The Best TWS Of 2023-Sony WF-1000XM5: Sony is a leading premium brand for personal audio in India. The company aims to expand its audio business by 40% this fiscal year. Sony’s 1000X series is known for its premium sound quality, impressive specifications, and effective noise cancelling. Both the WF-1000XM3 and WF-1000XM4 offer good sound quality, decent battery life, and excellent noise cancellation. However, the former lacks advanced LDAC Bluetooth codec support. In September 2023, Sony launched its latest earbuds, the Sony WF-1000XM5 in India, priced at Rs. 29,990.
The Best TWS Of 2023-Sony WF-1000XM5
Sony is boasting about the superior audio quality, call quality, and noise-cancelling capabilities of their latest earbuds. Additionally, the new model is smaller and lighter than its predecessors. In this review, we’ll evaluate whether the price of the new earbuds offers good value.
Sony WF-1000XM5: Design
The earbuds come in two colours – black and platinum silver – with a glossy finish on the sides. Each earbud weighs 5.9g, and the WF-1000XM5 with the case weighs 39g. They are 25% smaller and 20% lighter than their predecessor, the WF-1000XM4, and smaller than other flagship true wireless earphones in the mid-range segment, such as the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2.
Thanks to the ergonomic design, they fit comfortably in your ears, and you can wear them quickly without any fiddling. Sony has provided ear tips in four different sizes – large, medium, small, and extra small. The medium-sized ear tips are the most comfortable. The earbuds have touch sensors for controlling playback and feature noise cancellation.
The Sony WF-1000XM5 earphones and their case are made of recycled plastic materials, and the packaging is entirely paper-based. The Sony Headphones Connect app allows you to customize the touch controls, enabling you to adjust the adaptive sound control, change music playback in a multipoint connection, control ambient sound, and utilize the speak-to-chat and voice assistant features.
Sony WF-1000XM5: Features
Each earbud features an 8.4mm Dynamic Driver X and is powered by an integrated Sony Processor V2, along with Sony’s QN2e Active Noise Cancellation chip. Sony claims the WF-1000XM5 has their best-ever call quality with bone conduction sensors and deep neural network programming.
The earphones come with several features that enhance the audio experience – Bluetooth 5.3, Google Fast Pair, multipoint connection, and 360 Reality Audio. They cover a frequency range of 20Hz to 20,000Hz, which can be extended up to 40,000Hz with LDAC. The earbuds support a variety of audio formats – SBC, AAC, LDAC, and LC3. They also have an IPX4 rating for water resistance, but it’s important to note that the case is not water-resistant. Additionally, the earphones have an effective operating range of up to 10m from the source device.
Premium earbuds, including the Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds, AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), and Google Pixel Buds Pro, are all rated IPX4, meaning they can handle a few splashes of water, but aren’t fully waterproof. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are rated IPX7, indicating they can withstand more exposure to water, making them a better choice for those who want to use their earbuds while working out or in wet conditions.
Sony WF-1000XM5: Specifications
I tested the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds with my Google Pixel 6a and was impressed with their sound quality and noise-cancellation capabilities. The earbuds delivered excellent clarity and detail across different genres of music, with rich yet not overwhelming bass. Even at high volumes, the sound quality remained consistent.
The earbuds’ noise-cancellation feature was effective at cutting out external noise, including conversation noise, wind, and commotion on the street. The call quality was good, and the transparency mode worked decently well. The battery life was impressive, lasting for around 7.5-8 hours with ANC on and 12 hours with it off. Charging time was approximately 1.5 hours.
The Sony WF-1000XM5 offers a complete package with top-notch sound quality, noise cancellation, and a comfortable fit. While the price may be on the higher side, it’s worth it if you’re looking for a truly enriching audio experience. However, if you’re an iPhone user, the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) may be a better option.
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