Sony Wf 1000xm3 True Wireless Test

Sony has plenty of experience making great headsets, and upon its release, the Sony WF-1000XM3 was good enough to make the AirPods Pro sweat. While the WF-1000XM3 is showing its historic period, especially next to its younger blood brother the Sony WF-1000XM4, the XM3 remains a slap-up headset. It shares many of the same features every bit the visitor's latest flagship earphones for nigh one-half the price.

Nosotros initially spent ii weeks with the WF-1000XM3, so we could tell you all about what'southward good, peachy, and only okay. Fourth dimension to see how the WF-1000XM3 holds up today.

Editor's notation: this Sony WF-1000XM3 review was updated on April 18, 2022, to give information about our testing, update comparisons, update formatting, and to add a department on the Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless and Jabra Elite 4 Active to alternatives.

Listeners who are enticed by the Sony WH-1000XM3 or Sony WH-1000XM4 noise cancelling capabilities, only need a meaty class factor will enjoy these truthful wireless earbuds. It'due south as portable equally ANC applied science gets and residuum comfortably thanks to the ergonomic three-bespeak fit and non-skid rubber nozzle.
General consumers who don't mind paying a premium for something premium. These handily outperform the AirPods (3rd generation); plus, they're a fleck cheaper than the latter.
Non sweaty listeners. These earbuds offer zero sweat resistance; they don't even have a nano-blanket to wick h2o abroad. If they malfunction, you're stranded without a paddle, so if yous intend to practise with them, y'all may want defended conditioning earbuds instead.

What'south it similar to utilise the Sony WF-1000XM3?

Let'due south commencement by judging a book by its cover: whether you get for the silverish or black version, these earbuds radiate sophistication. The understated design exudes Sony'south conviction in its latest production. The pill-shaped earbuds have three contact points designed to comfortably distribute pressure along the outer ear. These are by far and abroad some of the virtually comfortable earbuds I've worn when paired with the default ear tips.

A picture of a woman wearing the Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds and reaching for the touch panel of the left 'bud.

Bear on controls are customizable via Sony's Headphone Connect app.

Nether the hood, the earbuds utilize a dual-microphone assortment to gainsay external noise. This updated system is far more constructive than the visitor'southward WF-SP800N noise cancelling earbuds, just that isn't saying much. The WF-1000XM3 also features a QN1e processer. This facilitates 24-chip audio betoken processing while acting as a DAC. Sony claims this too improves free energy efficiency, pregnant you get to enjoy extended listening times.

Just similar its over-ear sibling, you tin enter a conversation at a moment's notice without removing the earbuds. Holding a finger over the left earbud decreases the volume and allows ambient noise through. It works, merely I experience rude doing that rather than but removing an earbud. After all, the earbuds back up automatic ear detection, something we've seen in the AirPods (3rd generation), Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, and Beats Powerbeats Pro. This allows the proximity sensor in each earbud to detect insertion and removal, thereby playing and pausing music accordingly. I prefer this method over the Galaxy Buds': you only need to remove 1 of the Sony earbuds to automatically break playback whereas Samsung'due south earbuds require you to remove both simultaneously.

A picture of the Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds in the palm of a left hand with a beige book and leather watch on a table in the background.

The earbuds don't offering whatsoever sweat resistance, which may exist an issue for anyone living in a humid climate.

While the charging case's design is classy, it's also stocky. Like many competitors' charging cases, Sony's features a magnetic interior that secures the earbuds onto the charging pins. The case itself doesn't require much endeavor to open. Certainly newer manufacturer offerings calibration back the size in comparison.

How do you command the Sony WF-1000XM3?

Touch on controls are accessible from either earbud. Past default, double-tapping the left earbud alternates between noise cancelling and ambient sound modes, while double-tapping the correct earbud skips tracks. Y'all tin plan the controls to summon your vocalism assistant of choice—whether it be the Google Banana, Amazon Alexa, or Apple'south Siri. Feel free to remap these functions using the Sony Headphones Connect app.

Is the Sony Headphones Connect app necessary?

A picture of the Sony WF-1000XM3 extra ear tips on a black table.

Sony provides plenty of ear tips, ensuring you'll find the proper fit.

The earbuds volition function fine without the Headphones Connect app (iOS/Android). If you want to EQ the sound, customize controls, or brand other adjustments, you'll need to download it though. One of the worthwhile features information technology supports is adaptive sound control. This automatically modifies ambient sound settings to your environment. For instance, if you're in an aerodrome, ANC may be increased whereas it may be decreased in the repose of your ain home.

How practise yous connect the Sony WF-1000XM3 to your smartphone?

A picture of the Sony WF-1000XM3 earbuds on a beige book with the closed charging case closed in the background.

You tin can pair the earbuds via NFC or the traditional Bluetooth pairing process. They can only connect to one device at a fourth dimension.

