Sony WF-1000XM5 leaks hint towards refreshed design, faster charging

Sony WF-1000XM5 Rumors 2023 Specifications Launch Date
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Sony’s flagship pair of wireless earbuds, the WF-1000XM4, has been on the market for two years. And it looks like the company is finally ready to unveil its successor, the WF-1000XM5. Let’s take a look at the rumored specifications, as well as the expected price and availability of the upcoming Sony WF-1000XM5.

Sony WF-1000XM5 Rumors Overview:

Compact design

These earbuds were recently discovered in the FCC database. Photos from the database revealed that the WF-1000XM5 will be more compact than its predecessor. This is a big relief because Sony’s flagship earbuds have always been quite bulky, even though the WF-1000XM4 was quite slimmer compared to the WF-1000XM3.

Sony WF 1000XM5 Case
Image: The Walkman Blog

The case will be made of matte plastic (presumably from recycled materials), and Sony will use two pins instead of three to charge the earbuds inside the case. We can see also two holes on the left earbud of Sony WF-1000XM5, one of which is expected to be the microphone. But its exact type is unknown for now; it could be either a feedforward (for ANC) or a voice microphone.

According to the FCC listing, a touch panel integrated with the Bluetooth antenna will also be present on the exterior surface. Likewise, its exterior surface design could be similar to the Sony LinkBuds S.

Sony WF 1000XM5 Left Earbud
Image: The Walkman Blog

Fast charging

We can also expect fast charging this time around because the case has a 5V 230mAh rating, which is higher than the 5V 140mAh on the XM4. Wireless charging will also be available on the Sony WF-1000XM5. And a subtle design change we can see is that Sony has moved the LED lighting from the inside of the case to the front.

What else?

The certification also included some case teardown photos, primarily of the main PCB. We can see that the wireless charging standard will be Qi again. And unlike the WF-1000XM4, its battery will be soldered to the PCB (printed circuit board). But the wireless charging coil won’t be soldered.

Sony WF 1000XM5 Teardown
Image: The Walkman Blog

Finally, there appears to be a button to the right of the USB-C port, similar to the one found on the LinkBuds S. This button is used for initial setup, pairing, and resetting.

Sony WF-1000XM5 Price and Availability:

These flagship earbuds from Sony are expected to go official later this year. Considering its predecessor went for USD 280 at launch, we expect the Sony WF-1000XM5 to cost somewhere under USD 300 as well.