The big news earbuds release on the horizon is the Sony WF-1000XM6, which are expected to drop any day now – it’s looking like February 12th is the day, based on Sony’s teaser. Like its predecessor, the Sony WF-1000XM5, this will be Sony’s top-end earbuds offering, matching its over-ear counterpart, the Sony WH-1000XM6. It’s been almost three years since the last-gen pair came out, so they’ve been long-awaited.
Rumors about these imminent buds are everywhere, so we’re cleaning a little space on our best earbuds shelf in case they live up to expectations. We’ve seen a full spec list leak, and some price details which point to a higher cost than before – and Sony is very unsubtly indicating a February 12th, 8am PST (11am EST / 4pm GMT) launch time, plus seeming a sneaky look at the design.
As someone who’s tested plenty of Sony headphones (and still uses the Sony WH-1000XM3 as their daily pair when no cans are in for testing), I have some thoughts on features, upgrades and changes I hope to see in the new buds. Some changes are needed, given many regard the XM5 a slight misstep in the competitive earbud world.
1. A listening test
Since the XM5 earbuds came out over two years ago, listening tests have become commonplace in earbuds, in everything from premium models like the AirPods Pro 3 to the cheaper Earfun Air Pro 4+. In short, these modes analyze your hearing and create custom EQ mixes that compensate for any shortcomings in your ears. I’ve found them wonderful.
These weren’t commonplace in 2023, but in 2026, it’s about time Sony offered a similar mode for its buds. Honestly, it’ll probably be the number one feature I look for in the buds, and in its absence, I’d expect a different real killer feature to make the XM6 a solid upgrade from the XM5. No, I’m not talking about some middling AI chatbot or translation feature – something genuinely useful.
2. Improved touch controls
Wireless earbuds aren’t a new tech, but I’m still constantly surprised by the wildly varying results I’ve seen regarding bud touch controls. Some, like the Nothing Ear (3) work fantastically: they’re easy to use and pick up your gesture or touch. Others don’t, and unfortunately the WF-1000XM5 fell into this latter camp.
The buds use capacitative sensors only – not a personal favorite of mine, honestly, but the issue we found in testing pertained to volume control. Every time you pushed the volume up, you’d get a chime to let you know it’d worked. This means, if you need to raise or lower volume significantly, you’ll be missing your music for the symphony of beeps from the buds. Capacitative sensors also generally require more of a ‘lift and raise’ gesture than alternative versions I’ve tested.
I’m not expecting Sony to change its tech for the new buds, but I’m hoping it can find an implementation that’s a little smoother.
3. Colorful options
Premium tech apparently isn’t meant to be colorful, but I really enjoyed wearing the Sony WF-C510 in their gaudy-but-fun yellow options. Sony’s also released some interesting options in the see-through WF-C710N, though transparent tech is generally kept to budget devices (and, uh, Nothing).
I like color, I like fun. I’d like to see the WF-1000XM6 come in an array of vibrant options. I’m not expecting this – these buds will likely just come in black and/or white, at least at first. But a fool believes…
The best wireless earbuds for all budgets
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