Sony WF-1000XM3 vs Sony WF-1000XM6

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WF-1000XM3 compared with WF-1000XM6

	SonyWF-1000XM3	SonyWF-1000XM6
Overview
Released
Released	July 2019	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	HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1e	QN3e
Drivers
Drivers	6 mm dome drivers with CCAW voice coils and neodymium magnets; Bluetooth frequency response 20 Hz–20 kHz at 44.1 kHz sampling	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	Dual Noise Sensor technology with feedforward and feedback microphones; Ambient Sound Mode, Quick Attention and Adaptive Sound Control	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	QN1e combines 24-bit processing, a DAC and amplifier; DSEE HX upscales compressed audio, with a battery-life cost	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 6 hours	Up to 8 hours
With the case
With the case	Up to 24 hours	Up to 24 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	–	Yes
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	With DSEE HX off, AAC playback is up to 6 hours with noise cancelling or 8 hours off; SBC is 5.5 hours on or 7.5 hours off. DSEE HX AUTO with noise cancelling is up to 3 hours. The maker claims 24 hours total with the case with noise cancelling, or 32 hours off.	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	USB-C charging; approximately 1.5 hours for the earbuds and 3.5 hours for 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	10 minutes gives about 90 minutes of playback	5 minutes of charging gives about 1 hour of playback
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	8.5 g	6.5 g (better)
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	–	IPX4
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.3
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	No	Yes
Controls
Controls	Touch panels for playback, calls and sound modes; app-configurable functions; wear detection pauses and resumes music; holding the left panel activates Quick Attention	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	Dual noise-sensing microphones also used for calls	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	Tri-hold structure with high-friction rubber; Long Hybrid silicone tips in SS, S, M and L, plus Triple-comfort tips in S, 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 77 g	About 47 g
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	The manual states that the unit is not waterproof	IPX4 (IEC 60529) for the earbuds; the charging case is not water resistant
Works with
Works with	Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP; NFC pairing through the case; one connected device at a time, without multipoint; the two earbuds receive audio simultaneously and either can be used alone	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, Platinum Silver	Black, Platinum Silver
In the box
In the box	Earbuds, charging case, four sizes of Long Hybrid silicone tips, three sizes of Triple-comfort tips, approximately 20 cm USB-A to USB-C cable	Earbuds, charging case, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C), Noise Isolation Earbud Tips in XS, S, M and L (M fitted), documents