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Sony WF-1000XM6 · Sony

Sony WF-1000XM6
Photo 1 of 42

Sony WF-1000XM6 · Sony

Sony · WF earbuds

WF-1000XM6

Released February 2026

The WF-1000XM6 are Sony's flagship noise-cancelling earbuds, suited to commuters and travellers who want strong noise cancelling, LDAC and a wireless charging case.

Model history · 4 models, 2019–2026
  1. 2019WF-1000XM3Compare
  2. 2021WF-1000XM4Compare
  3. 2023WF-1000XM5Compare
  4. 2026WF-1000XM6
Type
In-ear
Noise cancelling
Yes
Battery
8 h
With case
24 h
Best codec
LC3
Weight
6.5 g

What reviewers say

Reviewers agree the sound is the highlight, natural and detailed, with much better call quality than before. Noise cancelling divides them: What Hi-Fi? and GSMArena find it class-leading, TechRadar thinks rivals now do better. SoundGuys and TechRadar warn the larger buds may not suit smaller ears, and see a modest upgrade on the WF-1000XM5 for a higher price.

From whathifi.com, techradar.com, soundguys.com and gsmarena.com

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Sound

Type
In-ear
Noise cancelling
Yes
Transparency mode
Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Yes
Driver size
8.4 mm
Bluetooth codecs
SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3
Chip
QN3e
Drivers
Newly developed 8.4 mm driver unit; the diaphragm pairs a lightweight, rigid dome with a soft, notched edge
Chip
HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3e and Integrated Processor V2 (32-bit processing)
Noise cancelling detail
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
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)
Up to 8 hours
With the case
Up to 24 hours
Wireless charging
Yes
Battery life detail
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
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
5 minutes of charging gives about 1 hour of playback

Design

Weight (each earbud)
6.5 g
Water and sweat resistance
IPX4
Bluetooth
5.3
Two devices at once
Yes
Controls
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
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
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
About 47 g
Water resistance detail
IPX4 (IEC 60529) for the earbuds; the charging case is not water resistant
Works with
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
Black, Platinum Silver
In the box
Earbuds, charging case, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C), Noise Isolation Earbud Tips in XS, S, M and L (M fitted), documents

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Up to 8 hours per charge with noise cancelling on, 24 hours with the case
  • LDAC and LE Audio (LC3) support, plus multipoint
  • Qi wireless charging, and 5 minutes of charging gives about 1 hour of playback

Cons

  • IPX4 covers the earbuds only; the charging case isn't water resistant
  • Battery life falls to 5 hours per charge with noise cancelling on when using LDAC

Closest rivals

Model
TypeNoise cancellingBatteryWith caseBest codecWeightReleased
JBLLive Beam 4
In-earYes10 h48 hLDAC4.85 gMay 2026
SamsungGalaxy Buds4 Pro
In-earYes6 h26 hSamsung Seamless Codec5.1 gMar 2026
SennheiserMOMENTUM True Wireless 5
In-earYes6 h–aptX Lossless7 gSept 2026

Previous model: WF-1000XM5.

Sources

  1. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F066_Specifications.html
  2. sony.jp/headphone/products/WF-1000XM6/spec.html
  3. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F017_Available_operating_time.html
  4. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F055_Supported_codecs.html
  5. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F004_Included_items.html
  6. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F016_Charging.html
  7. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F060_When_the_headset_units_or_charg…
  8. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F008_Location_and_function_of_parts.…
  9. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F013_About_the_touch_sensor.html
  10. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F010_Wearing_the_headset.html
  11. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F048_Functions_for_a_phone_call.html
  12. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F002_Using_the_Sound_Connect_app.html
  13. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2985/v1/en/contents/F034_Connecting_the_headset_to_2_dev…
  14. prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-electronics-launches-wf-1000xm6-truly-wireles…

Photo: Sony

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