Travelers and Music Fans Rejoice

Instead of completely rethinking its 1000X Series premium line of wireless earbuds, Sony is simply refining the new WF-1000XM5 with a smaller size, improved ANC performance, and a little richer sound. They’re great, but they also complicate the buying decision between Linkbuds S and AirPods Pro 2.

Sony WF-1000XM5

The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are about 25% smaller than the WF-1000XM4, making for a more comfortable listening experience while retaining great sound quality.

Brand

Sony

Battery Life

8 hours listening; 24 hours with charging case

Additional Tips

XS, S, M, L

Charging Case

USB-C, Qi Wireless Charging

Drivers

8.4mm

IP rating

IPX4

Case dimensions

64.6 x 40.0 x 26.5mm (approximate)

Earbud weight

0.21oz (each; approximate)

Pros

• Smaller size makes them more comfortable than previous model
• Sound quality is full and detailed
• Call quality was near best in class

Cons

• Touch controls don’t function better than average
• Wind noise still present despite redesigned windscreen

How WF-1000XM5 Stack Up Against Other Earbuds

The WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds cost $300 and are positioned as a premium option to compete against Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 and Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II. (Not to be confused with Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones.) There are plenty of exciting features added to the 1000XM5 to sway listeners from competitors, but the most tempting aspects are a focus on comfort, better active-noise canceling performance, and more refined audio quality.

Sony has added two additional microphones to the 1000XM5 and boosted the processing power to help it stay competitive at blocking unwanted noise. In my real-world experiences, the earbuds could isolate me as well as AirPods 2, if not a little better, but not as well as the QuietComfort Earbuds II. Those earbuds are in a class of their own.

To address the sound quality, WF-1000XM5 has a larger 8.4mm “Dynamic Driver X” inside, compared to the 6mm WF-1000XM4 driver. Songs that trafficked in bass and used it as a driving force felt infinitely deep while listening with these new Sony earbuds. Of course, sound is personal, and all three of these premium choices of earbuds were able to provoke an emotional response when I listened to my favorite songs.

For me, the comfort of the WF-1000XM5 was much better than the previous model from Sony. These new earbuds are 25% smaller, with a few tweaks aimed at providing longer listening times without ear fatigue. Overall that effort was a success, however, they still weren’t quite as comfortable as the AirPods Pro 2 or the QuietComfort Earbuds II.

The Linkbuds S still retail for $199.99 and are an option for spending less. For comparison’s sake, the WF-1000XM5 did sound better and had better ANC performance. The Linkbuds S earbuds were lighter and felt better suited to more casual, on-the-go listening situations. Ultimately, the Linkbuds S versus 1000XM5 discussion will come down to deciding between a good product and one that’s a little better than that.

Design and Touch Controls

The most noticeable difference between the previous WF-1000XM4 and the new WF-1000XM5 is the size. The earbuds are smaller and lighter, which allows the charging case to be smaller and thinner as well. With the reduction of size, Sony is also now including an SS-labeled set of ear tips that are extra small.

Overall I liked the sound of the previous 1000XM4 earbuds, but their larger size prevented me from listening too long—or gravitating to them voluntarily. This new model mostly addressed that concern for my ears. I did also appreciate the minimal charging case, which is just larger than the AirPods Pro 2 one, but very pocketable.

Wireless charging on the case isn’t the most important feature, but it did come in handy to top off with power when needed. The 1000XM4 earbuds had a quick-charge time of 5 minutes fast using a cable, while these new ones can get an hour of power with only 3 minutes of charging in the same manner. Faster is always better, but I didn’t notice those two minutes in my day-to-day use.

The WF-1000XM5 earbuds are IPX4 rated, so they can combat sweat and are fine for workouts. I took them running but didn’t care for the experience. Without any ear hooks or little nubs, they constantly felt like they were on the verge of falling out. Occasionally they did fall out when I didn’t take the time to firmly push and twist them into an exact placement.

Additionally, despite claims of a new metal mesh windscreen, I still heard much more gushing wind while running than I did with the Beats Fit Pro—my preferred earbuds to use for exercise.

