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The Sony WF-1000XM6 are expected to be the hottest wireless earbuds release of 2025, not least if the AirPods Pro 3 don’t show up until early 2026. The highly anticipated successors to Sony’s benchmark-setting WF-1000XM5, which top our best wireless earbuds buying guide, could well arrive within weeks, according to rumors and the model’s launch cycle history.

Naturally, they will have big shoes to fill, but if Sony’s flagship WF-1000XM earbuds line has nailed anything over the years, it’s consistency. Indeed, expectations are high.

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So what do we know so far about Sony’s next-gen flagships, when will they arrive, what will they cost, and what improvements do I want to see over the class-leading XM5?

Latest Sony WF-1000XM6 rumors

Recent import filing suggests WF-1000XM6 release date is nigh

Sony WF-1000XM6 price is expected to be between $300 and $330

The XM6 earbuds should adopt a very similar shape and size to the current-gen WF-1000XM5

When will the Sony WF-1000XM6 launch?

While Sony hasn’t yet confirmed the WF-1000XM6’s existence, the XM6’s release date is likely to be sometime this year, based on leaks and my own educated guess.

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There is a clear biennial release for this reference model, strongly suggesting that the XM6 will arrive in summer 2025 – likely in August or perhaps even September, given that June and July have already passed without them showing up.

How much will the Sony WF-1000XM6 cost?

The Sony WF-1000XM5 launched at $300, a price I expect Sony will stick with Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

I can also make a good educated guess at the WF-1000XM6’s launch price based on the RRP of the previous iterations. The XM5 were priced at $300, the XM4 at $280.

This puts them dead-center in the premium end of the market alongside their closest rivals, namely the Apple AirPods Pro 2 ($249), Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen ($299) and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4 ($299.95).

Despite a handful of pricier wireless earbuds having emerged in recent years, such as the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 ($399) and Master & Dynamic MW09 ($399), I can’t see Sony raising the price of its flagship line by much (perhaps a 10% increase to $330), if anything at all.

Sony recently introduced its flagship over-ear wireless headphones, the exceptional WH-1000XM6, for $449 – $50 more than the WH-1000XM5 debuted for in 2022 – so it isn’t shy of a price rise. But it will want the XM6’s price to compete with that of the rumored AirPods Pro 3, which are expected to keep the Pro 2’s $249 RRP.

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Sony WF-1000XM6: rumors so far

Aside from a probable 2025 release date, we are mostly in the dark when it comes to leaked information about the Sony WF-1000XM6.

That aforementioned filing from May (via The Walkman Blog) shows the size of the various molds used to produce parts of the XM6’s packaging, and from this we can deduce that Sony hasn’t made any crazy departures from the XM5’s size and shape. The XM6’s box is roughly 15mm shorter while being slightly wider and deeper, but the insert for the charging case remains similar.

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Aside from the size and shape of the XM6, then, leaks are thin on the ground. But that doesn’t stop us from curating our own wish list for the WF-1000XM6 based on the improvements we would like to see over the XM5…

Sony WF-1000XM6: what we want to see

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

It’s only natural to expect a jump in audio and noise-canceling performance from one generation of earbuds to the next, and indeed Sony has never been one to rest on its laurels in either department. But there are four changes to the design and features that, to my eyes and ears, would also help to make these the perfect premium wireless earbuds.

1. A more secure fit

Our expert found that when testing the WF-1000XM5 against other Sony earbuds, they did not “sit as securely as the XM4 or LinkBuds S… limit[ing] the appeal of the XM5 for running or gym use”. While the import filing suggests Sony is probably largely sticking to the same size and shape for its next-gen earbuds, that doesn’t mean it won’t have made design tweaks – either to the earbud structure or the supplied eartips, or both – to improve fit. Fingers crossed.

2. A more competitive battery life

When the XM5 launched, their battery life of eight hours in the earbuds (with ANC on) and 16 hours in the charging case, for a total 24-hour battery life, was highly competitive. It can still be considered very decent today, but some rivals have now surpassed those numbers. The juicepack of our favorite budget wireless earbuds, the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC, offers a 40-hour total, for example. With the XM6, I would like to see Sony hit at least a 30-hour total.

3. A better crack at spatial audio

Like the Bose QC Ultra 2nd Gen and AirPods Pro 2, the current XM5 support head-tracked spatial audio, allowing owners to enjoy an immersive ‘3D’ soundfield that adapts according to the position of their head. However, our reviewer found that its application was limited to certain apps and devices. He also noted that it is “not as smooth or convincing as Apple’s version of head-tracked spatial on the AirPods Pro Gen 2”. Needless to say, this is one area that I hope Sony focuses on for the XM6.

4. Improved volume control gestures

Changing the XM5’s volume on-bud means tapping one of the buds four times – the right earbud raises the volume, the left lowers it. Our expert reviewer found this gesture “excessive and kind of awkward” and didn’t appreciate the fact that it couldn’t be changed in the accompanying Sony Headphones app. Fewer taps or some sort of sliding motion gesture would be much more preferable.