Sony is officially launching its next-generation WH-1000XM6 wireless earbuds today. Much like its latest XM6 over-ears, Sony has made improvements across the board here with a next-gen noise canceling processor, its best call quality in a set of earbuds, improved Bluetooth connectivity “in any environment,” access to Google Gemini (and Siri), and an updated bud and case design. They are available for purchase starting now (or will be momentarily).
Sony officially launches next-generation WH-1000XM6 earbuds
The new Sony WH-1000XM6 wireless earbuds have arrived in two colorways, including Black and Platinum Silver carrying a $329.99 list price. They are now available for purchase directly from Sony and will be live very soon over at Amazon.
The XM5 buds launched at $300, but saw an official price hike in late 2025 to the same $330 we are seeing here today on the XM6. A part of me did expect to see the new set launch at an even higher price tag, but I think anything more than the $330 we are seeing here would have been a stretch Sony did not want to contend with. You can, after all, score a set from some of the direct competitors for less than this with the AirPods Pro 3 listed at $249 and the latest-gen Bose QuietComfort Ultra at $300 – a couple sets of great buds that are often sale for even less.
But even with all of that said, and as much as I would have preferred to see these things at the former $299 again, I am very much liking what I’m seeing here. After testing them out for a couple weeks, it’s clear Sony has once again delivered a set of earbuds worthy to sit next to the other two options generally in this price range.
Here are some official shots of the two new colorways:
Sony WH-1000XM6 earbud features at glance:
- 25% better reduction in noise compared to previous model
- Next-gen HD noise canceling processor QN3e
- Adaptive noise canceling optimizer with four mics on each bud
- Upgraded call quality: bone conduction sensor, two AI beamforming mics
- AI noise reduction to isolate voice from background sound
- Improved Bluetooth: 1.5 times larger antenna than previous model
- Works with Gemini: “Hey Google” to access Gemini
- Works with Siri: “Hey Assistant”
- Includes a range of Sony’s unique Noise Isolation Earbud Tips
- 11% slimmer than the predecessor model
- Integrated Processor V2 for 32-bit audio processing (compared to 24-bit in previous model)
- 10-Band customizable EQ within the Connect App
- Headtracking and Background Music effect option
- 360 Reality Audio compatibility
- Up to 8 hours battery life in the buds, and up to 24 hours with the case
Review: New Sony WH-1000XM6 earbuds debut today
While I haven’t had a chance to really beat these things up for a few months, which is, at least for me the only true way to get a feel for how well something will hold up in day-to-day use, I have had them for a couple weeks now and will drop some personal impressions of the experience below. So far, so (very) good. It seems like just about anyone who was a fan of the previous-generation XM5 set is gong to want to consider an upgrade here, at least at some point, but Sony might still have a hard time to prying folks away from their beloved AirPods or QuietComfort buds.
Build Quality and Style
The new XM6 earbuds look really nice, and there’s a sort of matte finish on both the buds and the case I can very much appreciate. For some, including the friends and family I secretly exposed the, at the time, unreleased buds to without telling them what they were seeing, the actual shape of the buds (and the case) has been divisive – some absolutely loved the new case shape, some were immediately turned off.
If you’re used the look of a pair of AirPods in your ears, or the shape of their case in your hands, the XM6 will likely feel a little out of place. But after handling and wearing the previous-generation XM5 set back and forth with the new model, I would imagine fans and long-time XM series bud users will be just fine. Sony says the buds themselves are “11% slimmer” than their predecessors.
I, for one, happen to really like the look of the new case – there’s an almost retro vibe to it, but it still seems to feel modern at the same time and not just another brand trying not to copy Apple. It feels nice in the hand, and I’m much less likely to drop it. I also happen to really like that you can stand it up on end really easily, whether that be on any random table top or your wireless charger.
As for the fashion sensibilities here, that is to say how they actually look on the side of my head…ummm, it’s not ideal. The slightly bulbous meat of the actual buds doesn’t look particularly flattering to my eyes, but all things considered this is a minor gripe – they really don’t stick out of the side of your head all that much more than any of the direct competition, and they very much look like the XM5 set in this regard, but I do prefer the look of the latest Bose buds and AirPods Pro models in this department. The same thing applies here, if you didn’t mind the look of the previous set, chances are the upgraded ANC and features on the new XM buds will capture your attention more than enough to worry about this.
Fit and Comfort
At first, it didn’t feel like they stayed in my ears as securely as the previous-generation model, or AirPods Pro 3 and the latest from Bose for that matter. But after getting the right tips on there – they ship with a bunch of them, “feel” becomes the operative word here – they more just sort of felt like they might fall out on the street when I wasn’t paying attention, they did not. And I very much did my best while wandering around the streets and in the mall to get them to fall out. They did not.
