Apple AirPods Pro 2 vs Sony WF-1000XM5

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AirPods Pro 2 compared with WF-1000XM5

	AppleAirPods Pro 2	SonyWF-1000XM5
Overview
Released
Released	September 2023	July 2023
Sound
Type
Type	In-ear	In-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	Yes	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	–	8.4 mm
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	–
Chip
Chip	H2	QN2e
Drivers
Drivers	Custom high-excursion Apple driver and custom high dynamic range amplifier	8.4 mm Dynamic Driver X
Chip
Chip	H2 in each AirPod; U1 chip in the MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C)	HD Noise Canceling Processor QN2e and Integrated Processor V2
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Up to 2x more Active Noise Cancellation than AirPods Pro (1st generation) and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation; Adaptive Audio, Transparency mode and Conversation Awareness	Three noise-cancelling microphones per earbud (dual feedback and feedforward, six in total); Noise Isolation Earbud Tips for passive isolation; Ambient Sound Mode with adjustable level; Quick Attention Mode; Speak-to-Chat
Audio features
Audio features	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Personalised Volume; Voice Isolation; Live Translation (with iOS 26 and an Apple Intelligence iPhone); lossless audio when paired with Apple Vision Pro	LDAC up to 990 kbps (Hi-Res Audio Wireless); DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio, with head tracking on supported Android 13 phones; LE Audio (LC3)
Hearing health
Hearing health	Hearing Test, Hearing Aid and Loud Sound Reduction in the UK; active Hearing Protection is available only in selected regions, not the UK	–
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 6 hours	Up to 8 hours
With the case
With the case	Up to 30 hours	Up to 24 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Yes	Yes
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 5.5 hours with Spatial Audio and head tracking on; up to 4 hours of Lossless Audio listening with Apple Vision Pro	Up to 12 hours with noise cancelling off (AAC or SBC), 36 hours with the case; with LDAC, 5 hours with noise cancelling on or 8 hours off; with LC3, 7 hours on or 11 hours off; talk time up to 6 hours (7 hours with noise cancelling off)
Charging case
Charging case	MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker for Find My and lanyard loop; charges with MagSafe, Apple Watch or Qi-certified chargers or a USB-C cable	USB-C and Qi wireless charging; Xperia phones with battery sharing can charge it; about 2 hours to fully charge the case and earbuds, 1.5 hours for the earbuds alone
Fast charging
Fast charging	5 minutes in the case gives around 1 hour of listening	3 minutes of charging gives about 1 hour of playback
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	5.3 g (better)	5.9 g
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	IP54	IPX4
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.3	5.3
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	–	Yes
Controls
Controls	Touch control on the stems (press to play, pause, answer calls and skip; press and hold to switch listening modes; swipe up or down for volume); “Hey Siri” or just “Siri”; Siri Interactions	Touch sensor on each earbud, reassignable in the app (by default the left switches noise cancelling and Ambient Sound Mode and holds for Quick Attention Mode; the right plays and pauses, skips tracks and holds for the voice assistant; tap four or more times for volume); nod or shake your head to answer or reject calls; IR sensors pause music when an earbud is taken out and switch the earbuds off after about 15 minutes
Microphones
Microphones	Dual beamforming microphones and an inward-facing microphone; speech-detecting accelerometer	Three microphones per earbud for noise cancelling; bone-conduction sensor and AI-based noise reduction for calls; wind noise reduction structure
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Silicone ear tips in four sizes (XS, S, M, L)	Noise Isolation Earbud Tips (polyurethane foam) in four sizes (SS, S, M, L); Sony says the earbuds are about 25% smaller and 20% lighter than the WF-1000XM4; either earbud can be used on its own
Case weight
Case weight	50.8 g	About 39 g
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	IP54 (IEC 60529) for the AirPods Pro and charging case	IPX4 (IEC 60529) for the earbuds; the charging case is not water resistant
Works with
Works with	Full features with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro on the latest software; works as Bluetooth headphones with other devices, with limited features	Sony | Sound Connect app (formerly Headphones Connect) for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices; LE Audio with compatible devices; Google Fast Pair; Microsoft Swift Pair
Colours
Colours	White	Black, Platinum Silver, Smoky Pink
In the box
In the box	AirPods Pro 2, MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker and lanyard loop, silicone ear tips (XS, S, M, L), USB-C Charge Cable, documentation	Earbuds, charging case, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C, about 20 cm), Noise Isolation Earbud Tips in SS, S, M and L (M fitted), documents