If you’re looking for an AirPod Pro or Powerbeats Pro alternative, Sony’s WF-1000XM3 true wireless earbuds are where you should be looking. With a sleek black frame with rose-gold accents and plenty of ear-tip options, the WF-1000XM3 headphones can fit any ear and look great doing it. Sony’s previous offering — the WF1000X — gets a serious upgrade with the XM3 offering (they skipped right over XM2) by brining improved battery life, better noise-cancellation, and a ton of unique quirks that make it perfect for music lovers.
Sony WF-1000XM3: The Basics
The Sony WF-1000XM3 true wireless earbuds are matte black with a rose-gold finish on the Sony logo, giving them the professional, techy look that’s come to dominate the current market (like the Plantronics RIG 800LX Wireless Gaming Headset and the Thieaudio Phantom Planar Magnetic Open-Back Over-Ear Headphones.)
There are currently seven earpiece options, giving you a choice of comfortability and fit.
Controlling the earbuds is also a breeze. The right earbud adjusts the audio playback while the left adjusts the volume. There’s also a unique Quick Attention mode that lets you hover your finger over the left earbud to stop the music and play light ambient sounds — letting you quickly catch what someone is saying without stopping the music entirely.
There’s also Google Assistant integration that allows you to get notifications to your headphones and change the volume, check the weather, etc.
The noise cancellation is spectacular with multiple noise-cancellation mics and the QN1e — a dedicated HD noise-canceling processor. For small, completely true wireless earbuds, they drown out busy subways, crowds, and coworkers (thankfully you have that Quick Attention mode to snap you back into reality. Each headphone also separately connects to Bluetooth, allowing you to charge one without missing out on your music.
The battery holds an 8-hour charge (6 with noise-canceling active), and the case has an extra 24 hours of battery top-off to keep you going for a full day. The case is also sleek and rose-gold finished, completing the aesthetic combo.
The music itself sounds fantastic. A combination of 24-bit audio signal processing and Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine HX upscales lossy music and makes the WF-1000XM3 stand out in the heated true wireless headphone market.
Overall, the Sony WF-1000XM3 true wireless headphones bring a fresh entry into the true wireless marketing with impeccable noise-canceling features, tons of battery life, and an outstanding sound.