Once you get the the right ear tips on there, they seem to stay in place quite nicely and retain a solid seal to ensure all of Sony’s hard work on the new active noise cancellation tech wasn’t for not.
Even better noise cancellation
If you ask me, the previous set already delivered some of the best in the business here. When it comes down to the top players in the ANC buds space – we all know who those are – unless you’re incredibly picky here, sometimes I think it really just comes down to how well the buds seal in your specific ear shape. But Sony has nonetheless made some marked improvements here and everything sounds great, or rather doesn’t really sound at all when the new HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3e is engaged.
By way of four onboard mics (compared to the three on XM5) and the new processor, Sony says the XM6 buds have 25% better noise reduction than last go around, which seems like a slight stretch to me, or just something that’s hard to actually attach a number to like it has. But they are definitely better and were more than capable of handling busy downtown streets, the train station, the sound of my wife doing the dishes shorty after I had sworn I just did them, and completely blocking out construction noise outside of the condo while I’m working. The sound of my fingers hitting the keyboard is reduced to an entirely faint, barely there tap, and if you can get the physical seal just right (or ensure it is), you can’t hear them at all – Sony includes four sizes of ear tips here, so you should be able to find one that does the job waiting in the box.
Noise cancellation has also been further enhanced to better reduce sound that may leak in through gaps between the ear tips and the ear canal, adapting to each user’s unique ear shape and fit. With these real-time adjustments, users can enjoy an immersive listening experience.
Call quality
This is something Sony takes very seriously, and I know a lot of users do as well – I’m just not one of them. I really don’t tend to take calls in busy areas or while out and about, so I’m probably not the best judge of this, but they do perform quite well. Callers on the other end of my line said I sounded clear and more than intelligible even while in an environment I had no business being – not more than 30 feet from a relatively loud construction zone on a busy street at rush hour or wandering through a busy mall on the weekend.
Sony has implemented a bone conduction sensor on each side here alongside an advanced AI beamforming noise reduction algorithm to capture your voice, and ignore other sounds and voices around you – this worked quite well in my testing, blocking out talking on the TV and chatter in a relatively loud space almost entirely while I was on a call (I also tested this in reverse and was quite impressed from the other end of the line too).
App
The app experience is largely what anyone who has used any flagship set of earbuds is expecting. You can control and customize various settings, from EQ and noise cancellation, engage/disengage various features like their ability to read you the time or access a virtual assistant, and so forth. Sony isn’t re-writing the book by any means, but it is a solid experience with just about everything you’re probably hoping for (or hoping to turn off the second you get them).
You can have music automatically start when you put them back on, start playing shortly after you start your run, and engage Voice Cue – the headphones will read out notifications, the date and time, and so on. I’m not a fan of any of this stuff on any headphones, and just immediately turn it off, but it does work just fine.
You’ll also find similar Scene settings in here like those we saw with the XM6 over-ears – they are basically preset customization settings for various applications or environments you find yourself in.
Voice commands
You can of course access your phone’s onboard virtual assistant simple by saying “Assistant” and talk to it just like you would your phone. The XM6 buds also have an assistant of their own as well – you simply say “Hey Headphones” and then you ask them to play a song, pause the tunes, all of the usual shuttle controls for your music, lower the volume, and so on. All of this has worked flawlessly in my testing and it likely will for you to.
The WF-1000XM6 includes all the useful features found on the predecessor model that make the earbuds ideal for everyday listening, such as scene-based listening with Auto Play and Adaptive Sound Control, Quick Access and voice assistance. Google Gemini brings a seamless, hands-free assistance while you are on-the-go. Listen to music, connect with friends, get notifications, and more. With talking it out with Gemini Live, it brings natural, free-flowing conversation to brainstorm ideas, add shopping list in Google Keep or schedule events in Google Calendar—all without ever reaching for a phone.
Touch Controls
The onboard touch controls are much of the same – single tap to turn your ANC on and off, double tap to end a call, customize a triple tap setting, repeat tap to bring the volume down, this sort of thing. It’s very much what you would expect from a pair of buds of this caliber and it works quite well – not overly sensitive to the point where I’m accidentally turning the ANC on and off, but also more than responsive enough.
New WH-1000XM6 earbuds – final thoughts
In the end, I’m not sure Sony has done enough to get folks to leave their AirPods behind, but I’m not sure there is anything it even could have done to achieve that in any meaningful way. The XM6 wireless earbuds are very much an improvement over the previous-generation set unless you absolutely despise the new case shape, but I happen to quite like the upright nature of the design here.
It has upgraded the experience in just about every way – noise cancellation, call quality, overall sound reproduction – as one would expect from the brand, and all without effectively raising the price. If you’re a fan of the XM series buds, there’s probably not a whole lot more you can realistically ask for here.
Buy the new Sony WH-1000XM6 Wireless Earbuds
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