You tin pair the Sony true wireless earbuds via NFC or the traditional Bluetooth pairing method. Either works perfectly fine. The earbuds operate via Bluetooth 5.0 and support a 10-meter wireless range. Generally speaking, connection strength is impressive, perhaps due to the new antenna placement inside each housing. Yous can't connect to more than than 1 device simultaneously, though.

The curious instance of Bluetooth codec support is perplexing: AAC and SBC are supported but not Sony's own LDAC nor any of the aptX codecs. However, DSEE HX functionality upscales compressed sound files, somewhat explaining the omission.

Editor's note: Previously, DSEE HX functionality would not work when EQ settings were active. However, cheers to the latest update (Version 3.0.0.), you lot tin can now use DSEE HX and EQ simultaneously.

How long does the battery last on the Sony WF-1000XM3?

A photo comparing the relative size of the Sony WF-1000XM3's case with the Sony WF-1000XM4's.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 (right) has a much smaller instance than that of the Sony WF-1000XM3 (left). Yous can read our Sony WF-1000XM3 vs WF-1000XM4 article hither.

According to our objective testing, the earbuds allow for iv hours, 46 minutes of constant playback with noise cancelling on. The earbuds back up quick charging: 10 minutes affords ninety minutes of playback, which is smashing for long plane rides. Once the earbud batteries are fully tuckered, it takes 90 minutes to consummate a charge bicycle and 3-4 hours to fully charge the case, which provides an boosted three charges to the buds. Just like the Sony WH-1000XM3, the WF-1000XM3 example uses an included USB-C cable for charging.

No, the WF-1000XM3 case does not support wireless charging.

Is the noise cancelling any good on the Sony WF-1000XM3?

An active noise cancelling chart for the Sony WF-1000XM3 true wireless earbuds, which shows a decent degree of passive isolation and minimal noise cancellation.

As the chart depcits, racket cancelling isn't great hither compared to other premium ANC earphones.

The earbuds take average passive isolation and but okay active dissonance cancelling. When you get a skillful fit with the ear tips, frequencies above 1kHz will sound anywhere from ane-tertiary to one-sixteenth equally loud as they would without the earbuds. Though, this kind of performance requires you to sample the ear tips to get the best fit. Doing so will likewise maximize the so-and then ANC performance.

You won't discover a big difference when you toggle ANC on/off and might equally well go something more affordable and effective like the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2. When the WF-1000XM3 debuted, it was amongst the all-time noise cancelling wireless earbuds, simply alternatives from Sennheiser, Bose, and Jabra have since surpassed the ANC on the WF-1000XM3.

How does the Sony WF-1000XM3 audio?

A frequency response chart for the Sony WF-1000XM3 (cyan) noise cancelling true wireless earbuds, which shows output that deviates from our consumer curve V2 (pink), particularly with midrange and treble reproduction.

The Sony WF-1000XM3 (cyan) has a slight bum at 100Hz relative to our consumer curve (pinkish).

The WF-1000XM3 sounds slap-up. Bass frequencies receive a bit of a bump as do the mids. That manner, vocal masking from low-end sounds is minimal equally the frequency ranges are about the same loudness. Regardless of what genre I listen to, all instruments come up through clearly. The highs somewhat mimic our house bend, while bass and mids receive slight exaggeration.

Lows, mids, and highs

In Chastity Brown'southward vocal Colorado, her vocals remain clear throughout the track. Even when a equus caballus of instruments accompanies her vocalization during the 0:53 mids are clear. When she raises her pitch at the finish of the word "follow" (1:14) is a bit difficult to hear but you'll only notice if you're already familiar with the song. She stair-steps her pitch upward and the terminal syllable becomes lost behind the drums. Thanks to the appropriate treble boost, it's easy to hear the recurring tambourine hits during the choruses.

The Sony WF-1000XM3 boosts all the right frequency ranges with plenty restraint to prevent overblown percussion and ear-splitting highs. I quite enjoyed the alterations over a neutral audio i may look from studio cans. When using these on a four-hour flight, the exaggerated bass coupled with the noise cancelling and isolation made it easy to hear a given song'due south key elements.

Concord up! Something's unlike:

Nosotros've been updating our testing, and the microphone demo for this commodity does not use our new standardized method. Nosotros take since purchased a Bruel & Kjaer 5128 test fixture (and the appropriate support equipment) to update our testing and information collection. It will have a while to update our excess of quondam test results, but nosotros volition update this article (and many others!) in one case nosotros're able with improved sound quality measurements and isolation operation plots. These volition exist made obvious with our new chart artful (blackness background instead of white).

Give thanks you for bearing with united states of america, and nosotros promise to encounter you again once we've sorted everything out.

Is the Sony WF-1000XM3 microphone good for phone calls?

