Sony WF-1000XM5 leak reveals the earbuds will be smaller than their predecessors

16 March 2023
They've gotten certified by the FCC, so the launch could happen very soon.

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XM3 had a terrible design. Falling from my ears all the time. Though has a very good sound and ANC. XM4 changed its design but still bulky and kept falling from my ears. True disappointmet.
XM5 I guess it won't improve this issue.
On the other hand, Seinheiser Momentum 3 is bulky but it's very comfortable, stays in my ears and has a incredible sound. One of the best earphones I have.

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    • Anonymous
    • xq5
    • 19 Mar 2023

    Dawau, 19 Mar 2023Well, that's a totally different market you are talkin... moreIt is good to have both. You won't regret.

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      • Dawau
      • mDq
      • 19 Mar 2023

      Anonymous, 16 Mar 2023Try some decent in ear monitors and you will be amazed. But... moreWell, that's a totally different market you are talking about. I own some nice IEMs and I'm still looking to buy TWS for sports/commuting.

        Alpha, 16 Mar 2023Sony's prices are delusional? ok for arguments sake le... moreI could never buy into the Apple ecosystem. It seems to have some serious surveillance issues and privacy seems suspect.

        Also, Apple has created a cult following. If they didn't change their phones for 5 generations, users would still buy them. I can't comment on such customers.

        Sony is the leader in mirrorless cameras. It's price advantage is one of the reasons for this. Apart from the image quality. Sony should slowly take a larger share of the smartphone market. And then increase prices.
        But, I feel Sony doesn't want to sell more smartphones. It's almost like a testing ground for it's Imaging Sensors, it's Displays, it's Cinema lineups Interface and Feature set etc. If Sony wanted, it could be the 1st Smartphones maker with an image sensor truly comparable to APS-C in detail and noise, instead of glorified image sensors that have really poor image quality, when viewed on screens larger than 18 inches.

          I wonder when Sony is going to launch the successor of the WI 1000XM2. I really wanted a version of that with a little bit of ingress protection and dual device connectivity. Seems impossible now. Don't want to buy a TWS.

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            • Anonymous
            • xq5
            • 16 Mar 2023

            David, 16 Mar 2023Don’t think I will ever buy wireless earphones. Just by add... moreTry some decent in ear monitors and you will be amazed. But if you talk about basic wired earphones no way they can beat some great tws earbuds.

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              • Anonymous
              • xq5
              • 16 Mar 2023

              Anonymous, 16 Mar 2023Most likely won’t beat Apple AirPods Pro 2Even a decent Soundcore can beat Apple. For music Apple is a joke.

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                • zsk
                • my9
                • 16 Mar 2023

                If you are trying to listen to hires audio, there are already a few limitations - codec, distance from device and power. The codec has limitations as it has to transmit data quickly so it compresses information, there are some using propietary codec like LDAC but that doesn't have support across all devices. The cost to get all the right codec support is already high. To avoid sound breaking you need to be really close to the device, not to mention when on a tube, underground or in public areas with lots of people around. You then need to power the drivers and offer "good" battery life. Majority of people do not care too much of sound quality, as long as it is seamless (no breakage in connectivity) with ok sound quality and good battery life. Larger driver config or multi driver config consume battery faster which is why we don't see much innovation here. It is more convenient to grab a wired iem for sq. The newer ANC will eat more battery if they trickle down tech from the XM5 already. Now it's choice between majority (battery) vs minority (sound quality). If you look at the design, they are more concerned with reducing overall size (to make device smaller) than improve sound quality. It's following the introduction of the Nothing earbuds which are super light and convenient, the new model is launching and already seizing market share from existing players.

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                  • LucasN82
                  • 8j%
                  • 16 Mar 2023

                  Anonymous, 16 Mar 2023Sony makes average quality products with much higher priceYes I heard that 1000 times when I bought in 2009 Walkman NWZ-X1050, and after 14 years it works like new, and battery holds about ~20h (new one 24h) - at now it plays music with Yamaha Ampli every day. PS3 15 years, XZ3 4 years.

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                    • Anonymous
                    • tDQ
                    • 16 Mar 2023

                    Alpha, 16 Mar 2023Sony's prices are delusional? ok for arguments sake le... moreSony makes average quality products with much higher price

                      Well, first of all, it's a shame that instead of making them a little bigger, I wouldn't mind at all if they switched from a 6mm neodymium driver to an 8mm beryllium driver, it's a shame that the downsizing in this case reduces the quality....I understand that people who listen to podcasts in 128kb/s or 256kb/s mp3 doesn't matter, but most people who have rqdo music will be little disappointed but ok let's surprise us

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                        • Buggi
                        • gGV
                        • 16 Mar 2023

                        David, 16 Mar 2023Don’t think I will ever buy wireless earphones. Just by add... moreAnd lose 90% of convenience...

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                          • Alpha
                          • 80i
                          • 16 Mar 2023

                          Anonymous, 16 Mar 2023Most likely won’t beat Apple AirPods Pro 2Most likely nobody cares...

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                            • Alpha
                            • 80i
                            • 16 Mar 2023

                            TheLastOracle, 16 Mar 2023Sony makes some great products across so many different gro... moreSony's prices are delusional? ok for arguments sake lets say I agree, are you saying Apple's prices are justified considering they make the same product year after year with minimal changes..

                              I hope they can beat sennheiser mtw3...

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                                • Kev
                                • CcS
                                • 16 Mar 2023

                                David, 16 Mar 2023Don’t think I will ever buy wireless earphones. Just by add... moreI agree with you. However, don't underestimate the 200+ USD market of TWS. Yes, some still are pretty bad, such as Bowers & Wilkins. However, Sony, Samsung, and Apple all are making great sounding buds that are also true wireless and offer competitive ANC.

                                I have high hopes for the XM5s. And I'm especially excited to see how much improvement they've made in the ANC department.

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                                  • Anonymous
                                  • 8N3
                                  • 16 Mar 2023

                                  TheLastOracle, 16 Mar 2023Sony makes some great products across so many different gro... moreXperia is sold for 20% less than iphones in Europe/Asia.
                                  Do you want them to be sold at half when they cost more to be made?

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                                    • Luxor
                                    • xjH
                                    • 16 Mar 2023

                                    Nothing amazing really. Just smaller. I prefer sizeable earbuds that last long.

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                                      • David
                                      • 3HZ
                                      • 16 Mar 2023

                                      Don’t think I will ever buy wireless earphones. Just by adding a cord you get unbeatable sound quality and cut half the price!

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                                        • Tech
                                        • KZK
                                        • 16 Mar 2023

                                        Good time