Microsoft readies new Surface Headphones with 20 hours of battery life, improved head tracking, Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX support

It has been almost eighteen months since Microsoft unveiled the Surface Headphones, its answer to the Sony WH-1000XM3 and Bose QC35 II. With Bose having already released its 700 headphones and Best Buy confirming the imminent launch of the WH-1000XM4, Microsoft has some new noise-cancelling over-ear headphones too.

Brought to our attention by Windows Latest documents published the FCC confirm that "no changes have been made to...the layout and antennas" of the upcoming headphones. Hence, the new Surface Headphones will look identical to the ones that Microsoft currently sells. 

However, Microsoft has made plenty of internal changes. Outlined in another document, Microsoft outlined three of these as follows:

• Change 1: Addition of IMU sensors for better head detection / tracking
• Change 2: Update BT version
• Change 3: Update antenna gain

According to a separate filing with the Bluetooth SIG  Microsoft has updated the Surface Headphones to Bluetooth 5.0 and has added aptX support. Additionally, battery life has improved by two hours up to twenty hours. The filing mentions that the headphones will return the predecessor's rotary dials, but that Microsft has changed the "levels of noise cancellation to three settings". The new Surface Headphones will still support tap and hold functionality to summon a voice assistant.

Microsoft has requested the FCC to keep photos of the new headphones confidential until the end of July, too. Tentatively, expect to see Microsoft unveil its new Surface Headphones later this month alongside the Surface Go 2 and Surface Book 3.