Sony WF-1000XM6 - What can we expect?

I know everyone is excited for the upcoming WH-1000XM6, but there a lot of people waiting for the WF-1000XM6, myself included. As of this post (February 9), no new model has been certified.

The only information we have comes from Xperia leaker Zackbucks, who said last July that both the WF-1000XM6 and WH-1000XM6 are supposed to be released in the first half of 2025. They did not mention if they would be released together or apart.

Based off past model changes, we can try and speculate what we could expect in the upcoming WF-1000XM6.

Design

With each new generation, Sony has either refined the design or switched it up completely. Could we expect a completely new design with the WF-1000XM6? Anything is possible. The WF-1000XM5 design is already very refined, offering a compact design packed full of tech for a superior sounding ANC set of earbuds. Could Sony make the new model even smaller? There is always a room for improvement, and from the teardown, Sony could potentially make the earbuds 5-10% smaller. But having tested the WF-1000XM5, the issue is not the size, but the exterior material. The shinny plastic is very slippery, and together with the small size, can make them difficult to handle and hold.

I do not expect Sony to change the shinny exterior material, as the LinkBuds Fit also use shinny plastic for their exterior. One major feature I hope Sony keeps is the touch sensor. The LinkBuds Fit ditched the sensor for wide area tap, which according to various reviews is a downgrade. Additionally, I would rather Sony stick to the longer nozzle, than the new short nozzle seen on the LinkBuds Fit. The main issue is that the short nozzle's new tips do not offer a a good seal which impacts the ANC performance. The new shorter nozzle will also mean any old tips will not fit on the new model.

Noise Cancellation    

Sony will have a challenge on their hands to improve what is already a very excellent set of ANC earbuds. Of course nothing is perfect, and the ANC performance can be improved, specifically, better cancellation of higher frequencies like human voices. From reviews, it seems that Bose has the superior ANC performance, so this would be the benchmark to beat.

Sound Quality

From reviews and user posts, the WF-1000XM5 sound is more bass heavy than the competition, so perhaps we might see a more balanced sound in the new model, creating a more neutral sound. What do people think? Should Sony balance out the sound on the new model decreasing the bass sound?

Bluetooth and Codecs

I would imagine we will see Bluetooth 5.3 or 5.4, along with LE Audio support. Codec support will probably be AAC, SBC, LDAC and LC3, the same as the current model. For those wanting to see aptX, support went away when Sony moved to Mediatek SoCs.

Battery Life

The battery life will need to increase, as there are some competitors (Technics AZ100) offering much better run times than Sony, while offering the same audio quality and similar ANC performance. Ideally we will see up to 2 more hours of playback. It does not have to be class leading, but at least matching the competition.     

Driver size

Sony increased the WF-1000XM5 driver size to 8.4mm after keeping it relatively the same for 3 previous generations. Could we see another increase in the mark 6? The size of the driver does affect how well the headset can cancel noise, as a larger driver can produce lower frequencies better, which then can be used to cancel out the noise. But a larger driver does require more power to move it, so there are trade offs. Alternatively, Sony could decrease the driver size as well, as this is what happened on the WH-1000XM5, from 40mm to 30mm. New materials could allow Sony to decrease the size but maintain the same audio quality as a larger driver.

Planar drivers

For those wondering if Sony could use Planar drivers in the new model, the answer is most likely no, as Sony bought Audeze for their gaming division headsets, and the PlayStation headphones and earbuds already use these drivers. The other reason is that Planar drivers do not product enough low frequency sounds, which are required for adequate noise cancellation.

Wireless Charging

I would think wireless charging will be present, but I would love to see fast charging for the case battery. Sony has fast charging on their WH-1000XM5, why not have this option in an earbuds case as well? I suspect fast charging the earbud coin cells could be possible. but given the WF-1000XM4 battery fiasco, I would rather the earbuds charge normally.

AI Enhancements

As I wrote earlier, ANC performance can always be improved, but there is only so much the algorithms can achieve. So I am expecting Sony to use AI for further ANC improvements. The WF-1000XM5 already uses AI to decrease noise and improve quality for voice calls, so adding AI to ANC is the next logical step.

But AI like algorithms will have limits, and physical MEMS mics will still be required. Sony could use larger MEMS mics for better sound collection, and this is what they exactly did on the LinkBuds Fit (see the teardown in this post). The question is, are 3 mics per earbud enough? Or would a 4th mic be worth it, even with the extra power consumption? Well we will need to wait for release to find that out.

New Bluetooth chip?

For each new model, Sony has changed and improved the Bluetooth SoC, first we had the Qualcomm CSR8675, then Sony switched to Mediatek with the new MT2811, then MT2822 and finally the MT2833 in the WF-1000XM5. So it would make sense for Sony to use something new in the mark 6. But what? Well Airoha did announce a new chip, the AB1595, which does feature a dedicated AI hardware accelerator, ideal for Sony's push into AI. Obviously this is an Airoha SoC and not Mediatek, but Sony will probably use the custom Mediatek version of the AB1595, possibly the MT285x.

In the AB1595 press release, Airoha did state the new chip is already available to customers, so I suspect Sony is one of those customers.

If Sony does move to a new chip, then I am expecting we will see a new SiP as well, possibly the GSBR-0005. 

Sony Sound Connect App

The new updated Sony Sound Connect while a nice update, does lack the ability to customize the sensors or buttons on Sony's earbuds. The Technics AZ100 app allows much higher degree of customization and functionality. This is what Sony should aim for, and the app would not need a new version, just more customization for the buttons/touch sensor.

Price

I would hope Sony would keep the price the same as the outgoing model, but I suspect they will increase the pricing, especially in the US due to higher tariffs.

So now we wait for any certifications or import fillings. The WF-1000XM5 FCC appearance was in late February, if the WF-1000XM6 follows a similar path, we should see the headset appear later this month. I did start a "Where is the WF-1000XM5" post in early 2023, but once the headset appeared on the FCC and then leaked 3 weeks later, I scrapped it. So I wanted to get this post out before that happened again. 

What would you like to see changed/improved on the new model? Leave your thoughts below.