What's the difference between Sony WF-1000XM6 and WF-1000XM5 earbuds?

Sony released the WF-1000XM6 in February 2026, pricing it at $298 versus $248 for the WF-1000XM5, and the new model features a smaller pill-shaped design, the QN3e audio chip, and DSEE Extreme upscaling. ANC performance suffers on the XM6 due to fit issues, giving the XM5 an edge for noise cancellation. Both earbuds deliver eight hours of listening time with ANC and 24 hours with the case, and the XM5 offers superior call-quality background-noise suppression.