The XM6s are noticeably improved across the board from the XM5s, which I still like.

Being able to last for a full 8-hour flight on a single charge is quite impressive.

With the new XM6 wireless earbuds, Sony has succeeded in creating some of the best-sounding and most comfortable earbuds in the world — but they have a hefty price point to match. If you're willing to shell out, these are the most well-rounded and most effective noise-cancelling earbuds released in the past year.

The WF-1000XM6 are Sony's best wireless earbuds to date, with meaningful improvements to ANC, sound quality, microphone performance, and fit. Battery life and codecs remain unchanged, and at $329.99, you're paying a premium for focused upgrades. If you're on the XM4 or older, they're easy to recommend. XM5 owners may want to wait for a sale.

That in a tasty we nutshell is what I reckon of the Sony WF1000X Mark 6. And certainly a premium price, but for a proper premium pair of earbuds, hands down, they're among my absolute favorites right now in 2026,

Industry-leading noise canceling. Amazing transparency. Fantastic tuning, with bass that's dynamic and fun to listen to. Good touch controls. Very customizable app. Amazing transparency mode. Comfortable, secure fit.

So, yeah, XM6 for maximum sound plus silence in one package. AirPods Pro 3 for comfort, transparency, and Apple ecosystem extras. The bows for well, they might be the most well-rounded, come to think of it, but they don't grab me like the XM6 do.

Sony didn’t reinvent the wheel with the WF-1000XM6. They are an iterative upgrade to the already excellent WF-1000XM5 with even warmer audio and more potent ANC.

The Sony WF-1000XM6 represents the boldest evolution yet in the 1000X lineup.

So again, for Sony, while they are excellent, and if you need the latest and greatest and the strongest ANC, by all means, knock yourself out. It's a great purchase, but I'm always going to say this, wait for discounts.

Sony's followup to the WF-1000XM5 sound amazing, and have good ANC and solid battery life.

The jump from the XM4 to the XM5 was absolutely enormous. It was a massive redesign, with Sony making both the earbuds and the case much more compact. But for the WF-1000XM6, it looks like Sony’s gone back the other way. Everything feels a lot bigger again, but maybe not to its detriment.

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wf-1000xm6

Sony’s flagship earbuds are still near the top of the heap, but the competition has caught up.

The sound quality is excellent. The ANC is market leading, and the build of the actual earbuds is genuinely impressive. They fall short a little bit when it comes to the case and the app is a little bit overcluttered in my opinion and there are earphones on the market with much better battery life.

The Sony WF-1000XM6 are the brand's most impressive wireless earbuds yet. Their ANC performance is noticeably better than their predecessor's, and they deliver excellent sound quality.

The Sony WF-1000XM6 noise-cancelling earbuds deliver outstanding audio with robust customization options and long battery life.

If the discussion were purely about sound-per-pound audio quality, you've got to put the Sony WF-1000XM6 new flagship earbuds in the mix. They're cheaper than some of the real audiophile-adjacent wireless options and the sound borders on just as good. And features such as Sony's Quick Attention feature are always winners for me. But for noise-cancelling efficacy, super clear call-handling, a truly comfortable fit and assorted spatial audio chops, I think Sony's being somewhat overtaken now. Know this: that star-rating is still as high as it is because of the sound.

In general, despite a small misstep on the comfort and design front, both of which I think I could get used to, the Sony WF-1000XM6 are an absolute triumph.