Sony WH-1000XM6 Exclusive Leak

Say hello to the new WH-1000XM6. As of this post, there is no teaser from Sony, so either still too early or the headset will not be announced on the 15th. The only information about release from my source is retail availability in the middle of June 2025. Thank you to my source for providing the photos.

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Same same, but Different 

The redesign is subtle, yet noticeable. The new model has different cups, a thicker improved hinge design, which folds, and a new wider headband. The earpads look like they might be similar to the WH-1000XM5.

Only the platinum silver model has matte metallic hinges, with the black and midnight blue opting for a monochromatic design.

We no longer have the seam on the earcups, with the plastic all one piece. In addition the microphone holes are covered by a mesh (see further down for close up photo). These 2 new changes could mean that we have some level of water resistance. The Amazon Spain listing did mention waterproofing, but no IPX level was mentioned. so just a theory at this point.

On the bottom of the left earcup, we have the On/Off button, 3.5mm input, and NC/AMB button. On the right side, we have the USB type-C port and LED indicator. This layout is the same in the WH-1000XM5.

Here is a close up of a microphone hole and the mesh. The design is along the lines of the mesh seen on the WF-1000XM5. If we do end up with some IPX rating, this should allow users to use the headset in the rain. Whether these will be suitable for exercise is unknown. 1000X Users have been asking for some sort of waterproofing for the past few years, and perhaps Sony has finally listened to them.

New Hinge

Here is a closeup of the hinge, unfolded, turned, and folded. This will make many users happy.

The darker piece in the middle appears to be made out of metal with plastic on the side. Hopefully this new design will be stronger, and will be less susceptible to breaks and cracks which we witnessed in the WH-1000XM5. The folding hinge design is similar to the one found in the ULT Wear, but the WH-1000XM6 hinge does appear to use metal and not plastic.

Something I noticed on the bottom of the left earcup near the power button, are 2 small symbols, + and -. They are a bit difficult to see, but they are there. Normally the volume controls on the touch pad were up and down, not side to side. This is the left side of the WH-1000XM6, the WH-1000XM5 touchpad was on the right side, so perhaps these symbols are for something else completely different.. Sony could have moved the touch panel to the other side as well. Mystery for now.

And now for some more photos.

Folded up. Definitely feel for a headset which users use for travel, should fold up. The inability for the WH-1000XM5 to fold up was a major oversight by Sony, thankfully fixed for the new model.

The case has been redesigned, with the zipper being removed in favour of a magnetic closure. There is a small pocket for the 3.5mm and USB cables. Not sure removing the zipper is the best solution, but there were users posting on Reddit about the zipper on their WH-1000XM5 failing. So maybe this is why Sony went for a magnetic flap. If it is strong enough, then it should not be an issue. I hope.

Comparisons

And now for some comparison photos. Most of these will not be 100% to scale, so I apologize in advance.

When compared to the WH-1000XM5, we can see the design differences.The headband is different in design, lacking any seam in this view. Even the previous leaked photo did not show any seams on the bottom of the headband. So we need to wait for further photos to see how the headband is put together. The distance from the end of the headband to the top of the earcups has been extended in the new model. This is likely for the new folding hinge. I think the new design is an improvement.

The earcup support is inside the earcups again, like in the WH-1000XM5, but the design has changed. base of the earcups. The new model has extra mesh pieces over the microphone holes, where as previously the WH-1000XM5 only had a small net for dust protection.

When comparing the bottom of the earcups, we can see that the WH-1000XM6 3.5mm port is slightly deeper inside the plastic casing, and the USB type-C port has some sort of indent under it. Not sure what the purpose of such an indent would be. If the headset has some IPX certification, I would imagine both the USB and 3.5mm port are water resistance like on Sony’s Xperia smartphones.

Caring Case

When comparing the carrying cases, I tried to size up the headsets based off their earcups, which may or may not be accurate. But I feel it is close in terms of size here.

The case is much smaller than the WH-1000XM5, and the latch as I mentioned earlier is magnetic. This should please many of the past WH-1000XM4 owners who did not like the WH-1000XM5 redesign. Although should Sony have kept the zipper?

Notice that the platinum silver colour is also a bit different, less warm and more cooler in tone. Although, this could just be the lighting in the photo/render.

With the earcups laying flat, we can see that they are angled differently than the WH-1000XM5, thanks to the new folding hinge. The flat surface of the earcups is also a bit smaller and now round.

Many WH-1000XM4 users skipped the WH-1000XM5 as it did not fold, but with Sony bringing back folding, it might convince users to finally upgrade. Again these photos are probably not to scale.

The platinum silver colour on the new model is yet again different to the WH-1000XM4, like it it is different to the WH-1000XM5. I believe the platinum silver colour is closer to the silver colour on the WF-1000XM5.

When laying flat, the WH-1000XM6 has the earcups angled towards the center like the WH-1000XM4.

When folded up, the WH-1000XM6 is very similar to the WH-1000XM4, so much that, my question is, will the WH-1000XM6 fit inside the WH-1000XM4 case? Perhaps once released, someone could try and test to see if the WH-1000XM6 would fit.

