Sony WF-1000XM5 Review: ANC, LDAC and Battery Life in 2026

The change from 7.3 g (XM4) to 5.9 g per earbud alters the initial perception less than the fit after two hours of wear. On thin ears or those with a shallow concha shape, the XM4 caused a pressure point sensation after 90 minutes. The XM5, more compact and slightly more rounded, distributes the support on the tragus better.

• Four sizes of silicone tips included, versus three on the XM4, which helps cover narrower ear canals.
• Absence of a stabilization fin offset by a redesigned external profile, which catches less on the concha but holds correctly during brisk walking.
• On the TGV Paris-Rennes route (approximately 2 h), no hot spot sensation reported by testers fitted with size M tips, versus slight discomfort after 100 minutes for smaller ear profiles with the XM4.

In remote work, during a 4 h session with brief removals, the lightness of the XM5 limits tragus fatigue, yet insertion depth remains greater than that of the Bose QC Earbuds II, which sit more superficially in the canal.

As measured by the editorial team, the frequency response of the WF-1000XM5 deviates from the Harman curve with a slight dip between 800 Hz and 2 kHz, which pushes back vocal presence, and a presence peak around 3.2 kHz that accentuates sibilance on certain female voices. Sub-bass remains present down to 30 Hz without marked roll-off, without being boosted as on bass-oriented models.

The Sound Position Control mode and the parametric equalizer in the Headphones Connect application partially correct this midrange dip, provided a custom preset is applied rather than the default presets, which are more bass-oriented. In LDAC at 990 kbit/s from an Android smartphone, definition on strings and end-of-track reverb improves markedly, yet Mute Zone measured repeated micro-dropouts in an open space saturated with 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks, a behavior that disappears when switching back to AAC, more stable yet slightly duller on the highs. The LC3 could only be tested in a limited configuration, due to the lack of a widely available LE Audio source in 2026.

On a dense metro line (continuous low-frequency noise around 90 to 100 dB SPL at peak), we measured an attenuation of approximately 37 dB below 200 Hz, consistent with measurements published by Sony. The adaptive ANC adjusts the level every few seconds without audible pumping on this type of stable noise, a point that distinguishes the XM5 from previous more rigid generations.

In open space, on human voices located between 500 Hz and 2 kHz, attenuation drops to approximately 15 to 18 dB, which remains average for the segment but lets nearby conversations filter through without making them intelligible. In a simulated airplane cabin (broadband wind noise), a slight residual ANC hiss becomes perceptible in total silence between tracks, a classic artifact of combined feedforward/feedback transducers.

Against the Bose QC Earbuds II, whose CustomTune setting pushes attenuation below 200 Hz beyond 40 dB, the XM5 remains slightly behind on deep bass, but keeps a more discreet residual hiss on the upper spectrum.

The transparency mode of the WF-1000XM5 renders station announcements and nearby voices with moderate coloration, without a marked box effect on mid frequencies. On strong transients, a car horn or a slamming door, slight compression is audible, a symptom of a level limiter that protects the eardrum but flattens the attack.

• In dense urban traffic (engine noise, horns), rendering remains usable for pedestrian safety, with no perceptible latency between real sound and rendered sound.
• Against the AirPods Pro 2, a reference cited by many users on Reddit for the naturalness of their transparency, the XM5 shows a slight differential: the texture of ambient air appears slightly more synthetic, with a faint background hiss in calm environments.
• No processing equivalent to Apple's Adaptive Transparency, which automatically attenuates strong sound peaks, is present on the XM5.

On a coastal walk with sustained Atlantic wind (gusts estimated at 25 to 30 km/h), vocal capture on the WF-1000XM5 degrades noticeably: the two-microphone beamforming per earbud poorly isolates the voice from the gust, with wind noise masking sibilant consonants reported by the interlocutor. In open space, on competing voices located 1 or 2 meters away, isolation remains adequate for occasional use but lets background conversations filter into the transmitted stream.

In Teams and Google Meet video calls from a remote-work station, voice intelligibility remains good in a calm environment, but no aggressive ambient noise reduction processing is applied on the microphone side, unlike models designed for professional use such as the Sennheiser Momentum 4.

In the most power-hungry configuration (ANC on, LDAC codec, volume set to 75 dB SPL), Mute Zone measured 6 h 40 of battery life per charge, below the manufacturer's 8 h claim that assumes AAC and moderate volume instead. Disabling ANC and switching back to AAC brings battery life up to 11 h 20, close to the 12 h announced.

• Fast charge: 3 minutes in the case provide about 55 minutes of listening, ANC on.
• Full case charge: about 1 h 40 via USB-C.
• Total battery life including case, ANC on: about 24 h combined, which covers a Paris-Tokyo flight of 14 h with comfortable margin for the layover and return to the ground.

Multipoint works on two devices simultaneously (smartphone and laptop), with an audio switch measured at about 1,5 seconds during an incoming call while listening to music on a laptop, without abrupt cutoff. The Headphones Connect app remains generally stable, though two crashes were noted over a month of use during firmware updates.

• DSEE Extreme: algorithmic upscaling that improves perception of low-quality compressed files, effect more noticeable on MP3 128 kbps than on a stream already in LDAC.
• Speak-to-Chat: pauses music and activates transparency upon detecting the user's voice, functional but sometimes triggered by a simple throat clearing.
• In-ear detection: pauses playback when an earbud is removed, with no perceptible delay.
• Absence of Auracast or full native Bluetooth LE Audio functions, unlike more recent models that are beginning to include them.

The table highlights three different approaches. The XM5 remains the only one of the trio to offer a hi-res codec (LDAC) and functional multipoint at this price level, making it a coherent choice for demanding mobile listening on Android. The Bose QC Earbuds II retain the lead on pure ANC and superficial insertion comfort, while the AirPods Pro 2 remain the benchmark for call quality and integration into professional use under iOS.

On price, the official 229 € rate of the WF-1000XM5 has regularly dropped below 180 € during the 2025 sales and early 2026, which mechanically improves its value for money against competitors that are less frequently discounted as heavily.

In 2026, the segment has become denser with the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and the first serious rumors around a Sony WF-1000XM6, without official confirmation at the time of writing. The XM5 is no longer the absolute flagship of the brand, but its observed price, often under 180 €, repositions it in a very competitive segment rather than against the latest model.

• For the mobile audiophile on Android, the LDAC and multipoint combination remains a solid argument, provided one accepts LDAC's sensitivity to dense Wi-Fi networks.
• For the daily commuter, the ANC measured at 37 dB below 200 Hz adequately covers metro and high-speed train, with a measured battery life of 6 h 40 that suffices for a typical day with recharges in the case.
• For the remote worker with frequent calls, the average call quality, especially in windy outdoor conditions, remains a point of attention that may steer toward a Sennheiser Momentum 4 or AirPods Pro 2.
• For light sports use, the IPX4 certification protects against sweat and light rain, but not immersion or intensive use in heavy Breton rain.