Just a few years ago, Sony released the WF-1000XM5 which were deemed as some of the best wireless earbuds because of its sound quality, battery life and how compact they were. With their successor, the WF-1000XM6 earbuds have grown slightly as well as the charging case. But is that a good thing or bad?
Style
The XM6 earbuds come in two colors of Platinum Silver and Black. The latter Sony was nice enough to send over. First thing you notice is the wireless charging case. It’s bigger than the XM5 and not as curvy. Indicator light on the front and USB-C port on the back. It weighs 47g (12g more than the XM5 case). Reminds me of their XM3 case from years back.
The earbuds themselves are matte black and not glossy like the XM5 version. They have Sony branding and mic grills on each one. Sony has brought back over the polyurethane foam which helps produce noise isolation (ANC) and for most just be more comfortable and rest better in the ear. They also do not feel heavy and are lightweight.
With both the case and the earbuds having that matte texture they are susceptible to fingerprints and smudges. The case even more if you have it in a bag or pocket with other items.
Sony WF-1000XM6 comes with USB-C cable and various earbud foam tips.
Features / Sound
With that matte texture on the earbuds, it allows for a better feel and grip while operating the touch controls on each. Each tap is instance no matter how fast or slow I press it. Like previous iterations the default settings would be the left side for ambient / ANC switching while the right is playback controls.
Going into the Sony Sound Connect app you can change those controls around, adding additional taps or even holding capabilities. You can even set Quick Access to open music related apps such as Spotify, YouTube Music, etc. instantly.
Other features accessible for the WF-1000XM6 via the app are an Equalizer, Adaptive Sound Controls, and a Listening Mode. Listening Mode can either be in Standard or Background Music. The latter would make it feel like you are in a café or store while music is playing in the distance. Surprisingly, it works with Ambient / ANC and toggling between Standard / Background is effective.
Sony has taken great steps to improve the XM6 earbuds over the impressive XM5 earbuds. That includes a new processor called the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3e. This is three times faster than the QN2(found in the WF-1000XM5). Backing that is an Integrated Processor V2, Adaptive NC Optimizer, and Noise Sensor tech rocking with the 8.4mm drivers. They support AAC and LDAC codecs with DSEE Extreme as well.
The WF-1000XM6 carry a respectable amount of bass on its default setting which can be felt playing tracks like “Let Em Know” by T.I. or “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” by Busta Rhymes. If you need more, you can go into the EQ and grab one of the presets. “Aint No Sunshine” has Bill Wither’s vocals at the forefront and in nice clarity.
I have played some Fortnite on them and there wasn’t much delay in the game and the audio being transmitted back to the earbuds in some of the sessions I had.
Used mostly with a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro.
Experience
Using the WF-1000XM6 over the past couple of months has been a pleasant experience. The battery has been superb on them and found them working close to its advertised battery life of 24 hours (this includes case charges). I would like a bit more in the battery department compared to some other brands though. The foam tips live up to the hype getting snug in the eye and blocking out outside noise especially on the daily train commutes I take.
But unfortunately for me personally the foam material irritates my ears a bit as my skin is sensitive. I would love it if Sony did include a silicone/plastic option as well. But for those interested in foam there are diverse sizes inside the box to fit your ears.
The ambient / transparency option works so good on these sometimes I can forget I am wearing them when having convos either in the office or in the store.
Conversations on the WF-1000XM6 have been good at picking up my voice and others not even realizing I have been in noisy areas thanks to the eight total mics (4 on each bud).
Verdict
While the WF-1000XM6 has jumped up in price by about $30 over its predecessor, using the past few months I’ll say it worth it. Build is solid on these earbuds and case even though its slightly larger, they have been durable as overall still in good condition. Noise cancelling is superb and at the top of some of the earbuds I have used, and that audio quality hits on all cylinders. They come in at $330 but I have seen them go on sale most times for $299.99.
You can check our quick unboxing of the Sony WF-1000XM6 on Instagram , YouTube, and TikTok.
