Sony WF-1000XM3 review

Our Verdict

The Sony WF-1000XM3 is nifty-sounding AirPods alternative, especially if you want active noise-cancelling.

For

Stellar audio operation
Great noise cancellation
Tons of personalization via companion app
Splendid bombardment life across the board
Luxe, sharp-looking design

Against

Affect controls could utilise some work
Poor call quality
Loose-plumbing fixtures tips

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Sony WF-1000XM3 is slap-up-sounding AirPods culling, specially if you want active noise-cancelling.

Pros

+
Stellar sound performance
+
Great noise cancellation
+
Tons of personalization via companion app
+
First-class battery life across the lath
+
Luxe, sharp-looking pattern

Cons

-
Impact controls could employ some piece of work
-
Poor call quality
-
Loose-plumbing equipment tips

The Sony WF-1000XM3 is not the company's beginning entry in the truly wireless earbuds infinite. That honor goes to the sporty WF-SP700N, which is also the category's first racket-cancelling model. Sadly, those buds never lived up to their billing as an "AirPods Killer," nor equally a dandy pair of sound-silencing wireless earbuds.

Merely this failure didn't stop Sony from moving forward with a successor – an upgraded version with a classier aesthetic, better sound, more than features and, yep, quality noise cancellation. Enter the WF-1000XM3. Aye, the AirPods Pro offers noise cancelling, too, along with a water-resistant pattern, but Sony offers longer battery life.

Does Sony's more contempo attempt accept more success? Keep reading our Sony WF-1000XM3 review to find out.

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Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Cost and availability

The MSRP of the Sony WF-1000XM3 is $230, but a lot of retailers are currently selling the buds for $179. That's even cheaper than the AirPods Pro, and beats newer ANC true wireless headphones like the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro too.

Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Design

In terms of pattern, the WF-1000XM3 is an caused gustation. The buds aren't as discreet every bit the Jabra Elite 65t or the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless, occupying more ear real estate than one might desire. At the same fourth dimension, Sony made the design flatter and slimmer, which gives the buds a sophisticated mystique that will draw admiration from gawkers. The chichi colorways likewise cistron into its entreatment. Both black and white versions wait sexy in person with the copper accents adding a impact of elegance to its overall appearance.

Keep in heed that the WF-1000XM3 is congenital specifically for casual listening, not fitness. The casing doesn't support water-resistant protection like the WF-SP700N, yet information technology's notwithstanding sturdy plenty to survive tumbles onto the concrete.

The charging case is every bit attractive as the buds. From a glance, it bears the look of a sleek cigarette holder when held to the side. The two-tone black-and-copper colorway gives it some pop, likewise.

Arranged with the earbuds and case are a USB-C charging cable and two types of earbuds (silicone and retention foam), three pairs of each in different sizes. That is a off-white number of accessories for the request price.

Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Comfort and fit

Each bud weighs practically nothing at 0.3 ounces,. The angled sound port with soft ear tips rested gently on my ears and provided peachy comfort. Fatigue never set up in when sporting them past the one-hour mark.

Great condolement doesn't ever equal keen fit, as the WF-1000XM3 experience loose in the ears. I have pocket-sized ear canals, and the buds would constantly slip out during boring-paced walks. Using the memory cream tips kept the buds slightly more than stable. Word of advice: don't tilt your head sideways or the buds will hit the footing fast.

Another part of the comfort puzzle is the charging case. Sony'southward case is more elongated than thick, so you'll at least be able to slide information technology into denim pockets, though it will stick out at the elevation. The case is listed at 2.8 ounces, making it heftier than the AirPods instance (ane.4 ounces), but falling into a similar weight grade as the Elite Active 65t case (2.3 ounces).

Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Touch controls

Sony's flagship over-ear headphones, the WH-1000XM3, proved the company could practise affect controls correct. With the WF-1000XM3, non so much. The tap gestures and on-ear detection don't operate as well as they exercise on the AirPods.

