Sony WF-1000XM6 unlikely to launch alongside WH-1000XM6 later this year

Rumours about Sony releasing successors to the WF-1000XM6 and WH-1000XM6 have been rumbling along for a while now. In part, this may be because Sony has not revealed any new WH-1000 or WF-1000 hardware since May 2023 when it unveiled the WF-1000XM5 (curr. $248 on Amazon).

By contrast, the WH-1000XM5 is nearing its third birthday, having been presented under two years after the WH-1000XM4. As a result, there were suggestions that Sony was planning to introduce the WH-1000XM6 and WF-1000XM6 this year in a synchronisation of release years for the WH-1000X and WF-1000X series.

Reportedly, Sony was working towards delivering both devices before July 2025. Recent evidence suggests that the WH-1000XM6 and WF-1000XM6 will not be launching simultaneously though, as proved the case with the LinkBuds Open and LinkBuds Fit last autumn.

So far, only the WH-1000XM6 has surfaced at regulatory bodies, starting with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US. There have now been repeated sightings of the same device, which Sony appears to be developing alongside the WF-C710N. In comparison, the WF-1000XM6 has not been spotted in any regard. Thus, it seems increasingly likely that Sony will stagger the release of the WF-1000XM6 and WH-1000XM6, with the latter arriving at least a month before the former.