Sony WH-1000XM5: Hands-on photos emerge confirming packaging and design change but only battery life on par with the WH-1000XM4

Last month, Technik News shared marketing images of the WH-1000XM5, Sony's next premium pair of over-ear headphones. As expected, the images bear an updated design compared to the WH-1000XM4 and its predecessors. Additionally, the website alleged that Sony had made several hardware changes, such as new drivers and even longer battery life.

While FCC documentation supported this, hands-on pictured with the WH-1000XM5 tell a different story. As one image below shows, Sony will market the WH-1000XM5 as offering 30 hours of battery life, a runtime that matches the WH-1000XM4. Unfortunately, the packaging does not elaborate on whether this battery life estimate includes ANC being enabled or disabled.

Either way, 30 hours is 10 hours short of the runtime that Technik News claimed that the WH-1000XM5 would deliver. Unsurprisingly, the WH-1000XM5 will support 360 Reality Audio and Hi-Res Audio, along with Amazon Alexa and OK Google functionality. Incidentally, Sony has extended its environmental packaging initiative to the WH-1000X series, introduced last year with the WF-1000XM4.

Unfortunately, pricing and availability have still yet to leak. However, the appearance of hands-on photos suggests that Sony is close to announcing the headphones. For reference, Sony announced the WF-1000XM4 in June 2021, so we could be about a month away from the arrival of the WH-1000XM5.

Purchase the Sony WF-1000XM4 on Amazon