The circle at the end of each bud serves as the touch panel. Unfortunately, y'all can select only one function to enable on each bud, which you tin assign on the Sony Headphones app. The functions include playback, Google Banana, Ambient Sound Control or None Assigned, which only allows for "pairing and operations during calls."

Whatever you choose to assign, the touch commands operate as follows: play/break/enable listening modes (1x tap), forward track/answer call/decline call/digital banana notifications (2x tap), skip-dorsum track (3x tap) and enable digital assistant (cover touch panel). Wait, no onboard volume controls? That's correct. You'll have to adjust volume levels manually through your audio source.

The controls aren't responsive, peculiarly when trying to enable the listening modes. On-ear detection would work just half of the time, struggling to recognize whether I removed the buds from my ears or placed them back on.

All negatives bated, the bear on console is a lot more than intuitive than it initially seemed. For instance, I found it worked better when using slide gestures instead of taps. This technique made it easier to cycle through listening modes and control playback.

Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Noise cancellation

When information technology comes to noise counterfoil in the truly wireless space, the options are scant. It's either this or the WF-SP700N, which doesn't filter out noise well. Comparing it to ANC titans similar the Bose 700 or the latest Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, the engineering science isn't every bit powerful, just it's resiliently constructive.

Apparently, Sony added a second dissonance-cancelling mic to each earbud to meliorate operation. The proof is in the specs, as the WF-1000XM3 kept environmental fracas mostly to a minimum. I barely noticed the screeching on the tracks every bit the train pulled into the station, forth with the rowdy passengers in my crowded car. Being out on the streets was even quieter with truck horns and rushing cars going unheard.

However, the buds can go on out just so much ambient noise. They do selection up louder frequencies and rumblings (e.g., ambulance horns and construction sites). Over-the-ear racket-cancelling headphones are better equipped for those tasks.

Sony programmed another listening fashion into these buds called Ambient Sound, which lets you hear your environs more conspicuously. It doesn't work too every bit the Elite Active 65t.

Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Audio performance

Yous either honey or hate Sony'southward smash-bastic sound profile. With the WF-1000XM3, it'due south a sound that you'll comprehend, thanks to better-balanced bass that opens up the soundstage to cleaner mids and highs.

U2'due south "Dominicus Bloody Sunday" is given the warm-sounding resonance it deserves. Whereas about earbuds would blanket some of the track's sonic elements (east.g., crashing cymbals), the WF-1000XM3 accentuates them, blending nicely with the ambitious snares and Bono's commanding vocal projection. The bass lick and horn section on The Spinners' "I'll Exist Effectually" also sounded as clear as on the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless, and better than the AirPods or the Elite Active 65t.

Something that really defenseless my ears was the WF-1000XM3's great audio reproduction. I could hear the singled-out imperfections on mono recordings with stiff bass content. This was evident when listening to the Wu-Tang Association'due south "Enter the 36 Chambers," which stimulated nostalgic vibes every bit the buds mirrored the album's pure, unfiltered sound to perfection. The groundwork static and choppy censors on "Protect Ya Cervix" speak for themselves.

Ideally, you will want to listen to music with noise cancellation on, which I'm happy to study does not diminish sound quality. This will increment the bass levels. The low end takes a dip in ambience fashion, but still packs a punch.

Truthful audiophiles might gravitate more than toward the Momentum Truthful Wireless' spacious audio, but even with its boomier presence, the WF-1000XM3 sounds amazing.

Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Special features

Those who own a electric current pair of Sony wireless headphones should be familiar with the costless Sony Headphones app. It's a must-download for iOS and Android users that augments the listening experience on multiple levels, from control direction to sound customization.

Listeners have the pick to play with the congenital-in EQ and create their own sound profile or choose from nine different presets: Bright, Excited, Mellow, Relaxed, Vocal, Treble Boost, Bass Boost, Speech and Manual (aka default). Each lends itself well to specific music genres; Bass Boost and Treble Boost are geared toward hip-hop heads, whereas Vocal will appease doo-wop/Motown lovers.

