The Sony WH-1000XM4 have been our pick for the best headphones you can buy for two years in a row, and it looks like the company is working on a successor.
The new headphones, which we think will be called the WH-1000XM5 if Sony sticks to its existing naming convention, may have been revealed in a recent patent filed by the company, which describes a pair of wireless noise-canceling headphones.
Details about the new headphones are pretty scant at the moment, but Sony has stuck to a fairly consistent release schedule with its WH-1000X line of headphones, with new models launching in August for the last three years, and with the deal secret about the patent that will expire in August this year, the time has come for a new pair of noise cancelers from Sony.
We're sure more details will emerge by then, but for now, here's everything we know about the Sony WH-1000XM5 so far, and a few things we'd like to see from Sony's upcoming over-ear headphones. the mark.
Sony WH-1000XM5: what you need to know
Sony WH-1000XM5 Release Date: We expect the next Sony headphones to launch in August 2022.
SonyWH-1000XM5 price: There's no word on pricing yet, but Sony has kept pricing fairly consistent with its previous models, and we'd expect the XM5s to cost around $350 / £350 / AU$550.
Sony WH-1000XM5 design: A patent revealed a pair of headphones with oval ear cups and possibly a slimmer headband.
Sony WH-1000XM5 Features: The headphones described in the patent come with active noise cancellation and a larger battery than the Sony WH-1000XM4.
Sony WH-1000XM5 release date
Sony hasn't confirmed that the WH-1000XM5 is in development, but 2022 seems like a logical time for the brand to release a follow-up pair of headphones to the Sony WH-1000XM4. It's been two years since Sony gave us a pair of flagship headphones, and based on the timing of previous releases, an August release date for its next model makes sense.
The patent listing that gave us our first potential look at Sony's next headset has a non-disclosure agreement that expires in August. The Sony WH-1000XM4 was released on August 6, 2020, and its predecessors, the Sony WH-1000XM3, were released on August 30, 2018.
While that doesn't guarantee that the Sony WH-1000XM5 will launch this year, it certainly lends credence to the idea that the headphones described in the patent are, in fact, the next headphones in Sony's flagship lineup.
Sony WH-1000XM5 Price
The patent we looked at didn't give any indication of the cost of Sony's upcoming headphones, but we can make an educated guess about the price of the Sony WH-1000XM5, as Sony has always been pretty consistent with the price of its flagship line of headphones. .
The Sony WH-1000XM4 was $349,99/£349/AU$549 when it launched in 2020, and the Sony WH-1000XM3 launched for the same price in the US and Australia (in the UK they were a little cheaper than their £300 successors).
We'd expect the Sony WH-1000XM5 to be priced similarly, though it's worth noting that some tech companies have raised prices in response to inflation this year, such as like Nvidia, while Sonos speakers saw a price increase in September last year.
So a small price increase is certainly not out of the question. Still, we don't think Sony will price its new earbuds as expensive as the AirPods Max, which cost $549 / £549 / AU$899. Sony's WH-1000XM4s have an edge over over-the-ear headphones. Apple thanks in part to its cheaper price, and we can't see Sony sacrificing that advantage for a few extra bucks per unit.
Sony WH-1000XM5 Design
The artwork included in the patent for Sony's upcoming headphones is pretty basic, really just showing the outline of a pair of over-the-ear headphones; however, it does give us some clues about the design of the Sony WH-1000XM5.
It shows a pair of headphones with elongated oval-shaped ear cups connected by a thin headband. Under the cushion of the left ear cup is an FCC identification plate on a label showing the model number of the ear cup (YY2954).
On the Sony WH-1000XM4, this nameplate is located under the headband. So why would Sony move it? The most obvious answer is that the company wants a sleeker look for the headband on its upcoming cans, so it's moved the model number to a less conspicuous area.
Alternatively, Sony could provide a pair of headphones with a headband too thin to contain all the required information, or make them out of a different material. The WH-1000XM4 has a plastic headband, but if the Sony WH-1000XM5's headband were made of metal, the cost of engraving the FCC ID could be higher.
Metal headbands on headphones can be very stylish; the Bose 700 noise-canceling headphones are a good example, with a stainless-steel headband that seamlessly connects to the earcups with no visible hinges. The Sony WH-1000XM4s are already pretty stylish, but since the style hasn't changed much in recent years, an upgraded look for the WH-1000XM5 would be welcome.
