Sony says its new WF-1000XM5 are “the best noise cancelling” earbuds

July 25, 2023

Sony WF-1000XM5 Price in Nepal 2023 Specifications Where to buy

Sony has finally launched the WF-1000XM5 wireless earbuds, which are the successor to 2021’s wildly popular WF-1000XM4. And these bring some significant upgrades over their predecessors all across the board. In this article, I will be discussing all the features, specifications, and expected price in Nepal of the Sony WF-1000XM5.

Sony WF-1000XM5 Overview:

Design

Compared to the XM4s, these new earbuds bear a much more compact design. Sony says the WF-1000XM5 is roughly 25% smaller and 20% lighter (5.9 gm < 7.3 gm), which should make a much more comfortable fit. Moreover, these earbuds have polyurethane foam material ear tips for better comfort and seal.

The charging case has been redesigned into a more compact piece too. Sony has replaced the wide LED battery indicator on the WF-1000XM4 with a subtle circular one instead. Whereas you now get a separate button at the back for initial pairing. Just like on Apple’s AirPods. You get two color options to choose from here: Silver and Black. The earbuds are also IPX4 water-resistant and have a USB-C port for charging.

Read our Sony WF-1000XM5 review

Audio

Sony WF-1000XM5 brings an entirely new 8.4mm Dynamic Driver X, for richer audio overall. It supports High-Res Audio Wireless via the LDAC codec plus Sony’s DSEE Extreme technology, enabling upscaling of compressed audio in real time. And the new V2 integrated processor and QN2e noise-canceling processor also enable precision 24-bit audio processing here. Other than this, it is also 360 Reality Audio certified for head-tracking function.

The earbuds come with three microphones per earbud. What’s even better is the bone conduction sensors to ensure precise voice pickup for clear calls even in noisy environments. Pair that with the AI-based Deep Neural Network (DNN) tech, Sony is promising its “best ever call quality” with the WF-1000XM5.

Battery and Charging

Even though Sony has shrunk down the physical size of the earbuds, the WF-1000XM5 is still rated to last up to 8 hours on a full charge with ANC on as its predecessor. Or 4 hours more with ANC off. It’s the same thing with the charging case as well, offering 24/36 hours of charge with ANC on/off. A quick 3-minute charge gets you an hour of playback, whereas a full charge takes 1.5 hours. It supports wired charging via the USB-C port and wireless charging as well.

Rest of the specs

These earbuds connect to devices via Bluetooth 5.3 and on Android devices, it supports Google Fast Pair too. Other than this, the WF-1000XM5 also brings true multipoint connectivity, allowing you to pair it with two devices at the same time. For playback control, activating ANC, answering calls, and more, there’s a touch panel on both earbuds.

Sony WF-1000XM5 Specifications:

Weight: 5.9 gm (each earbud), 39 gm (case)
Water Resistance: Yes (IPX4)
Color Options: Silver, black
Sound Driver: 8.4mm Dynamic Driver X
Frequency Response:
- 20 Hz – 20 kHz (44.1 kHz sampling)
- 20 Hz – 40 kHz (LDAC 96 kHz sampling 990 kbps)
Microphone: 3 microphones on each earbud
Audio Codecs: AAC, SBC, LDAC, LC3
Noise Cancellation: Yes (with Ambient Sound Mode, Quick Attention)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3
Companion App: Sony Headphone Connect (Android | iOS)
Control: Touch-sensitive area in each earbud
Sensors: Accelerometer, Bone conduction, Proximity
Battery Life: 8/12 hours continuous playback (ANC on/off)
Other Features: DSEE Extreme, 360 Reality Audio, Multipoint Connect, Speak-to-Chat

Sony WF-1000XM5 Price in Nepal and Availability

In the US, the Sony WF-1000XM5 retails at USD 300 (which is USD 20 more than its predecessor). We expect the Sony WF-1000XM5 price in Nepal to be NPR 50,000 if and when it launches here.