are they worth the hype?

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been testing the Sony WF-1000XM5, wearing them on the train to work, in the office and out for runs. In this review, I’ll take you through everything I thought about the design, fit, battery life, performance, noise-cancelling, app and features.

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Sony WF-1000XM5

Sony WF-1000XM5 key specs

Weight	5.9g per bud (39g with the charging case)
Battery life	8 hours with ANC (up to 24 hours with the case)
Wireless charging	Yes
Noise cancellation	Yes
Water resistance	IPX4

Most true wireless earbuds go by one style or another, with a stem or without. The Sony WF-1000XM5 opt for a rounded bud shape rather than including the stem, you push them into your ear and twist them into place, rather than having the stem weighing them down. I usually prefer the stem style but I do like how small and discreet these earbuds are. They are tiny!

The 5.9g buds come housed in a charging case that weighs only 39g. It’s smaller than the palm of my hand (and I have quite small hands). It easily slipped into my jeans pocket and barely took up any space in my handbag.

You can buy the Sony WF-1000XM5 in two sleek colours: black and silver. I tested out the black version — the case uses smooth matte plastic and has a brass-coloured Sony logo across the top, the earbuds are made from glossy plastic with a matte touchpad and a small brass-coloured outer microphone. The flip side to the plastic design is that they are slippery, making them more difficult to get out of the case.

The four sizes of ear tips in the box make finding the right fit a quick process. The hybrid foam tips are well cushioned and comfortable to wear for a solid amount of time, however, they may not be suitable for everyone. I did find after about two hours or so I got tired of wearing them. The Sony WF-1000XM5 also felt less secure than other earbuds I’ve tried. I took them out for a run and found myself regularly double-checking they were still in place because they felt as though they could fall out.

Durability isn’t an issue though; these appear well made and are IPX4 rated so they’re sweat resistant (although not fully waterproof).

Controlling the music is easily done through the touch panels on the outside of each earbud, which responded quickly every time I used them without being overly sensitive.

By default, the left earbud is set to Ambient Control where one tap switches between noise-cancelling modes, a repeated tap lowers the volume and a long press activates Quick Attention. The right earbud is set to Playback Control where one tap pauses the music, a double tap skips to the next song, a triple tap skips backwards, a continuous press switches between devices and a repeated tap raises the volume.

If those controls don’t work for you, you can’t change the individual actions but you can change whether to use Ambient or Playback control on each earbud.

The case has a button on the back to activate Bluetooth and there’s a small LED light on the front to give you an indication of the battery level.

One thing the Sony WF-1000XM5 do really well is sound quality. During my time testing the earbuds, I listened to everything from classic rock and indie soul to drum and bass and a few podcasts.

My biggest takeaway was how level and balanced the sound came across: it’s punchy without pushing the bass too far and crisp without leaving the mid-range behind. The soundstage is expansive and plenty of detail comes through, whether you’re focusing on a center-stage guitar twang or a subtle background vocal.

The audio isn’t as bouncy or as energetic as you might find elsewhere but if you want to appreciate every part of the song you’re listening to, these are very intricate.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 have solid noise-cancelling effects too. They managed to dull down distracting sounds from my environment so I could enjoy my music, but they didn’t entirely block out noise. I could still hear the rumble of the underground train and murmurs of office chatter when I had them in. I started testing these just after trying out the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds which are, in my opinion, the best noise-cancelling earbuds because they offer a more immersive experience.

There are three microphones on each earbud providing crystal clear call quality. Outside noise is filtered well too. When I made calls with the Sony WF-1000XM5, my focus always stayed on the conversation and the person on the other end could hear me clearly too.

Sony claims the WF-1000XM5 earbuds last eight hours of music at a time, with an extra 16 hours provided by the case with the noise-cancelling switched on. That gives you a total of 24 hours of playback before you need to plug the case in. If you turn off the ANC that increases to 36 hours, so 12 hours from the buds and 24 hours from the case.

For the days when you get caught short, a quick three-minute charge will give you 60 minutes of music – enough for an episode of Bridgerton. You can also charge the case wirelessly.

To manage the Sony WF-1000XM5’s settings, you’ll need to download the Sony Headphones smartphone app which is available for iOS and Android.

The app is a little clunkier than some other brands’ equivalents but the controls are more in-depth too. You can use the app to change the touch panel settings, adjust the equaliser across five bands, pick your preferred voice assistant, update the software, and so on.

Adaptive sound control is a cool feature worth mentioning here — you can turn it on in the app and it will adjust the audio depending on where you are and what you’re doing. It learns your behaviour over time and recognises your location to tailor the sound and the amount of ambient sound accordingly.

It seemed to be quite good at understanding what I was doing at any given time, switching between staying, walking, running and riding in a vehicle. Even better, it can be set to turn off the ANC automatically when you start walking so you can hear the sound of the road, and wind noise won’t pass through the microphones.

Speak-to-chat is another handy tool you should know about. It pauses the music when you start talking so you don’t need to fiddle around with your earbuds or phone when someone sparks a conversation with you.

The latest version of Bluetooth hooks these earbuds up wirelessly to your devices. While the connection was usually stable, there were a few moments when one or both of the earbuds lost connection when I put my phone in my pocket. Getting them up and running again was very fast, though.

The Sony WF-1000XM5 have multipoint connectivity so you can connect to two devices at once, and switching between gadgets is super easy thanks to the touch controls. I used multipoint a fair amount during the workday, particularly when I was listening to music on my phone and had to take a video call on my laptop.

Sound quality is the number one reason to buy the Sony WF-1000XM5 earphones. Whatever you listen to, these deliver tonnes of detail. Another reason to get these buds is the design. If you prefer the rounded style that twists into place (rather than the more common stem design) these will be a top choice. I was also happy with how long-lasting the battery is, how small the charging case is and the selection of features.

However, there are some downsides. The app is a little hard to use. The noise-cancelling is good but it’s not jaw-dropping. And I found the connection sometimes dropped out. None of those are deal breakers though, ultimately most people will get on well with the Sony WF-1000XM5.

The obvious competition for the Sony WF-1000XM5 are the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds, they are a bit more expensive but the noise-cancelling is considerably better.

iPhone users should consider the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) as they deliver respectable ANC, detailed sound quality and Adaptive EQ. They’re comfortable and you get 30 hours of battery with the charging case.

On a budget? Take a look at the Soundcore Liberty 4NC instead. They’re some of the best cheap headphones because they cost less than £100, they’re comfortable and the ANC is reliable. Granted, the audio quality is much more bass-heavy, but if you prefer high-energy headphones that won’t be a problem.

Sony WF-1000XM5