Otherwise, it doesn't look like much has changed, though we can't stress how little this illustration reveals. Either way, it looks like the Sony WH-1000XM5 will come in black and silver color options, like its predecessors, according to The Walkman Blog, who shared a list of Sony headphone imports from Hong Kong to India that he claims is related. with the headphones described in the patent. This product listing contained two colors: silver and black.
That doesn't mean these will be the only colors available for the Sony WH-1000XM5; the company released some special edition versions of the XM4 in Arctic White and Midnight Blue color combinations.
Features Sony WH-1000XM5
Once again, Sony's patent application doesn't reveal much about its upcoming headphones, but there are a few hints as to what kinds of new things we might see in the WH-1000XM5.
For starters, the patent describes "wireless stereo noise canceling headphones", so we can be pretty sure that active noise cancellation will be a major feature, just like with the rest of the WH-1000X range.
Sony has consistently made minor improvements to its noise cancellation technology with all models in this range, with the WH-1000XM4 introducing adaptive noise cancellation which allows the headphones to learn where you are using geolocation access and apply your preferred level. of ANC accordingly. So if you are at home, the headphones can apply the maximum level of noise cancellation, while they can reduce it when you are in the office and want to listen to your colleagues.
We expect to see more noise-canceling tech updates for the Sony WH-1000XM5, whether it's a refinement of Sony's adaptive ANC or a general increase in the amount of external noise the headphones can block out.
The patent also outlines what some improvements to battery life might be. It shows that the internal battery capacity of these headphones is 3,8 V, as opposed to the nominal 3,7 V of the WH-1000XM4. This means that the Sony WH-1000XM5 could improve on its predecessors' 38-hour battery life. That figure was already impressive, so even longer music playback time would be a huge selling point for Sony's next headphones.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 could also come with fast charging support, with the patent describing a 5V/9V USB rating for regular and fast charging, respectively.
There are a few features of the Sony WH-1000XM4 that we plan to bring back with the company's next headphones. These include Speak-to-Chat, which automatically pauses your music when the headphones detect your voice, and support for Sony 360 Reality Audio, which enables immersive virtual surround sound when you use the headphones with compatible music streaming services.
Both of these features first appeared with Sony's LinkBuds, so it's safe to say the brand is still investing in them.
We're also hoping that Sony will bring back its air pressure optimization feature, which adjusts the sound of the WH-1000XM4 when used on airplanes.
Sony WH-1000XM5: what we want to see
The Sony WH-1000XM4 have been our pick for the best headphones you can buy since they launched in 2020, and they haven't been usurped by any other models so far, and any improvements will be a welcome bonus. Still, Sony will have to keep adapting its headphones if it wants to stay on top, and there are some improvements we'd like to see with the WH-1000XM5.
First, better battery life would help Sony avoid competition from models like the Urbanista Miami, which offers 50 hours of battery life (although that figure drops to 40 hours with ANC on). Playtimes offered by wireless headphones are getting longer and Sony won't want to be left behind with newer models.
We'd also like to see a reintroduction of the aptX codec, which came with the Sony WH-1000XM3, but was missing from the XM4. This codec enables Hi-Res Audio playback and while the XM4 is covered for high-quality streaming with Sony's LDAC technology, you'll need a compatible device to enjoy it.
In addition to full Hi-Res Audio support, we'd like the Sony WH-1000XM5 to come with lossless audio. Previously, this was impossible for wireless headphones, as the bandwidth offered by Bluetooth connectivity was not wide enough to handle lossless, uncompressed transmissions; however, Qualcomm's Snapdragon Sound technology could make it possible.
All Sony would have to do is integrate the new QCC3065x headphone chip, and WH-1000XM5 users could enjoy bit-for-bit mathematically exact music that faithfully reproduces the music as the artist intended.
This chip hasn't come to market yet, but headphones using this technology are expected to start rolling out this year, making the Sony WH-1000XM5 a prime candidate for lossless audio support.
We also expect to see some design features in the Sony WH-1000XM5. The brand's headphones typically come in a limited range of muted colors, so we wish Sony would get a bit more adventurous with its color scheme for the WH-1000XM5.
Water resistance wouldn't be bad either. The Sony WH-1000XM4 doesn't come with an IP rating, so we weren't comfortable using the headphones outdoors in the rain. An IPX4 or higher rating would ensure that the WH-1000XM5 is resistant to sweat, as well as a few drops of rain.