, the earphones seem to lack the original’s extra hinge, which allowed them to fold into a very compact shape. Instead, the WH-1000XM5 only seemed to fold flat by turning the earcups, like most portable headphones.
Some users will definitely miss the more compact design, but I’ve always thought Sony’s noise-canceling headphones were a bit flimsy (I’ve seen hinges break on previous models). Hopefully, this new design is stronger in the long run.
The new earphones could have wider and thicker headbands due to the lack of a hinge, and they also appear to have thicker ear pads.
WH-1000XM4 (left) and WH-1000XM5 (right). Credit: Walkman Blog
Of course, it remains to be seen if they are actually more comfortable, but they at least look more comfortable.
In addition to comfort, the thicker padding should help ensure a more consistent seal for better isolation and improved sound consistency — especially for eyeglass wearers and people with larger hair.
According to the leaked packaging, the headset has a battery life of 30 hours, a figure that traditionally refers to performance with ANC turned on. It also continues to support Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Notably, the box lists “Ok Google” support, suggesting it has full-fledged hotword detection like the Pixel Buds or Sony’s own LinkBuds, rather than forcing you to hold down the button to invoke the Assistant. In my experience, this makes you more likely to actually use voice commands.
Sony has improved noise-canceling performance with each generation, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the same effect here. The leaked packaging suggests that the headset will continue to support Sony’s spatial audio technology.
But I’m just as excited about the rumor that the headset will be able to connect to multiple devices at once and switch dynamically between them. Previous Sony headphones supported pairing with multiple devices, but you had to switch between them manually. Bluetooth 5.2 should help the headset switch quickly between devices, depending on the device playing the audio.
That’s it. The Walkman blog suggested that the headset might launch in August, as that’s when the secrecy period for earlier FCC leaks ends. But given the onslaught of leaks — not to mention the retail packaging — they could be released sooner.