The the way the hinge folds and swivels is identical to the WH-1000XM4, but the design is very different. While I do not own a WH-1000XM4, I believe the construction is all plastic, with a small metallic C piece. From the WH-1000XM6 photos, the hinge does appear to use metal, as part of the hinge appears to be a different colour and texture. How much of the hinge is metal is unknown. I do hope it is strong enough. The WH-1000XM4 has a small screw in the side of the hinge, something absent from the WH-1000XM6 in this view.

The Sony logo on the new model is also now silver, rather than gold. If you ask me, this is a step backwards. The black and midnight blue models retain the gold Sony logo though. I also prefer the embossed logo on the WH-1000XM4, it looked more premium.

Turning to the case. As I suggested earlier, perhaps the WH-1000XM6 when folded, will fit inside the WH-1000XM4 case, but the mark 4 case does seem more compact than the mark 6. But these are not to scale, so we will need to wait for reviews for real world comparisons.

12 Microphones

The specifications said 12 microphones in total, and counting the slots on the outside, I can only see 4, which is 8 mics. Add the feedback microphones inside the earcups, that would be 10. So we are missing 2 more. Either I am missing a slot on the earcups, or there is a second microphone inside the cups. This something we saw in the WF-1000XM5, which uses 3 mics, with a NC mic in the middle of the earbuds.

Specifications and Price

Thanks to MrWalkman and James, for the additional information. Here are the specifications from the Amazon leak, the new information is in red:

• New QN3 HD chip
  • according to dealabs, QN3 is 7 times faster than QN1
• Sony V2 Processor (Mediatek MT2833)
• 30mm drivers confirmed
• 12 NC microphones (probably 6 per side)
  • Up from 9 in the WH-1000XM5
• 6 AI-powered voice microphones for clear and noise free voice calls
• AAC, SBC, LDAC, LC3
• Product release May 15 (unconfirmed)
• Auto NC Optimizer still present
• Foldable design
• New case, with a magnetic closure for quick access
• Lightweight – 250g (similar to WH-1000XM5)
• New headband is even more comfortable and secure than the previous model, with soft, padded ear cushions for a premium comfort feel
• Up to 30 hours of battery life
  • Internal battery – 4.56Wh (identical to WH-1000XM5)
• 3 min quick charge provides up to 3 hours of use
• Headset can be used while charging
• Multipoint support
• 360 Reality Audio with head tracking
• 360 Upmix for Cinema Sound
• Game EQ – enhances sound and clarity during gaming
• Personalized Spatial Audio
• Wind noise reduction

And now for the price. The list price set that will be on Amazon is supposedly 449,00 Euros in Germany, and 399,00 GBP for the UK. Recall that the Amazon Spain listing showed 470 Euros. If we remove the VAT from these prices, 19% Germany, 20% UK, and 21% Spain, we get a base price of around 380-390 Euros. This would be around $429 to $439 USD. Dealabs claims US pricing will be $449 USD, which is plausible. Canadian pricing is $599.99 CAD pre-tax.

The information about the MT2833 (V2) is from the firmware. When released, the headset firmware could be version 1.0.5, although there is also 1.0.4.

Edit, forgot to add, the Sony Sound Connect app version 12 update is pretty much ready for launch. I suspect it adds the new features which are listed above, and perhaps some still missing.

Edit 2, people have been asking about the earpads and if they are removable. Technically the WH-1000XM5 earpads are also removable, but whether we have magnetically attached earpads on the new model is not yet confirmed.

That is all I have for the moment. Perhaps we will see a teaser later today, or tomorrow on Friday May 9. For those wondering, no I do not have the headset, Sony does not provide me with anything. Thank you for all the people who helped bring this info together.

Update 5

Final leak before announcement in around 3 hours. The new photos reveals the seam on the back of the headband finally. I will have a post up later once Sony Japan has their engineer interview out later today. If you enjoyed the coverage and leaks, please think about donating through the buy me a coffee link above, thanks.

Update 4

We have 3 new photos of the WH-1000XM6. Thank you James. Edit, and already stolen by this person. And how do I know it is stolen from the blog? Because the photos from the original source had errors in them which I fixed, and no such errors are present on the reposted photos. This is why I add watermarks to my leaks, people steal and do not give credit.

Plus we have our first retail leaks, thanks to fnac and nay.sk. I suspect we will see more leaks before the reveal. Price in Slovakia is 502 Euros on this site, not sure if this is the actual price on Sony.sk.

Update 3

One day before the reveal and the model has appeared on Sony Germany’s website, confirming the price of 449 Euros, and a ship date of May 16th. Edit, and the listing is now gone from the Sony site.

Update 2

Sony Japan has a new teaser up. “Chapter Begins – Co-creation with sound engineers”. We already know that the headset was developed in collaboration with Grammy winning mastering engineers from the Amazon leak. So obviously this a WH-1000XM6 teaser.

Update

Sony Australia has a teaser up.

Los Angeles  – May 15th, 09:00
New York – May 15th, 12:00
Berlin – May 15h, 18:00
Hong Kong – May 16th, 00:00
Tokyo – May 16th, 01:00
Melbourne – May 16th, 02:00