Sony WH-1000XM6 Review: Still the headphones to beat

Sony’s WH-1000XM6 has finally arrived in India, and if you just glance at them, they look almost identical to the XM5. You get the same clean lines, and that iconic minimalist style. But wear them for a few days and you start noticing the small things.

The audio has a bit more clarity, some of the nagging issues from the XM5 are gone, and the whole experience feels smoother. It’s not some dramatic redesign, and Sony clearly wasn’t chasing that. Instead, it feels like they’ve taken something that already worked really well and just tuned it further. Nothing loud or flashy, just quiet, steady improvements.

Sony WH-1000XM6 unboxing and design: a smarter, travel-friendly refresh

Sony packs the WH-1000XM6 in the same eco-friendly box we’ve come to expect — recycled paper, barely any plastic, but still solid enough to keep the headphones safe. Inside, you don’t get much fluff, just the essentials: the headphones themselves, a short USB-C cable for charging, an aux cable, and the carrying case. The airplane adapter is no longer included, which honestly makes sense since most airlines don’t even use the old two-prong setup anymore.

The case is slimmer and closes with a neat magnetic latch. It does not flatten quite like the WH-1000XM4 case, but it slides into a backpack cleanly and does not feel like carrying a hard brick. It is the sort of everyday upgrade you notice the second you leave the house.

At a glance, the XM6 looks very much like the XM5. The matte finish and restrained Sony aesthetic remain, which is no bad thing. Wear them for a while and the refinements come through.

The headband is a touch broader and spreads weight more evenly, and the earcups are very slightly elongated to give the ears extra breathing space without adding bulk. A sturdier metal accent on the hinge adds confidence when you handle them. The scale reads about 254 grams, which puts the XM6 right alongside the Bose QC Ultra and comfortably lighter than Apple’s AirPods Max.

Comfort is where Sony keeps its edge. On a two-and-a-half-hour flight to Goa, the XM6 settled in and disappeared after take-off. The cushions are soft, the clamp is controlled, and isolation is strong without feeling tight.

After a couple of hours there is a bit of warmth, which is expected with over-ears. A welcome throwback is the way the cups swivel inward again when the headphones rest around your neck; the XM5’s outward flare always felt awkward.

The colour choices this time includes silver, black, and midnight blue. Sony claims a fingerprint-resistant finish, although the blue unit still shows smudges more readily than you might like.

Sony WH-1000XM6 touch controls and usability: refined simplicity

The WH-1000XM6 doesn’t really bother with a lot of buttons. On the left cup you’ve got the power switch and, just above it, a different-shaped one for noise cancelling so you don’t mix them up. That’s also where the 3.5mm jack lives if you ever want to go wired.

The right cup has the USB-C port for charging. Everything else is handled by touch. You swipe to jump tracks, tap to pause or play, and slide your finger for volume.

I usually hate these kinds of controls since they miss half the time, but Sony’s work really well. On the XM6 every gesture registered the way it should, no random misfires.

Sony WH-1000XM6 features: smarter, cleaner, and future-ready

The WH-1000XM6 comes stacked with features, but none of it feels over the top. Bluetooth 5.3 keeps connections stable, and you can stay hooked to your phone and laptop at the same time, which makes life easier if you’re bouncing between calls and music. Codec support covers SBC, AAC, and LDAC, and Sony has even thrown in Bluetooth LE Audio with LC3. Hardly anything supports it right now, but it’s nice to know the headphones are ready when it does.

DSEE Extreme is back too, cleaning up compressed tracks and giving them a fuller, high-res feel. Sony has also borrowed some tech from its Walkman series to cut down interference, and it shows — the sound stays clear and well separated.

Most of the extra tweaking happens in Sony’s Headphones Connect app. You can adjust the EQ, play with noise cancelling, or let Adaptive Sound Control do its thing. The app isn’t the prettiest and feels a bit clunky, but you won’t spend much time in it anyway.

And then there’s Background Music mode, a fun little extra. Switch it on and the sound spreads out, like it’s coming from small speakers nearby instead of straight into your ears. I tried it with Tame Impala’s Let It Happen and it really did give the track a different vibe. It’s not a must-use feature, but it’s the kind of playful touch that makes the XM6 feel more enjoyable day to day.

