New Sony WF-1000XM5 leak could make them the best earbuds around

WF-1000XM5 buds to sport greatly-improved driver in each ear

Sony WF-1000XM5 in white (leaked image)
(Image credit: WinFuture)

Sony will soon announce its latest premium true wireless earbuds, according to a new leak. They will also introduce a new feature or two that could make them even more spectacular than the five-star Sony WF-1000XM4.

Those are among the best wireless earbuds around, so the much-rumoured Sony WF-1000XM5 will need to go some to top their performance.

Thankfully, according to the leaks, there's a good chance. It is said that the latest buds will have a new driver in each ear which is reported to improve the audio quality further. The adaptive noise cancellation (ANC) will also be improved, with new proprietary processing and dual feedback microphones.

Sony WF-1000XM5 in black (leaked)

(Image credit: WinFuture)

The information comes from WinFuture, which claims to have seen an official data sheet for the WF-1000XM5 in-ears. It says that the ANC tech will comprise three microphones in total per bud, to assess ambient sounds more accurately. This will then be treated by the new processing system in real-time to better block out distractions and provide improved audio playback.

The new driver tech, allegedly called Dynamic Driver X and includes an 8.4mm driver in each ear, supports HiRes Audio and Sony's own DSEE Extreme sound processing. It is said to ensure "richer vocals" and more detail in music than before.

The noise-cancelling earbuds aren't the only things that will gain improvements, the case is also due for an upgrade. It will reportedly have an additional 500mAh battery - improving total playback time to 24-hours. Although that's similar to what was quoted on the WF-1000XM4 (8-hours in each bud, 16 in the case) we found that not to be exact, especially with ANC working at full pelt.

Hopefully, the leaked battery life turns out to include ANC and be more accurate.

According to the leaked sheet, you will be able to get an hour of playback time from just 3-minutes on charge, while it will take 2-hours to charge the case fully.

Other details that have emerged include Bluetooth 5.3 and IPX4 certification for water resistance, which is good enough for the gym or running in the rain, but not standing in the shower, say. They will also support multi-point connectivity - something that was added fairly recently to the WF-1000XM4 via a firmware update.

We're still awaiting pricing and availability details, but considering the size of this leak and the alleged press images (pictured) that have hit the net, we'd be very surprised if a full launch isn't imminent.

And, if you're not so bothered by the new potential features, you can find the excellent Sony WF-1000XM4 buds with great discounts - especially so right now.

Rik Henderson
News Editor

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.