High-quality headphones used to be for the recording studio and die-hard audiophiles, but now we have easy access to premium audio in a wide range of options. Not only is better sound quality more available, but features such as noise-canceling and spatial audio are providing more personal and immersive listening experiences. Although Sony could work on its naming conventions a bit, the label consistently releases some of the best wireless noise-canceling headphones in the industry (the WH-1000XM lineup, in particular, is consistently ranked among the best in the game). The Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds that dropped in 2021 were met with praise and easily went toe-to-toe with the AirPods Pro, and now the latest edition of the label’s flagship wireless earbuds are here: the Sony WF-1000XM5, a smaller, lighter, and updated pair of earbuds with improved noise cancellation and sound quality.
Coming in hot, Sony boasts that these earbuds provide the best noise cancellation on the market, with two processors, dual feedback mics, and noise reduction algorithms (yes, the AI ones) that allow the buds to adapt to your ambient surroundings. This makes calls clearer for both participants and improves sound quality for music and voice. Speaking of sound quality, the in-house Dynamic Driver X unit produces high-quality vocals and makes audio sound fuller overall. These earbuds are also smaller and more lightweight than the WF-1000XM4s (25% smaller and 20% lighter, to be exact), and the IPX4 water-resistance rating means you can work up a sweat (even in the rain) without worrying.
As for the battery life, you get up to 8 hours of listening time with the buds and 24 hours extra with the charging case (along with a quick-charging feature that takes 3 minutes to provide up to an hour of listening time). Additionally, the earbuds are made with recycled plastic materials and come in 100% paper packaging.
The Sony WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds are available to pre-order now for $298 and will officially release on July 27th.
