Sony WF-1000XM6 rumored to release alongside a top-spec rival

By Becky Roberts and Tom Bedford Updated January 23, 2026 1:06 AM

Only a few weeks into 2026, Sony has had a busy audio year. Not only has it already unveiled the LinkBuds Clip, its first cufflink-style open earbuds, but it’s shown off two turntables to refresh its vinyl player line-up. But most eyes (or ears) are still waiting for the WF-1000XM6.

The highly anticipated successors to Sony’s benchmark-setting WF-1000XM5, which top our best wireless earbuds buying guide, are technically ‘late’ if you go by the model’s launch cycle history, and it means the AirPods Pro 3 don’t have the healthy competition they should.

Rumors point to the Sony WF-1000XM6 possibly releasing soon, though, so we could see these top-tier earbuds before too long, and expectations are already high. Is that good timing? If the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 come out at the same time, which they could well do, it’ll divide earbud fans; both will likely cost similar amounts and have rival features.

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?

Our best guess is that the Sony WF-1000XM6 will release in February 2026, according to a leak which pointed to a February 27 shipping date.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) certified the WF-1000XM6 in October 2025 as per a The Walkman Blog report. This is the latest filing, following ones listed earlier in the year in March and May.

After all, the current WF-1000XM5 arrived in July 2023, while the previous XM4 appeared in June 2021, and the XM3 before them debuted in August 2019. There is a clear biennial release for this reference model that pointed to the XM6’s arrival in summer 2025. Of course, that didn’t happen, so it’s now a case of ‘any day now’.

Would the launch fall into 2026? Possibly. The October FCC filing expires in March 2026, and historically Sony tends to launch its earbuds a month or two before their filings’ expiry dates, so a CES 2026 show launch in January isn’t out of the question. Still, it would be odd for Sony to miss the Black Friday deals period and holiday season.

I can 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 new Apple AirPods Pro 3 ($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 introduced its flagship over-ear wireless headphones, the exceptional WH-1000XM6, in May 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 remain competitive in the market, particularly as Apple decided to stick with $249 for its Pro in the earbuds’ recent move from second to third generation.

Within Sony’s range of wireless earbuds, this $300-330 price tag would compare to the $160 launch price of the mid-range LinkBuds S, the $120 debut price of the mid-range WF-C710N, and the $60 RRP of the budget WF-C510.

Aside from a probable 2025 release date, we are mostly in the dark when it comes to leaked information about the Sony WF-1000XM6, yet to spy any leaked images of the forthcoming earbuds.

That said, that latest The Walkman Blog report uncovers a potential feature that would likely impact sound quality. MrWalkman has supposedly told the online publication that the WF-1000XM6 earbuds may be the first Sony earbuds to support DSEE Ultimate upscaling. Sony defines its DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) processing as ‘an upscaling technology designed to enhance the quality of compressed low-quality audio files’, and in its most advanced ‘Ultimate’ form, uses AI to make that happen. In other words, the Sony XM6 could be the best Sony earbuds yet at making lower-quality music sound like higher-res audio.

The earlier filing from May (via The Walkman Blog) also 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.

Keeping the XM5’s general form is, in my mind, a good idea. The current earbuds are welcomely smaller, lighter and more streamlined than the previous-gen XM4, with our WF-1000XM5 review praising their “small, smooth, and elegant” earbud form as well as their  “more rounded, lozenge-like shape… pocket-friendly” charging case. 

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…

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.

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.

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.

Like the Bose QC Ultra 2nd Gen and AirPods Pro 2 and Pro 3, 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.

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.