You can as well adjust the Ambient Sound levels to let in as much background noise as you want when playing music. Other features to play around with include the Automatic Ability Off setting, playback controls, firmware updates and a Sound Quality mode to prioritize sound over stable connection (and vice versa).

The other notable feature on these buds is Google Assistant Integration. The digital assistant is besides available for utilise on iOS devices via app. Google's AI bot works well, supporting solid speech recognition. My voice commands were heard and met with fast results.

Siri is bachelor for use on the WF-1000XM3, but only on uniform iOS devices (iPhones/iPad), not macOS (MacBook).

Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Battery life

Sony rates battery life at up to 6 hours with dissonance cancelling on and eight hours with it off. The WF-1000XM3 held up its finish of the bargain, giving me enough juice over the past iii days to savour Spotify without recharging. Even with the buds 70% charged out of the box, I managed about 2.5 hours of use daily before tossing them into the example.

Speaking of which, the charging instance produces three complete charging cycles, which equates to 18 hours. The case's charging time completion could be lower (approximately 3.5 hours), simply that it supports USB-C and quick charging softens the blow: A x-minute charge gets you lot 90 minutes of use.

Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Call quality and connectivity

For wireless earbuds engineered with such powerful circuitry, the WF-1000XM3 is not a good calling headset. My kickoff few calls were disastrous as the mics were muted for some odd reason. I checked my smartphone settings and the Sony app to confirm that everything was fine.

When the buds finally worked, my girlfriend complained about hearing keyboard clatter in the background, equally well as my vox cutting out several times and sounding deadened. The few times I was aural, she said information technology sounded like I had my mouth covered. Taking calls outside was worse, with my parents distracted by the ambient noises around me.

On the plus side, the buds support Bluetooth v.0 and NFC to make pairing seamless, for the well-nigh part. The latter characteristic requires removing the buds from the example, just it'southward no hassle. Only identify your smartphone on the case's NFC symbol and you'll be connected. Yous tin pair to devices through the Headphones app as well.

Whichever setup you lot choose, the buds hold a potent connexion. I enjoyed up to 38 feet of wireless listening away from my smartphone. Stuttering simply occurred when stepping out of range.

Sony WF-1000XM3 review update

Thank you to a contempo update, Amazon Alexa and on-board volume control is now available on the Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds. In addition, you can also check the buds battery level via Sony Headphones Connect, the gratis companion app.

Sony WF-1000XM3 review: Verdict

The Sony WF-1000XM3 is more than just a exercise-over done correct for the make (I'm looking at you, WF-SP700N). It's a true wireless triumph that successfully combines stellar sonics with impressive noise cancellation. A plethora of features and solid battery life also elevate its condition among the aristocracy. These Sony'south easily earn a spot on our best wireless earbuds listing.

Deep, rich bass and tonal residual give the WF-1000XM3 an edge over the AirPods and the Aristocracy Agile 65t in the audio section. Equally amazing as it sounds, noise cancellation remains the buds' true X factor. Even if its predecessor is its only truthful competitor in the product category, the WF-1000XM3 does a solid job of blocking out loud noises to enjoy music.

But the WF-1000XM3 has a few drawbacks that concord it back from absolute domination. It could have benefited from physical buttons (certainly a volume rocker at the top); the unreliable touch on controls make telephone call management and playback frustrating at times. The loose fit and poor call quality are also major letdowns.

More than: Apple AirPods Pro vs. Sony WF-1000XM3: Which ANC earbuds win?

A lifestyle journalist with an analogousness for consumer products, Alex has over a decade of experience and has worked with pop publications such every bit Complex, Thrillist, Men's Health, Gear Patrol, AskMen, and Hoop Magazine. He currently focuses on audio, reviewing the most coveted headphones in the market for both Tom's Guide and Laptop Magazine.