Sony WF-1000XM5
Sony's fifth-gen true wireless ANC earbuds. I changed to these after my AirPods died. Not disappointed.
| Maker | Sony |
|---|---|
| Model | WF-1000XM5 |
| Type | True wireless in-ear ANC earbuds (8.4 mm drivers, Bluetooth 5.3, LDAC, IPX4) |
Store
| Store | Price | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Sony SE | 2 990 kr | 2026-09-21 |
Specs
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.3 |
| Battery | 8 h with NC on, 24 h with the case |
Description
I switched to these after my AirPods Pro died, and I'm not disappointed.
I took a good look around before buying, because I really wanted something that would last a long time. My main problem with the AirPods was the battery, and the charging case that lasted super little. I've always loved the XM4, they're my favourite headphones, and I thought there wasn't a buds version of them. There is, and I could have bought it, but I ended up going for the XM5. I know the XM5 headphones aren't great, the reviews are all weird and they're a lot more expensive, but the buds version is fine.
They come with memory foam tips, and everything gets configured through Sony's Sound Connect app, which is also where the EQ lives.
Impressions
I like them. They're relatively big, a bit thick, so they feel a little odd in the ear, but they've never been a problem. The foam tips are really good, they seal the ear very well.
The good parts are easy to list. The noise cancelling is excellent, much better than the AirPods, they're much more comfortable than the AirPods, and they sound much better too.
The battery is good too, the buds and the case both last well. Even using them all day with noise cancelling on, I only have to charge them a few times a week.
The touch controls are a bit annoying. You tap the outside, once to pause, twice to skip and so on, but when you're putting them in or taking them out you end up brushing them, and the music pauses or jumps forward or back.
The thing that really bothers me is the connection. It drops all the time. These pair with several devices, and whenever another one shows up on Bluetooth, it just jumps over to it, even while you're using it on something else. I have two phones, a work one and a personal one, both paired, and the only way I can use them properly is with Bluetooth turned off on the work phone, otherwise they keep reconnecting to it. On top of that, anywhere with a bit more interference they get pretty bad. Phone in your pocket, turn your head to one side, and you lose the connection. You see this a lot in reviews. It isn't only this pair, every Sony headphone I've had does it, but here it's the most obvious.
The Sound Connect app is also very bad, and you have to do everything through it. The upside is that you can EQ the XM5 directly, but having to keep changing the EQ there gets annoying, so sometimes it's better to just do it in the music app.
Final thoughts
The connection problem is why I didn't give them a higher rating. Everything else about them is good.