Sony WH-1000XM6 noise cancelling and call quality: sharper and smarter

The WH-1000XM6 finally gets a serious hardware brain boost. Sony has swapped in its new QN3 processor, which is around seven times faster than the previous chip. Paired with a dozen microphones, it gives the headphones far more precision in detecting and cancelling unwanted noise.

The results show up quickly. The low, steady hum of an airplane engine gets reduced to a faint background whisper, but what really stands out is how much better the XM6 handles sharper, everyday sounds. The clatter of a keyboard, conversations at the next table, even metro announcements, all of them fade noticeably more than on rival headphones.

Transparency mode is equally refined. Instead of the tinny, artificial passthrough that some brands still struggle with, the XM6 lets voices and environmental sounds through naturally. You can fine-tune this effect across twenty levels or let the headphones do the work automatically. There is also a dedicated voice-priority option, which dials in conversations without flooding your ears with background chaos.

Call quality has seen a big step forward too. On Zoom, the XM6 delivered consistently clear audio without complaints from the other end. Outdoor calls benefitted even more. Sony has reworked the microphone array to cut through wind noise, so your voice comes through sharp and clear while gusts are kept at bay. It is the first time in this series where calls sound as polished as the music.

Sony WH-1000XM6 sound quality and performance: detailed, balanced, and versatile

Sony’s WH-1000XM6 sounds just about how you’d hope a pair of premium Sony headphones would: balanced, detailed, and confident no matter what you throw at them. The 30mm drivers have been reworked with a sturdier dome and some smarter tuning, and you can tell. Vocals feel natural and upfront, instruments don’t blur into each other, and the bass is warm without getting bloated. There’s also just enough sparkle in the highs to add energy without tipping into harshness.

I ran through Kendrick Lamar’s Money Trees, Taylor Swift’s All Too Well (10 Minute Version), and a few of The Weeknd’s tracks, and the XM6 kept everything clean and layered. Background harmonies, faint guitar lines, and little production details — they all came through instead of getting lost. Compared to Sony’s older models, the XM4 delivered heavier bass but at the cost of clarity, while the XM5 leaned toward sharpness but sometimes sounded a bit thin. The XM6 lands right in between, with richness, separation, and punch in equal measure.

Stacked up against the competition, Bose’s QC Ultra is still the most neutral and “classic hi-fi,” while the AirPods Max has sharper detail and the best spatial audio, though they’re heavier and pricier. Sony sits comfortably in the middle; versatile, fun, and still refined enough for serious listening. They’re not flawless, though. Put on something raw and messy like Pixies’ Where Is My Mind and the XM6 tidies it up more than it should.

Out of the box, the sound leans a little warm with extra bass, which works well for long listening sessions. If you want to tweak, Sony’s Headphones Connect app gives you EQ control. There are also extra modes that mimic spaces like cafés and living rooms, plus a cinema preset. For spatial audio, the XM6 supports both Sony’s 360 Reality Audio and Android’s head-tracked system with no fuss.

Sony WH-1000XM6 battery life and charging: long-lasting with speedy top-ups

Battery life is one of the WH-1000XM6’s biggest strengths. Sony rates them for up to 30 hours of playback with noise cancelling active, and in real-world use, they easily lived up to that promise. Over a week of daily listening, including a five-hour flight, I never once had to worry about plugging them in, and there was still charge to spare.

When the battery finally runs low, the quick-charge option really comes in handy. Three minutes on the charger was enough for roughly three hours of listening. In my own test, that short top-up gave me about 11 per cent back, which worked out to just over four hours of playback, more than enough to cover a long commute or keep you entertained while waiting for a flight.

Verdict: Are the Sony WH-1000XM6 worth buying?

Sony’s WH-1000XM series has been the easy answer for years when someone asked me which noise-cancelling headphones to buy, and the XM6 doesn’t change that.

It isn’t a flashy redesign, but the improvements are smart. The noise-cancelling blocks out chatter and typing better than before, the sound holds its own across genres, and they’re comfortable enough to wear for hours without fuss.

The folding design is back, the case feels sturdier, and battery life is more than solid. Sure, the look is familiar and the ₹39,990 price tag will sting a little, but if noise cancelling is your top priority, these are still the ones I’d point you to first.