Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Headphones Reportedly Leak, Showing New Design

Image: Nils Ahrensmeier/TechnikNews

German technology news website TechnikNews recently shared what they believe are leaked renders of Sony’s upcoming WH-1000XM5 wireless, noise-cancelling headphones, provided to them by an unnamed “retail source” — reports Gizmodo.

The WH-1000XM5 will succeed Sony’s best-selling WH-1000XM4 and are arguably the most hotly anticipated noise-cancelling headphones of 2022. According to the leaks, the new headphones will feature a significant redesign, along with new drivers and even better battery life.

The renders showcase a more refined, sleeker design, with separate stems now connecting the headband to the earcups. Going by the leaks, the WH-1000XM5 will look more modern than its predecessor. The earcups also appear to have more padding, which would make the WH-1000XM5 even more comfortable than the already cushy WH-1000XM4.

The leak suggests a battery life of up to 40 hours for the WH-1000XM5 — that’s 10 more hours than its predecessor, and 20 more hours than Apple’s AirPods Max, which have historically been more expensive than Sony’s champion. The 1000XM5 will reportedly take 3.5 hours to fully recharge, which is only 30 minutes more than the 30-hour battery life 1000XM4.

The WH-1000XM5’s three microphones have supposedly been repositioned, and the CUSTOM button on the WH-1000XM4 has been replaced with an NC/AMB button to toggle between active noise cancellation and ambient modes.

In addition, the WH-1000XM5 headphones are also said to feature new drivers and two processors to power noise cancellation.

Sony is yet to confirm a release date for the WH-1000XM5 headphones, and the leaks don’t specify a concrete release timeline either. That said, the XM5 was spotted in FCC filings a few months ago, so we should see them launch soon.

In other news, Sony still has the worst naming scheme for its headphones in the industry.

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