NEWS – Sony is bringing their “A” game with their new WF-1000XM3 headphones. Fully wireless, the earbud style headphones are fully wireless, provide long battery life and my holy grail for headphones – noise cancellation.
With dual microphones on each earbud, the headphones pick up noise in both the forward and backward directions along with Sony’s new QN1e noise canceling processor, Sony claims that these buds provide superior noise cancellation.
Each bud has a 0.24″ driver to deliver outstanding sound. Sony then adds their Digital Sound Enhancement Engine HX (DSEE HX™) software that upscales compressed digital music files to bring them closer to the quality of High-Resolution Audio.
Sony has also upgraded its Bluetooth processing to provide a more stable connection. The previous model received the signal in one bud and relayed to the other. In the upgraded model, both buds receive the transmission simultaneously. An improved antenna also adds to Bluetooth reception and stability.
The buds are designed to fit comfortably all day. The three-point contact design combined with high-friction rubber tips should hold the buds securely and comfortably through daily activity.
All-day comfort is a great thing as the battery life is claimed to be six full hours with noise cancellation on and eight hours without noise cancellation. The battery case is good for three additional charges. A ten-minute quick charge will deliver up to 90 minutes of play time.
Sony also added a smart sensing engine. Placing a finger over the bud immediately lowers volume and allows ambient sound in, allowing for conversation without removing an earbud.
The sense engine also allows for dynamic sound customization based on your current activities, like traveling, where you want to get lost in your tunes, or waiting, where you want to hear announcements.
The headphones are compatible with Google Assistant, offer hands-free calling, and additional touch controls. You can read more about all the features and specs at Sony.
The headphones are expected to ship in August and are available for pre-order for $229.99 at select Sony retailers, like Amazon.
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I’m really looking forward to some impressions of these. I’ve been switching between Ety ER3XRs and Bose QC35ii while on flights and I’d really like a nice set of truly wireless earbuds to replace both. Spec wise they sound to be a great solution, but the omission of APTX and LDAC is a letdown. I’m assuming the battery life or total available wireless bandwidth for two independent connections are the limiting factors here.
I’m very interested on acquiring a true wireless ANC earbuds, I’ll be on the lookout of a review of these ones.
Thank-you for this review. What are your thoughts on sleeping with these on? Are they comfortable enough?
Thanks, Neil
Neil – a clarification. If you check the first word of the article, it says “NEWS”, not “REVIEW”. That’s how The Gadgeteer identifies the type of article it is. This was a news item and more of an announcement, not an actual review. I have not personally seen these as they are currently pre-release. Sorry for the confusion.
Having said that, looking at the design, I don’t think they are meant to sleep in.
Regards,
Garry