The WH-1000XM5 has a lot of bells and whistles, but Sony still gets the basics right. Despite a few flaws, the WH-1000XM5 is an ambitious set of headphones. These cans, for example, target a few features that have proven popular on other headsets, such as Find My Device support via Android and Fast Pair.
Sony WH-1000XM5: Price
With the current market conditions, we’ve seen quite a few price increases across the industry. The Sony WH-1000XM5 hasn’t escaped a slight increase, coming in at £380 / $399 / AU$549.
Design
The Sony WH-1000XM5 has undergone significant design changes. Sony refers to the new look as a “noiseless design”. The company has attempted to create a slimmer, more seamless pair of headphones by reworking areas that can contribute to wind noise.
The cavity for your ears is also a slightly different shape, a squat ovoid rather than the oval of the WH-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM4. Though we haven’t put them through their paces, the slide-out extension points feel sturdier than previous designs, with fewer pressure points that could snap away. A common complaint about well-used previous models.
First and foremost, the curvier design is intended to reduce wind drag across the headphones. Which can cause annoying distortion in noise-canceling performance when out and about on a windy day.
A more aerodynamic design here should help reduce that effect. While we haven’t run head-on into the path of a hurricane, that claim held up on a breezy London day exploring Greenwich Park.
Also Read: Sony WH-1000XM4: Price, Design, and Much More
Noise Cancellation
Sony’s noise-canceling technology has consistently wowed us in recent years, and the WH-1000XM5 claims to be the best in the business. After focusing on low-frequency noise cancellation in previous models. Sony has attempted to improve noise cancellation further up the frequency range in the XM5.
The XM5s are excellent at blocking everything from traffic noise to trains, replacing it with a soothing blanket of silence. There isn’t anything better. The ANC is joined by an Ambient mode, which amplifies outside sound. Allowing you to hold conversations while wearing headphones or hear your surroundings when crossing the street.
Battery Life
There weren’t many areas where the Sony WH-1000XM5s could have outperformed their 1000XM4 predecessors, so many hoped that battery life would be one of them.
Sony claims a two-hour improvement over the WH-1000XM4s here, with 30 hours with noise canceling activated, matching the predecessor, and 40 hours with noise canceling switched off.
When charging via the USB-C input on the right earcup, the XM5 takes 3.5 hours to charge from ‘flat’ to full and can retain an hour’s worth of power after about 10 minutes.
However, unlike the product it replaces, the XM5 is USB-PD compatible. When charged in this manner, it can provide three hours of power in just three minutes.
