Sony WF-1000X vs Sony WF-1000XM6

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WF-1000X compared with WF-1000XM6

	SonyWF-1000X	SonyWF-1000XM6
Overview
Released
Released	September 2017	February 2026
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
Driver size
Driver size	6 mm	8.4 mm
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3
Chip
Chip	–	QN3e
Drivers
Drivers	Closed dynamic 6 mm drivers with CCAW voice coils and neodymium magnets	Newly developed 8.4 mm driver unit; the diaphragm pairs a lightweight, rigid dome with a soft, notched edge
Chip
Chip	–	HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3e and Integrated Processor V2 (32-bit processing)
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Active noise cancelling and Ambient Sound Mode with normal or voice settings; Adaptive Sound Control changes modes according to the paired phone's movement sensors	Four noise-cancelling microphones per earbud (three on the WF-1000XM5); Adaptive NC Optimizer adjusts to fit, ear shape and surroundings; Sony claims 25% more noise reduction than the WF-1000XM5; Ambient Sound Mode, Quick Attention Mode, Speak-to-Chat and Adaptive Sound Control
Audio features
Audio features	Sony Headphones Connect provides sound-quality/connection-priority settings and equaliser presets; the launch maker page dates equaliser support to a later October 2017 app update	LDAC up to 990 kbps (Hi-Res Audio Wireless); DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio; spatial sound with head tracking on Android devices that support it; 10-band EQ; BGM effect; LE Audio (LC3) low-latency mode
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 3 hours	Up to 8 hours
With the case
With the case	Up to 9 hours	Up to 24 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	–	Yes
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	AAC playback up to three hours with noise cancelling, Ambient Sound Mode or both off; SBC up to two hours with noise cancelling or ambient sound, or 2.5 hours off. Maker press release states nine hours total with two case recharges. Standby figures of eight or 35 hours are not playback life.	Up to 12 hours with noise cancelling off (AAC or SBC); with LDAC, 5 hours with noise cancelling on or 8 hours off; with LC3, 7 hours on or 11 hours off; 24 hours in total with noise cancelling on (8 from the earbuds, 16 from the case); talk time up to 5 hours (5.5 hours with noise cancelling off)
Charging case
Charging case	Micro-USB charging; earbuds approximately 1.5 hours, charging case approximately three hours for a full charge according to the Japanese maker specifications; NFC pairing built into the case	USB-C and Qi wireless charging; about 2 hours to fully charge the case and earbuds, 1.5 hours for the earbuds alone
Fast charging
Fast charging	Maker help guide states approximately 70 minutes playback after 15 minutes charging; TechRadar's 75-minute claim is not substituted	5 minutes of charging gives about 1 hour of playback
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	6.8 g	6.5 g (better)
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	–	IPX4
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.1	5.3
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	–	Yes
Controls
Controls	Left button controls power, pairing and sound modes; right button controls playback, tracks, calls and voice-assistant activation; no earbud volume adjustment	Touch sensor on each earbud, reassignable in the app (by default the left switches noise cancelling and Ambient Sound Mode, opens Quick Access, lowers the volume and holds for Quick Attention Mode; the right plays and pauses, skips tracks, raises the volume and holds for the voice assistant); nod or shake your head to answer or reject calls; IR sensors pause music when an earbud is taken out
Microphones
Microphones	Omnidirectional electret-condenser microphone; hands-free calls use the left unit and call audio is heard from the left only	Four microphones per earbud for noise cancelling; two microphones and a bone-conduction sensor per earbud for calls, with AI beamforming and AI noise reduction
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Long Hybrid silicone tips in SS, S, M and L; Triple-comfort tips in S, M and L; fitting supporters in M and L	Noise Isolation Earbud Tips in four sizes (XS, S, M, L); earbud body about 11% slimmer than the WF-1000XM5; a ventilation structure reduces the sound of footsteps and chewing
Case weight
Case weight	Approximately 70 g; maker earbud weight is approximately 6.8 g each	About 47 g
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	Maker manual states the headset is not waterproof; no IP rating published	IPX4 (IEC 60529) for the earbuds; the charging case is not water resistant
Works with
Works with	Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP; remembers up to eight paired devices, but the manual states music plays from one paired device at a time. Sony warns that Bluetooth playback can lag video or games. Maker US availability was September 2017; Japanese first sale was 7 October 2017. Sony announced a connection-stability update on 30 November 2017 to reduce audio interruptions; review observations are retained without asserting that every dropout was resolved	Sound Connect app for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices; LE Audio with compatible devices; hands-free Gemini with compatible Android phones
Colours
Colours	Black or Champagne Gold	Black, Platinum Silver
In the box
In the box	Earbuds, charging case, approximately 50 cm Micro-USB cable, silicone and Triple-comfort tips, fitting supporters and documentation	Earbuds, charging case, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C), Noise Isolation Earbud Tips in XS, S, M and L (M fitted), documents