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Sony WH-1000XM6 · SONY — official company press photograph; 1_WH-1000XM6_standard_black_HERO.jpg

Sony WH-1000XM6
Photo 1 of 54

Sony WH-1000XM6 · SONY — official company press photograph; 1_WH-1000XM6_standard_black_HERO.jpg

Sony · WH headphones

WH-1000XM6

Released May 2025

The WH-1000XM6 are Sony's flagship noise-cancelling over-ear headphones, suited to commuters and travellers who want strong noise cancelling, LDAC and a design that folds for travel.

Model history · 6 models, 2016–2025
  1. 2016MDR-1000XCompare
  2. 2017WH-1000XM2Compare
  3. 2018WH-1000XM3Compare
  4. 2020WH-1000XM4Compare
  5. 2022WH-1000XM5Compare
  6. 2025WH-1000XM6
Type
Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Yes
Battery
30 h
With case
–
Best codec
LC3
Weight
254 g

What reviewers say

Reviewers agree the noise cancelling and call quality are among the best available, with detailed sound and a more practical folding design than the WH-1000XM5. The common complaints are the higher price and the lack of water resistance; TechRadar found battery life unremarkable, SoundGuys missed USB audio, and What Hi-Fi? notes a firmer clamp than before.

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

Specifications

Report a wrong or missing spec

Sound

Type
Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Yes
Transparency mode
Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Yes
Driver size
30 mm
Bluetooth codecs
SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3
Lossless over USB-C
No
Chip
QN3
Drivers
30 mm driver unit with a high-rigidity carbon fibre composite dome and neodymium magnet; 4 Hz to 40,000 Hz (wired, switched on); sensitivity 103 dB/mW switched on, 102 dB/mW switched off; impedance 48 Ω switched on, 16 Ω switched off (1 kHz)
Chip
HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3 (Sony says seven times faster than the WH-1000XM5's) and Integrated Processor V2
Noise cancelling detail
Twelve microphones for noise cancelling; Adaptive NC Optimizer tunes noise cancelling to the fit, surroundings and air pressure; Ambient Sound Mode with Auto Ambient Sound; Quick Attention Mode; Speak-to-Chat; Adaptive Sound Control
Audio features
LDAC up to 990 kbps (Hi-Res Audio Wireless); Hi-Res Audio over the headphone cable; DSEE Extreme upscaling; 10-band EQ and Game EQ; 360 Reality Audio; 360 Upmix for Cinema; spatial sound with head tracking; BGM effect; LE Audio with a low-latency mode and Auracast broadcast audio

Battery

Listening time (maker's claim)
Up to 30 hours
Battery life detail
Up to 40 hours with noise cancelling off (AAC, SBC or LC3); with LDAC, 26 hours with noise cancelling on or 36 hours off; talk time up to 24 hours (28 hours with noise cancelling off); up to 28 hours on the headphone cable with noise cancelling on (38 hours off); can be used while charging
Fast charging
3 minutes gives about 3 hours of playback with a USB PD adaptor (9 V/2.3 A or more), or about 1 hour with a 5 V/1.5 A adaptor; full charge in about 3.5 hours

Design

Weight
254 g
Bluetooth
5.3
Two devices at once
Yes
Headphone cable
Yes
Controls
Touch sensor control panel (double-tap to play, pause or answer calls; swipe forwards or backwards to skip; swipe up or down for volume; hold for the voice assistant; cover with your hand for Quick Attention Mode); power and NC/AMB buttons on the left unit (double-press NC/AMB to mute the microphones during calls, once enabled in the app); nod or shake your head to answer or reject calls; proximity sensor pauses music when the headphones are taken off and switches them off after 15 minutes
Microphones
Twelve microphones for noise cancelling; six-microphone AI-based beamforming for calls; MEMS, omnidirectional
Fit and ear tips
Closed, over-ear; wider soft-fit headband in synthetic leather; stretchable earpads; folds flat and folds up to fit the supplied carrying case, which has a magnetic closure
Water resistance detail
No water resistance rating; Sony says the headphones are not waterproof
Works with
Sony | Sound Connect app for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices; LE Audio and Auracast with compatible devices; the headphone cable also works with the headphones switched off, without noise cancelling
Colours
Black, Platinum Silver, Midnight Blue, Sand Pink, Sandstone (Sony US; colours vary by region)
In the box
Headphones, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C), headphone cable (about 1.2 m, gold-plated L-shaped stereo mini plug), carrying case, documents

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Up to 30 hours per charge with noise cancelling on (40 hours with it off)
  • LDAC and LE Audio (LC3) with Auracast, plus multipoint and a 3.5 mm cable input
  • 3 minutes of charging with a USB PD adaptor gives about 3 hours of playback

Cons

  • No audio over USB-C; the port is for charging only
  • Not water resistant, with no IP rating
  • Battery life falls to 26 hours with noise cancelling on when using LDAC

Closest rivals

Model
TypeNoise cancellingBatteryWith caseBest codecWeightReleased
BoseQuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen)
Over-earYes30 h–aptX Adaptive264 gSept 2025
Bowers & WilkinsPx7 S3
Over-earYes30 h–aptX Lossless300 gApr 2025
Bowers & WilkinsPx8 S2
Over-earYes30 h–aptX Lossless310 gSept 2025

Previous model: WH-1000XM5.

Sources

  1. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001863304.html
  2. sony.jp/headphone/products/WH-1000XM6/spec.html
  3. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001856818.html
  4. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001856790.html
  5. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001856811.html
  6. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001856824.html
  7. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001856813.html
  8. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001867598.html
  9. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001861255.html
  10. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001856793.html
  11. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001856857.html
  12. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001863603.html
  13. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001856898.html
  14. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1001864822.html
  15. helpguide.sony.net/mdr/2984/v1/en/contents/TP1002013437.html
  16. prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-introduces-the-best-noise-cancellation-with-t…
  17. prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-electronics-launches-wf-1000xm6-truly-wireles…
  18. prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-electronics-unveils-1000x-the-collexion-where…

Photo: SONY — official company press photograph; 1_WH-1000XM6_standard_black_HERO.jpg

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