Will Sony US increase their prices in 2025?
For anyone following recent news events in the US, you will undoubtedly know that tariffs and price increases are coming in 2025. The new incoming administration wants to add 60% tariffs on all goods coming from China and 10% from other countries. This is a pretty drastic hike and could increase the price of Sony's upcoming products in 2025.
So with at least 2 major new headsets coming in 2025, the WH-1000XM6 and WF-1000XM6, what kind of prices could US consumers be looking at? Well it all depends how much of the tariff Sony will be willing to absorb, and where the headset is made. The WH-1000XM5 is currently made in Malaysia, where as the WF-1000XM5 is made in China. I suspect Sony could absorb 10-20% of the tariff at most.
WH-1000XM6
If Sony were to keep WH-1000XM6 production in Malaysia, then it would fall under the 10% tariff, which would translate to a potential price of $439.99 at least, maybe even higher to $449.99 USD being a new model. But if Sony is planning on moving production to China for the mark 6, then things will be worse, A LOT worse.
10% - $439.99
20% - $479.99
30% - $519.99
40% - $559.99
50% - $599.99
60% - $639.99
Of course these are just estimates, and if Sony is willing to absorb some of the tariff, then perhaps a price of under $500 USD is possible. Obviously competitors would also have to increase their prices, so everything will be more expensive. It would be in Sony's best interest to keep WH-1000XM6 production in Malaysia, rather than move it to China if said tariffs to come into effect in 2025.
WF-1000XM6
Turning to the WF-1000XM6, things do not look that great. The WF-1000XM5 is made in China, so it will be affected by the 60% tariff, which if added on, could hike the price from the current $299.99 USD to a whopping $479 USD. Even if Sony absorbs part of the increase, US consumers could still see a price of around $379 to $399 USD. This brings it in line with the MSRP of a WH-1000XM5. Ouch.
Could Sony move WF-1000XM6 production back to Malaysia? Yes. The WF-1000XM4 was made in Malaysia before, so Sony could move production back there. It all depends if the factory has capacity for the new model.
While Sony did close a factory in Malaysia in September 2021 (full closure March 2022), the WF-1000XM4 was probably made at the Bangi plant. The closure of the plant also explains why Sony moved Walkman production to China for those curious.
Whatever Sony decides for both models, price increases for US consumers are coming next year, Headphones, earbuds, speakers, TVs, and obviously the PlayStation 5 will all cost more. So should you grab the current models before the price increases? Another option will be to sell your old headset to offset the costs of the new model once it is released. That is up to you to decide. Black Friday sales are coming soon, but Amazon does have some discounts right now, around 25 to 35% off certain models.
Even the WF-C510 is discounted of around 10%, which is decent. I am finishing up my review, and it is a definite a great enty level set of earbuds.
So what do people think? Will US prices go up next year? Or are these tariffs just scare tactics? I wonder if pricing in Canada will end up being less expensive than the US once the new models go on sale. Hmm.
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