Last month, The Walkman Blog discovered the YY2963 at the FCC, which it reasoned was the replacement for Sony's WF-1000XM4. Now, the website has published photos of the forthcoming WF-1000XM5 that highlight some of the design changes from its predecessor. In short, the WF-1000XM5 appear to have a more compact body than the WF-1000XM4, which was in itself a more ergonomic alternative to the WF-1000XM3.
To that end, the earbuds have a more rounded bottom for improved comfort. Additionally, Sony has dropped the colour-contrasting microphone grille from the WF-1000XM4, although the proximity sensor remains. Sony may be switching to a dual-driver design too, which has become more common among TWS earbuds in the last few years. Sony has maintained its single-driver approach until now though, as with the LinkBuds S.
Moreover, Sony has updated the charging case, which still supports wireless charging. According to The Walkman Blog, the charging case also has a pairing button, with Sony likely removing the pairing option from the earbuds themselves. Unfortunately, other details remain unknown for the time being, such as pricing and a release date.