Sony’s WH-1000XM5 noise-cancelling headphones could feature a new design

Since their release in 2020, Sony’s WH-1000XM4 have consistently been among the best Bluetooth headphones you can buy thanks to their long-lasting battery and excellent noise cancelling capabilities. It now looks like the company has a substantial upgrade planned. In a leak spotted by Gizmodo, German-language publication TechnikNews shared details on what to expect from the WH-1000XM5.

According to the outlet, Sony’s next flagship noise cancelling headphones will feature up to 40 hours of battery life. If accurate, that would be a significant improvement from the already impressive 30 hours you can get on a single charge from the XM4. Charging the new model to full via USB-C will reportedly take approximately three-and-a-half hours, or about 30 minutes longer than the XM4. The new model is also said to feature an additional processing chip for ANC and a new set of drivers.

But as you can see from the renders TechnikNews shared, the most notable difference between the WH-1000XM4 and its alleged successor is an entirely new design. It looks like the XM5 won’t fold in like Sony’s current flagship Bluetooth headphones but the tradeoff it appears is that they’ll feature more padding on the earcups and a lighter band. …read more