Sony unveils the WH-1000XM6 – and fixes one huge mistake from the XM5

It’s been a while. After releasing the WH-1000XM5 in 2022, Sony left the longest gap it’s ever allowed between models in its flagship wireless headphone line, a gap that now closes with the arrival of the highly anticipated XM6 upgrade. It’s an upgrade that has some fairly immediate benefits, too, at a price that remains on the very premium end of the market.

The biggest change, though, and the one that I suspect will please the most observers and XM5 users, is the return of folding hinges to let the headphones stow away far more compactly.

You wouldn’t necessarily spot that immediately, since the XM6’s new magnetically-sealing case doesn’t get them quite as small as they can go, but the fold is basically back to XM4 levels for those who want to chuck them in a bag.

That’s a massive tweak from a usability point of view, one that Sony all but acknowledged was in response to user feedback when I attended a launch event for the headphones in Madrid last week. It’s not the only thing that’s changed, though.

Sony’s also upgraded the already-excellent adaptive noise cancelling from its last generation of headphones, bringing the number of microphones up to 12 from 8 and updating its internal chip massively. That chip jumps from the QN1 to the QN3, is seven times more powerful than last time, and makes for noise cancelling that might make these some of the best noise-cancelling headphones going.

Another point that some gripers will be thrilled about is the ability to mute the headphones without using your connected device – it’s on-headset now, which is amazing for calls. On that note, there are now six beam-forming mics instead of four, which is another upgrade.

Visually, those hinges are the most obvious change, but the new headband is also wider and therefore more comfortable than before, while the ear cups are a shade more conical, too. The power button is now recessed and round to make it easier to tell apart from the ANC button, too.

Still, the visual leap that happened with the XM5 has clearly been preserved here, and Sony told me that it saw the XM6 as a refinement rather than a design revolution.

All the above is to ignore the sound, which is also improved thanks to a redesigned 30mm driver that has more narrowly-aimed bass response for a more accurate soundstage, along with more precise edge-vibration for the high-end stuff. A 10-band EQ option lets you tune it how you want, though.

The WH-1000XM6 are going to come in the same black, silver and blue colours that the last version sported, and will be available later in May for £400, $450 or €450. In the UK, that represents a small price bump from £380 last time out, while in the US it's a $50 rise, and in the EU it’s a €30 bump too. Those aren't great figures, although inflation has been rampant in the time since the XM5.

I'll have a detailed review of the headphones coming this weekend, if you want to see how they perform, and it’s fair to say they’ve impressed me massively. Still, the fact that those all-important hinges steal the show a little really goes to show just how useful a change they really represent.