The road ahead looks exciting, headphones fans. Not only are Apple’s next AirPods Pro rumored to appear in the coming months (as early as September or as late as early 2026, depending on which Apple analyst you ask), but the successors to the best wireless earbuds you can buy are almost certainly on the very near horizon.
I am, of course, referring to Sony’s next-gen flagships, which will inevitably be called the ‘WF-1000XM6’, following in the naming footsteps of the current WF-1000XM5 model.
Sure, that’s not a very sexy name, but neither was Sony’s ‘h.ear’ headphone range (or indeed the brand’s ‘Location-Free TV’ streaming box or ‘Qriocity’ streaming service). Okay, so Sony is no better than Elon Musk and Grimes at naming its beloved, but its talents are undisputed when it comes to making them.
Sony has a proven best-in-class track record with its reference WF (earbud) and WH (over-ear) 1000XM series, so the rumored WF-1000XM6 keeping that legacy alive is one of the safer bets I can make as an audio expert right now.
If they are anything like their soon-to-be predecessors and new over-ear WH-1000XM6 siblings, they could soon sit pretty at the top of the premium earbuds pile for the next couple of years.
Here are five reasons why I’m excited for the next-gen Sonys…
A new benchmark in sound is nigh-on certain
I can’t remember the last time Sony updated an audio product without notably improving the sound quality over the previous generation, so it’s safe to say we’re in for better sonics than the XM5 currently deliver.
The thing is, the XM5 already sound better than their closest rivals from Apple and Bose, both of which have arrived since the Sony buds launched.
Technics and Bowers & Wilkins have produced earbuds that come very, very close to the XM5’s benchmark with the EAH-AZ100 and Pi8 respectively, but the truth is that if Sony can upgrade the XM5’s sonics even by a smaller margin than it has done before between generations of WF-1000XM, it will only further the gap between it and its competitors.
Sony could finally soup up its spatial audio
The XM5 have a weakness. Two weaknesses, actually. One is their spatial audio implementation compared to that of the AirPods Pro 2 and Bose QC Ultra Earbuds. Whichever side of the spatial audio fence you sit on (me? I’m often sat on the top, albeit leaning precariously over the ‘it’s not for me’ side), audio tech’s biggest buzzword doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
Sony offers spatial processing and its own 360 Reality Audio format (found in the Amazon Music Unlimited catalogue, although sadly no longer in Tidal’s), and took things further with its over-ear XM6, which includes a 360 Reality Audio Upmix for Cinema mode that can spatialize any stereo content.
But it isn’t as widely implemented in hardware or software, nor is it as effective as Bose’s and especially Apple’s efforts. If there was an ideal opportunity to finally make waves here, it’s now with the WF-1000XM6.
Improving the XM5’s one true weakness seems likely
I wouldn’t say spatial audio is a deal-breaker, mind. The other and more useful weakness of the XM5 for the XM6 to rectify would be their fit, which our expert audio tester said in our Sony WF-1000XM5 review was not “super secure” compared to some previous Sony earbuds.
In my experience, Sony does tend to take review feedback on board, so I’m hoping the XM6 will at least get a gripper material to lessen the feeling that the buds could easily slip out of your ear.
Next-gen Bluetooth support is inevitable
For years I’ve wished that Sony headphones and earbuds supported the latest aptX Bluetooth codecs, simply because they are widely supported by phones (aside from iPhones) and music players and offer some of the most efficient, audio-conscious methods of portable wireless transmission.
They don’t because they instead support Sony’s own Bluetooth codec, LDAC – which is very good by the way, just not quite as widely supported. It’s fine, and I’m at peace with knowing it likely won’t come to the WF-1000XM6.
However, the exciting Bluetooth support that they will probably get, on the basis that the new XM6 over-ears are blessed with it, is Bluetooth LE Audio, which opens the doors to Auracast and the LC3 codec.
The former is a broadcast-style audio sharing feature that we will inevitably see change the landscape of public listening space in the future, while the latter promises significantly more efficient transmission for reducing latency, extending battery life and potentially enabling higher audio quality.
Tighter budgets will also benefit
It won’t happen overnight, but in the weeks and almost certainly months after the rumored WF-1000XM6 surface, the XM5’s price will most likely permanently drop and perhaps even hit an all-new low come Black Friday in November. That’s a win for those who understandably can’t afford to spend as much as $300 (the expected XM6 price) on new earbuds.
The XM5 can currently be picked up for just shy of $215 but have historically been baggable for $180 during the biggest sales events, so I would expect this to fall to around $150 by the end of the year – a price which, despite the 2023-released earbuds’ age, would make them bona fide bargains.
