Sony WF-1000XM6 Brings Better ANC and 8-Hour Battery Life

Almost three years after the Sony WF-1000XM5, Sony’s finally back with a proper successor. The WF-1000XM6 is official, with a tweaked design, updated hardware, and a handful of upgrades. At the same time, the company is also offering a new paint for their premium headphones.

Sony WF-1000XM6 claims 25% better noise cancellation than XM5

The Sony WF-1000XM6 shows up with a redesigned look. Sony has ditched the rounded vibe of the previous generation and gone with a more compact, pill-shaped design instead. The company says the new shape follows the natural curves of your ear better and cuts down on discomfort. Sony also claims the earbuds are about 11% smaller than before, which sounds pretty nice on paper.

The WF-1000XM6 packs a DAC amp powered by Sony’s QN3e processor and now supports 32-bit processing, up from 24-bit on the last model. You’re still getting all the premium goodies like Hi-Res Audio Wireless, DSEE Extreme, 360 Reality Audio, head tracking, and a customizable 10-band EQ in the companion app.

Sony is also promising stronger active noise cancellation, claiming up to 25% better performance compared to the XM5, which is a pretty bold claim. To be frank, Sony’s headphones and earbuds work very well with Samsung phones. They even support high quality audio codecs like LDAC. You can enjoy all these features through Sony’s Sound Connect app.

The next, and I’d say most important, thing is obviously the battery life, which in this case is rated at up to eight hours per charge, with the case extending total playback to 24 hours. Call quality is also said to improve thanks to AI-assisted noise reduction and additional voice sensors. There’s also support for wireless charging, which is pretty much expected.

Meanwhile, the Sony WH-1000XM6 is getting a new Sand Pink color, joining Black, Platinum Silver, and Midnight Blue. As for pricing, the Sony WF-1000XM6 comes in at $329.99, while the Sand Pink WH-1000XM6 costs $459.99 on Sony, Best Buy, and Amazon.