Sony's XM6 over-ears get an official release date – and they're right around the corner
After Dealabs shared a not-so-subtle leak involving Amazon Spain and a Reddit user with an eye for pulled product pages, Sony has come out and officially said what we've all been waiting for. The next pair of its ridiculously popular noise-cancelling headphones, the WH-1000XM6, will be unveiled on 15 May. The launch will take place at 5pm BST/12pm ET. It doesn't look like there's a live stream to follow along with, but expect the news to drop everywhere (including here at Stuff) at that time.
Sony's WH-1000X line is basically the iPhone of headphones at this point. Every model gets lapped up by the masses, and with good reason. The XM5 was more evolution than revolution – slightly better noise cancelling, a design facelift, and just enough of a spec bump to make you feel like your XM4s were looking a bit tired. So expectations for the XM6s are pretty high.
According to the leak, the XM6s pack a new QN3 HD processor – supposedly 7x faster than the QN1 chip in the XM5s. If it means genuinely better noise cancelling, we're in for something exciting this time. Plus, there's a new six-mic AI beamforming system for calls. It should mean you'll actually sound like a human being and not a muffled ghost on Zoom. There's also still a headphone jack present. No word yet on battery life improvements or other niceties, but Sony's track record suggests we'll see some polish.
The WH-1000XM6 will launch officially on 15 May. Thanks to the leak, we can expect pricing to start at $450 in the US (a $50 bump), and €388 in Europe. Expect them to be available to buy immediately after the launch.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Stuff.tv
19 hours ago
- Stuff.tv
The InZone H9 II headset shares DNA with Sony's ace XM6 – but that's not why I want one
Its PlayStation division might get all the console gamer love, but Sony's fledgling InZone brand has been steadily earning street cred with the PC crowd. What started with monitors and headsets is now a full range of gaming gear, and the InZone H9 II is leading the charge. Sony has teamed up with esports legends Fnatic on the new line-up, which includes the firm's first gaming mouse and keyboard. The pro players didn't just make an appearance for the final sign-off; they've been involved from the start, sweating the small stuff like button placement as well as audio EQs. It means you can now have a full Sony setup if you're that way inclined. Just be prepared to pay for the privilege. The InZone H9 II brings back the wireless connectivity and active noise cancelling abilities of the original H9, except now it's using bespoke versions of the 30mm carbon composite drivers seen in the fantastic WH1000-XM6 headphones. That should give them real Hi-Fi pedigree, and with Sony's ANC smarts being second to none (or maybe one, depending on if you're more of a Bose fan) this could be a headset you'll want to wear everywhere, not just while you're gaming. The ambient sound mode has been tuned to let teammate's voices through – crucial for tournament play – and you get the same 7.1 virtual surround sound as before. Snap a photo of your ear and upload it through the smartphone companion app and it'll craft a bespoke profile for you, based on your unique aural physiology. Tuning has of course been green lit by Fnatic, and should maximise awareness in first person shooters. There's a detachable, superwideband boom mic on board for in-game comms, with a broadcast-style shape that's angled towards your mouth for more accurate pickup. It should also stop any teammates in the background from being heard, especially once the AI noise reduction kicks in. It's detachable, too, for when you'd rather kick back with a single player session. Connectivity has taken a big step up, with 2.4GHz wireless, LE Bluetooth, and 3.5mm wired listening. There's also support for simultaneous audio for the first time. Sony reckons battery life is good for 30 hours with ANC enabled, with a five minute charge over USB-C adding an extra hour of play. You'll be able to bag one in black or white colours, each with a redesigned headband that has a unique-looking spring hinge for easy adjustment regardless of your head shape. Sony has tweaked the clamping force, and lined the ear cushions with soft nylon for maximum comfort. At 206g it's seriously lightweight for a headset with noise cancelling, too. Prices are set to start from £300/€350, instantly putting this into the upper echelons of gaming headsets. Premium pricing seems to be Sony's strategy all round, with the rest of the bulging InZone line-up also seeming quite spendy. The InZone KBD-H75, a 75% size wired gaming keyboard with magnetic switches and 8000Hz polling rate, will set you back £250 – as much as some rivals from more established gaming brands with OLED screens and swappable switches. It otherwise ticks plenty of premium keyboard boxes, with an aluminium chassis, a gasket-mounted circuit board for satisfying key feel, and per-key RGB lighting. You're getting rapid trigger functionality here, so your inputs register the instant you press or let go of a key, but apparently Simultaneous Opposite Cardinal Direction (SOCD) inputs are off the table. Perhaps Sony didn't want to get players banned for the feature, now that several high profile games have labelled it cheating. Boards with a US layout will start shipping this year, while the UK, Germany, France and Nordics will have to wait until Spring 2026. The InZone Mouse-A is based around a speedy PixArt 3950IZ sensor, with optical switches across the board for the most accurate clicking of heads. It promises 8000Hz polling, wired or wireless play, and a battery that's good for up to 90 hours of play time. It's the seriously light weight – just 48.4g – that could give it real gamer appeal. A Razer Deathadder V3 Pro is 56g, and the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 DEX even heavier. It's set to retail for £150/€180. It's the two InZone mouse pads that'll leave the most surprising crater in your bank balance. Both have high quality stitching around the edge and anti-slip rubber undersides, with the Mat-D aimed at high-sensitivity battle royale gamers and the Mat-F more for low-sensitivity precision. The former will set you back £50/€60, while the latter costs an eyebrow-raising £90/€100.
