Newly leaked images might be a taste of Sony's next-gen noise-canceling headphones, which will likely be named the WH-1000XM5.
Hot on the heels of a Sonos soundbar leak, we now have what might be the very first images of Sony’s next-generation WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones. The images were published by German tech blog TechnikNews, which claims to have gotten them from an unnamed retailer. The source also suggested that the timing for the announcement of the new Sony cans is imminent.
The images show us several notable design changes from the current WH-1000XM4 , like the adoption of a combined earcup fork and pivot mechanism that is reminiscent of both the Apple AirPods Max, as well as the Jabra Elite 45h. That new assembly extends into a cylinder-shaped headband slider that replaces the current flat design.
Curiously, Sony seems to have moved to a physical switch for its combo power/Bluetooth pairing control from the current press-button arrangement. This could solve one of the minor annoyances we had about the XM4 model — it takes too long to power the headphones on and off because of the need to press and hold that button. A switch might make powering up and down instant.