Sony WF-1000XM5 review: Amazing TWS earbuds with ANC

There is hardly any player in the industry that can match Sony's WF-1000XM5 in terms of audio delivery and active noise cancellation capability.

Sony's WF-1000XM4 was an exceptional True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds in 2022. Now, the company has introduced its successor with a more sleek design and promises even better audio delivery and improved noise cancellation.

I used the WF-1000XM5 for more than a month and here are my thoughts on Sony's latest earphones.

Design and build quality

The WF-1000XM4 was a kind of bulky earbuds. But, the soft ear tips ensure a comfortable fit. Now, with the WF-1000XM5, the company has done a fine job of refining the design language and making it compact, curvaceous, and lightweight too

Each earbud weighs 5.9gm, 2gm less compared WF-1000XM5 (7.9gm). The quality of the silicone ear tips too, has improved a lot. It is soft and hangs on to the ears comfortably. But, anxiety remains when travelling a mass transit vehicles like metro or bus. Most importantly, while getting into or alighting from the crowded vehicle.

The earbuds come with medium-size silicone ear tips pre-fitted. In the retail box, there are two pairs of ear tips in large and small sizes.

As far as the build quality is concerned, it is made of solid materials. I have dropped more than a handful of times in the last one and a half months; there are no scratches as yet. Even the case was dropped a few times; the magnetic cap opens quite easily during accidental drops and the earbuds roll out on the floor. Fortunately, the case and the earbuds have managed to survive, and there are no cracks on the surface as such.

Even the colour too hasn't faded or stained so far. And, I hope to keep it that way. Also, it comes with IPX4 rating, meaning it can survive moderate rain shower and even sweat during a workout at the gym.

Sony WF-1000XM5.

Our review unit is platinum silver. It has a light grey colour scheme with gold engravings of the Sony brand.

And, the earbud too has the same colourway with matching grey silicone ear tips and a gold-hued mic on top. Sony also offers a black variant with a matching gold accent.

Sony WF-1000XM5 (black).

The touch sensors on the top are really sensitive and respond to taps instantly without any lag-ness. However, it has to be noted that first-time users need a little more time to get used to tapping gestures. After a few days, the muscle memory will take effect and one will be able to change controls with ease.

The case features an LED light, which is way smaller than the one on the 2022 series model. However, it is enough to visually inform the user of the battery level of the case effectively. The green light indicates there is sufficient battery capacity and the orange signal indicates it is low on juice and needs charging.

On the back, you will find the reset button and Type-C port for wired charging. The base of the case has a wireless charging coil. It supports Qi charging pads. The retail box comes with just the Type-C cable. The customer has to buy the wireless charger separately.

Sony WF-1000XM5.

User interface and performance

It is really simple to set up the WF-1000XM5. You just need to install the Sony Headphones Connect app and follow the on-screen instructions and it will barely take five minutes to complete the procedure.

As noted earlier, the earbuds support the tap gesture. It is very straightforward. Double tap on the left will get your call connected and do the same procedure to hang up. On the same side, you can control music too. With a single tap, you can pause or play the song.

With a double tap, you can skip to the next track. And with the triple tap, you can go back to the previous song. And, with repeat tapping, you can lower the volume.

Sony WF-1000XM5.

On the right side, users can customize as per their needs. You can make it switch between ambient and noise cancellation modes with tap gestures. On repeat tapping, you can raise the volume of the song.

And, with the sound settings on the Sony Headphones Connect app, users can customise audio delivery according to their taste. There are options such as Excited (clear bass: 8+), mellow (clear bass: -3), relaxed (clear bass: -9), vocal (clear bass: 0), treble boost (clear bass: 0), Bass boost (clear bass: +7), speech (clear bass: -10), Bright (clear bass: -1) and there is one manual option and two custom modes that let the user adjust the equalizer to personalize the audio output.

Sony has incorporated proprietary Integrated Processor V2, which comes paired with HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN2e and custom-designed driver unit Dynamic Driver X. The latter is 8.4mm in size, way bigger than in the predecessor (6mm).

Each earbud comes with three microphones, including dual feedback mics, which promise to improve low-frequency cancellation performance compared to the predecessor.

With real-time audio processing and high-performance mics, Sony WF-1000XM5 does a fine job in terms of delivering a delightful listening experience with deep bass, and clear vocals.

Sony WF-1000XM5.

Furthermore, the earbuds feature 360 Reality Audio, which takes the listening experience to the next level with 3D surround sound effect.

Sony's latest earphones also support proprietary Lossless Digital Audio Codec (LDAC) to deliver High-Resolution Audio Wirelessly without any discernible distortion. With Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) Extreme, it can upscale any average-quality music source in real time to deliver HD audio to the ears.

The interesting thing about the Sony WF-1000XM5 is that it boasts an AI-based noise reduction algorithm based on Deep Neutral Network (DNN) processing and in combination with bone conduction sensors, ensures audio is delivered crystal clear and naturally to the other side of the call.

It can pick up the owner's voice in any type of environment, be it outdoors with heavy traffic or in a busy restaurant; the WF-1000XM5 works amazingly well to deliver a pleasant noise-free phone call experience.

Even with the noisy engine of the bus and bustling city traffic with loud horns, I never had to raise my voice on the bus while answering phone calls. Sony earbuds were able to pick up my voice clearly and deliver it noise-free on the other side.

The noise cancellation feature of the WF-1000XM5 is the best I have seen in any of the TWS earbuds I have reviewed so far. It works like magic and completely blocks the outside noise. As noted above, it manages to silence the outside environment including the vehicle engine sound and horns during the rush hour. I had set the volume to just 25 per cent and had an amazing time listening to the music tracks of Sapthasagaradha Ache Ello: Side A (FYI, the film is absolutely good too; you can watch it on Amazon Prime Video).

Even with other genres of music and podcasts too, WF-1000XM5 excels in delivering exceptional audio delivery.

Sony WF-1000XM5.

It also supports Adaptive Sound Control and Speak-to-Chat, where in the earphones, if turned on, they will automatically pause the music and also turn on ambient mode, whenever the owner is speaking. This way, the user doesn't have to remove earbuds to speak to the person in front of them.

And, with a multiconnect feature, the WF-1000XM5 can be connected to two devices. This will come in handy when the user to watching a TV series on his iPad and then, receives a call on his/her iPhone, the earbuds automatically switch to the latter to let the user answer the call. It works on an Android phone and a tablet too.

If you happen to play Augmented Reality games such as Ingress from Niantic on your phone or other device. It supports head tracking to deliver the sound from different directions in sync perfectly with the action on the screen.

As far as the battery life is concerned, it can deliver 8 hours with active noise cancellation on. And with the case, it can go for 24 hours. Without ANC, it can go for 12 hours and up to 36 hours with the case.

During the testing period, I had to charge only once a week. It delivers as promised. On every working day, I spend close to two and half hours a day on the road to commute between home and the workplace.

The case also supports Qi wireless charging but is very slow compared to wired charging via type-C-based cable. With three minutes of charging, it can deliver 60 minutes of playtime.

Sony WF-1000XM5.

Final thoughts: It is worth every penny

Compared to the previous iteration, WF-1000XM5 is more compact, and design-wise too, the company has refined it to perfection. Once you wear it, you will forget it is on the ears and just enjoy the music.

I doubt any rival branded premium TWS earphones can match WF-1000XM5 in terms of audio delivery and active noise cancellation capability.

Sony WF-1000XM5 costs Rs 24,999, Rs 5,000 more than predecessor WF-1000XM4's launch price. But, it is worth the asking price.

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