Not to sound like a broken record, but the Sony WH-1000XM5 really are a stellar set of cans. They’re some of, if not the best noise-canceling headphones money can buy. Now, the hotly anticipated XM6 headphones are set to arrive as a follow-up. Better yet, we’ve finally got an official release date – and the cans are right around the corner.
After Dealabs shared a not-so-subtle leak involving Amazon Spain and a Reddit user with an eye for pulled product pages, Sony has come out and officially said what we’ve all been waiting for. The next pair of its ridiculously popular noise-cancelling headphones, the WH-1000XM6, will be unveiled on 15 May. The launch will take place at 5pm BST/12pm ET. It doesn’t look like there’s a live stream to follow along with, but expect the news to drop everywhere (including here at Stuff) at that time.
Sony’s WH-1000X line is basically the iPhone of headphones at this point. Every model gets lapped up by the masses, and with good reason. The XM5 was more evolution than revolution – slightly better noise cancelling, a design facelift, and just enough of a spec bump to make you feel like your XM4s were looking a bit tired. So expectations for the XM6s are pretty high.
According to the leak, the XM6s pack a new QN3 HD processor – supposedly 7x faster than the QN1 chip in the XM5s. If it means genuinely better noise cancelling, we’re in for something exciting this time. Plus, there’s a new six-mic AI beamforming system for calls. It should mean you’ll actually sound like a human being and not a muffled ghost on Zoom. There’s also still a headphone jack present. No word yet on battery life improvements or other niceties, but Sony’s track record suggests we’ll see some polish.
The WH-1000XM6 will launch officially on 15 May. Thanks to the leak, we can expect pricing to start at $450 in the US (a $50 bump), and €388 in Europe. Expect them to be available to buy immediately after the launch.