Sony WH-1000XM3 coming at IFA 2018 with BT 4.2

There was no question if Sony would update the WI-1000X headphones but when.  I missed this certification on the FCC back in late May of this year but might as well post it.  The design appears to have changed a tiny bit with a minor redesign to the headband as seen in the photos from the FCC.  This is slightly similar to what the WH-CH700N headphones have.

The headphones again seem to fold up as like the previous 2 versions, so apart from the minor headband change, the rest appears to be identical to the mk2.  I was hoping with a 3rd generation, and Qualcomm announcing more affordable Bluetooth 5.0 chipsets and of course high-end as well, that Sony would at least transition the WH-1000XM3 headphones to Bluettooth 5.0.  Unfortunately this might not be the case and it appears Sony will be sticking to Bluetooth 4.2 as seen from the Bluetooth certification below.

So if the certification is final and I assume it is, then we are looking at only an exterior redesign of the WH-1000XM3 with probably no changes to the internal parts.  This is a shame, the WH-1000XM2 are not a cheap pair of headphones and not using a Bluetooth 5.0 chip is a let down.  Sony’s new smartphone lineup has a Bluetooth 5.0 support, so it would be great if a high end headphone from Sony would also feature Bluetooth 5.0.

With that being said, I feel we might, not confirmed, have another wireless headset coming from Sony that may feature Bluetooth 5.0 but will most likely cost more than the WH-1000XM3.

Perhaps I am mistaken and the WH-1000XM3 will have Bluetooth 5.0, but I am not holding my breath.