Having only released the WF-1000XM5 in August 2023, the WF-1000XM6 are a long, long way ahead in the future. However, there are ways in which they’re not perfect, so here’s our wishlist for areas where we think they could use some improvement.
Perhaps Sony might even read this article and get some inspiration (as if they really need it from us).
There’s much we liked about the WF-1000XM5. They did win our Best True Wireless award and our Best Headphone award, so we did think they were spectacular. But spectacular can be improved on, and here are the ways we think the WF-1000XM6 could be better.
Better call quality
Let’s face it, the majority of true wireless earphones are not very good at handling calls. Perhaps in a blue moon you’ll find one that offers clarity but also good suppression. The Sony WF-1000XM5 are average at best.
What’s strange about them is that the noise-cancelling is very good, as long as you’re not speaking. As soon as you do, the earbuds let in all the sounds (wind, cars, people etc), so your voice is competing with everything around you.
The WF-1000XM5 use a combination of wind mesh structure, bone conduction, and an AI noise-cancelling algorithm. Maybe the WF-1000XM6 doesn’t have to adopt a completely new approach, but perhaps there are gains to be made from at least one, if not all of the above being tweaked and improved.
Better noise-cancellation
The WF-1000XM5 are one of the best for noise-cancellation. However, they are not, in our opinion, the best.
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II are the best noise-cancelling earbuds we’ve listened to, and while the WF-1000XM5 are not far away, they’re not better either. The cancelling sounds more natural but just fall shy of being as suppressive as the Bose model. It’s always the last few yards that are hardest, but Sony not only needs to match the QuietComfort Earbuds II, but it needs to move past them as well.
More colours, please
You can bet your bottom dollar that any headphone that goes on sale will come in at least a black or white colourway. It is predictable as it is boring.
Sony has been the main culprit for this with their flagship models, and our petition is for a little more personality, and a little more attraction.
The LinkBuds S come in a range of colours (including one in singer Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘signature colour’, so how about more than just a choice of black or white (sorry, platinum silver) for the next true wireless?
Originally posted 2023-12-20 11:00:00.