Using the touch controls to skip tracks or manipulate music playback while on the run was as difficult as ever. Personally, I loathe touch controls on earbuds, and the 1000XM5 were no different. Even while sitting at my desk, the touch target area felt small and hard to tap consistently each and every time. I really wish Sony would expand its Linkbuds feature of being able to register taps on the side of your head for pausing and skipping.

Interestingly, Sony did add a bone-conduction sensor to better help it identify when a person is speaking to isolate their voice during calls. The other part of improving call quality is the company using AI to better identify voices. In addition to asking people how I sounded on calls, I did record my own voice with lots of ambient noise in the background to see how the 1000XM5 microphones functioned. I thought my voice sounded a little artificial, but overall the earbuds did cut out most of the background noises for great clarity.

Sound Quality and ANC

Sony may tout the best ANC performance, but during controlled tests and random real-world scenarios, I found the earbuds from Bose to keep noise at bay better. I also went back and forth between whether the AirPods Pro 2 or the WF-1000XM5 blocked noise better in various circumstances. The latest AirPods Pro definitely held their own, but Sony did have the edge more often.

I regularly use ANC earbuds to help keep me focused while working at home. So the timing of these 1000XM5 came in especially handy with two kids off school for the summer. Although hardly scientific, the 1000XM5 earbuds were able to help me work within that context. The earbuds also helped eliminate the vibrating hum from my robot vacuum during its scheduled cleaning times.

Worth noting, however, it did feel like the other earbuds from Bose and Apple were easier to get a complete seal in my ears. That could play a role in keeping unwanted noise out of people’s different-sized ears. To test different environments, I also played common sounds like city traffic, a lawnmower, an airplane cabin, and a revving car engine through a speaker to see whether they could be heard while wearing the earbuds.

As for audio quality, the WF-1000XM5 were impressive. Like the best earbuds or headphones, these ones sound limitless with almost no recognizable hearing boundaries. The bass drop on “Summertime Magic” by Childish Gambino reverberated deep and wide. Ethereal sounds on other songs were able to drift off into the distance with a natural fidelity.

Vocals were present throughout the mid-range on all the songs I listened to. I was constantly struck by the earbuds’ ability to sound full while also presenting detailed views of individual instruments. I ran through a collection of pop, rock, folk, and hip-hop songs that all sounded great. I had almost no qualms with the sound of the 1000XM4 earbuds, but these new ones do subtly improve music listening.

Battery Life and Additional Features

A quick Google search for WF-1000XM4 earbuds will show that unusual battery life has been a problem for Sony, but I never experienced that with this new model. In addition to lots of shorter listening times, I did do at least seven different multi-hour listening sessions without experiencing any poor battery life issues. Of course, it’s hard to definitely say it won’t be a problem in the long run. I can say I didn’t have any noticeable drops in battery life or usual activity during weeks of testing.

The 1000XM5 earbuds still support Hi-Res Audio if you have a capable device and music service—not an iPhone. These new earbuds also support LE Audio which should help with less latency for gaming. They also have native support for head tracking with Sony’s 360 Reality Audio.

Should You Buy the Sony WF-1000XM5 Earbuds?

Deciding on new earbuds can be a confusing endeavor with so many choices. In simple terms, travelers on planes or trains trying to block out distractions will be served well by the pocketable size, elevated ANC performance, and good call quality of the Sony WF-1000XM5.

People who are more interested in good-sounding earbuds for fitness should probably spend time looking for another option. The WF-1000XM5 can be used for exercise in a pinch, but they didn’t excel in this area for me. I suspect other people will feel the same.

Similarly, because of the finicky touch controls while on the move and the less natural sound of awareness mode, I would recommend these earbuds for people who tend to be more stationary than constantly walking around.

Regardless of whether these are perfect for your circumstances, however, Sony has done an admirable job of keeping their latest premium earbuds competitive. There are certain aspects of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II and AirPods Pro 2 that I preferred over the WF-1000XM5, but overall each has its strengths and reasons for consideration. The biggest compliment I can think of is that there isn’t a clear winner among those prominent three products—music lovers are being served well.

Sony WF-1000XM5

The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds are about 25% smaller than the WF-1000XM4, making for a more comfortable listening experience while retaining great sound quality.