Stuff.tv
08-08-2025
- Stuff.tv
Sony isn't calling it quits on Xperia phones – but here's why it's time for a reset
No Sony Xperia has truly troubled the best smartphones lists for a while now, so you could understand if Sony was preparing to throw in the towel on its flagging mobile division. Yet according to company chief financial officer Lin Tao, the firm has no such plan. During a recent presentation of Sony's latest financial results, she said Xperia remained 'a very important business for us' and that 'we would like to continue to value the smartphone business' (Cnet Japan, via Google Translate). Let's be brutally honest, though: as things stand, Xperia's future isn't looking all that great. Sony hasn't sold a flagship phone in the US for two years now, and a 2025 mid-ranger is seemingly MIA. Google's Pixel phones are now bigger sellers in Japan, which just a few years ago would've been unthinkable given Japanese shoppers' loyalty to domestic brands. Production of the Xperia 1 VII has even been outsourced to China, rather than home soil – and then Sony had to replace a bunch of the ones it did sell due to glitches. In my four star Sony Xperia 1 VII review, I called it 'an even tougher sell than previous generations' with styling that 'shows its age' and battery life that's 'simply great now, rather than class-leading'. While I praised its ultrawide camera, which is arguably the best of the bunch in 2025, it doesn't give anyone that's not a Sony die-hard enough reasons to stick around. Sony's resolute refusal to abandon fan favourite features like front-facing speakers could be one reason for their dwindling popularity; the resulting thicker top and bottom display bezels look almost antiquated next to the latest iPhone or Galaxy. There are also only so many people left that genuinely care about microSD expansion or 3.5mm headphone ports on their phones – most have moved on to cloud storage and wireless earbuds, begrudgingly or otherwise. It's easy to blame Sony's aggressively high pricing. In the UK, and Xperia 1 VII will set you back £1399 (roughly $1900). That's considerably more than one of Apple, Samsung or Google's current flagships. And it's not like the network carriers are queuing up to offer tempting contract deals to take the sting out even a little. Then there's the creator-first approach to photography. Sony makes some of the best smartphone camera sensors out there, but you've needed to understand ISO values and reach for the manual mode to get the best out of them on its own phones. Most people just want to point and shoot. More recent Xperias have had more effective automatic modes, and they had physical shutter buttons a full decade before Apple would try to make them cool with Camera Control. But it's too little, too late at this point. Perhaps the online chatter sparked by Lin Tao's words will be the wake-up call Sony needs. Maybe it's time to go a little more mainstream, let the design team off the leash, and finally put expandable storage out to pasture. Or perhaps it should embrace its wackier side? If you're listening, Sony, I'd happily buy an Xperia Play 2…
Stuff.tv
18-07-2025
- Stuff.tv
This excellent 50in Sony 4K TV won't stay this cheap for long
I've tested quite a few 4K TVs, and Sony is regarded as one of the best. The tech giant offers excellent picture quality and colour accuracy on its sets. Some of Sony's previous TVs have actually won our awards for the best TV of the year. But, as good as they are, a new set can often be fairly pricey. That's why there's never been a better time to by a 50in Sony 4K TV, thanks to this limited-time promotion from EE. The excellent Sony KD-50X75WL 4K Android TV has been reduced by £130 – bringing the price to £369 from the regular ticket of £499. You can get this saving for today only (18 July) via the EE app, while stocks last. You don't even need to be an existing customer! US shoppers, unfortunately, miss out. The Sony KD-50X75WL is a 50in 4K smart TV that packs plenty of smarts. It's got Sony's X1 Processor under the hood, which means sharper visuals, punchier contrast, and colours that actually pop. Google TV is baked right in, so you get all your streaming favourites – Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, YouTube, and more – without needing an extra box or stick dangling from the back. Voice control with Google Assistant is on hand too, meaning you can shout commands at the telly. Sound-wise, you get the X-Balanced Speaker paired with Dolby Audio. It should sound fairly decent without you having to shell out for a soundbar straight away. And the design's not too shabby either, with a slim bezel and modern aesthetic that'll suit any room. If you do miss out on this deal, don't worry! EE has also reduced the top-rated Bravia 3, that we liked when we saw, for today only. It's down to £549 from the regular price of £799 for the latest model – a deal you don't want to miss.