The mic system is good enough for full general use. The person on the other line tin can tell y'all're using a headset, merely voices are relayed well enough and through both earpieces. My mom and friends never tell me that I'm inaudible. When I sit exterior to take a call, my friends can hear the wind, traffic, and surrounding passersby though. Of course, you can determine for yourself if the microphone quality is passable for you lot. It may exist fine for extended business calls, just make sure you're in a tranquility space.

Sony WF-1000XM3 microphone demo:

Editor's notation: Sony released software update two.ane.0 on Jan 13, 2020, which makes improvements to hands-complimentary call quality. Previous updates included Amazon Alexa support, on-board volume adjustments, connection quality improvements on iOS, and general stability improvements.

How do these sound to you lot?

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Should you purchase the Sony WF-1000XM3?

Close-up image of a Sony WF-1000XM3 earbud with the touch panel clearly visible.

The WF-1000XM3 earbud nozzles are angled, which alleviates pressure along the ear canal.

The Sony WF-1000XM3 is still a great option, and the lowered price sweetens the deal. If you want a solid set of true wireless earbuds that includes a stylish, though big, charging case, good sound quality, and comfortable fit, the WF-1000XM3 may exist just correct for yous.

However, if y'all have cash to burn the Sony WF-1000XM4 is the better pick as its Bluetooth five.2 firmware futureproofs information technology for a bit longer, and information technology supports LDAC, something sorely missing from the WF-1000XM3. Other standout new features include an IPX4 rating, much better ANC, and improved battery life.

Sony WF-1000XM3

All prices listed in USD unless otherwise specified. Prices may change over time, and vary by region. Unfortunately, we cannot list Amazon prices on the site, as they vary greatly by currency.

Our full-length versus slice reveals the Sony WF-1000XM3 to exist the amend earphones when compared to the Apple AirPods Pro, but it comes down to a matter of personal preference. Unless ANC is your priority, in which case the AirPods Pro has the better noise cancelling.

If you desire the best noise cancelling full wireless earphones currently on the market yous demand its younger brother but, the Sony WF-1000XM3 nonetheless has a lot to offering, including good isolation and sound quality. iPhone users may have different priorities, however, such equally ease of use. By remaining in the Apple ecosystem for all you're technology, you benefit from the smoothest user feel out there. From initial pairing to switching between source devices, nix compares to using Apple tree H1 chip products in tandem with ane some other.

What'southward more, if you want to take the option to do with your earphones worry-gratuitous, the Apple AirPods Pro is the amend buds considering they're officially IPX4-certified. Listeners who want better sound quality come about even with matching sound quality scores of a very proficient 9.7.

A tertiary option is the Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen), which retails for significantly less than Apple or Sony products. The Echo Buds use agile noise cancelling which works surprisingly well to serenity external noise. Alexa integration makes it easy to control your smart dwelling house and have incoming messages read aloud the aforementioned way Google Assistant or Siri does.

(Click the image to expand.)

Consider the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds instead

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds noise cancelling true wireless earbuds next to the Bose Sport Earbuds for a size comparison.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds (left) are bulkier than the Bose Sport Earbuds (right).

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are about every bit large as the Sony WF-1000XM3, and likewise feature dissonance cancelling. The QC Earbuds sport a minimalist design inherited from the company's preimum ANC headphones, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and Bose QuietComfort 45. If you don't want to splurge on ANC tech, you lot tin save quite a bit of coin and space with the Sport Earbuds.

The Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless is a slap-up option also

The Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless earbuds lay on a wooden bench outside, paired to a Google Pixel 4a running the Sennheiser Smart Control app.

The app experience handles most of the feature you want.

You tin can also try the more recent and upkeep-friendly, Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless. With newer tech on board, it has markedly ameliorate ANC than the WF-1000XM3.For the athletes out there the IPX4 rating ought to keep the buds prophylactic from sweat.

The CX Plus True Wireless sells for around the aforementioned price equally the WF-1000XM3, but with features similar aptX codec for Android users looking for higher quality audio. Yous don't get extra 360 Audio that the WF-1000XM3 has onboard, so if that's a real selling indicate for yous skip the Sennheiser.

The Jabra Elite Active 75t is a great pair of workout earbuds

A picture of the Jabra Elite Active 75t true wireless workout earbuds (navy) on a leather surface with the charging case open in the background.

Jabra's workout earphones are expensive merely well worth it for listeners looking for versatile earbuds with fantastic microphone quality.

If you need a pair of truthful wireless earbuds that needs active noise cancellingand a waterproof design, expect no further than the Jabra Aristocracy Active 75t. It offers a solid IP57 build and skillful connection performance. You lot too have access to powerful sound customization via the Jabra Sound+ App for Android and iOS. For really expert noise cancelling, y'all'll take to spring for the Jabra Aristocracy 85t.

Finally, Jabra has been filling out its range with products like the relatively inexpensive Elite iv Agile which packs a lot into an affordable package. It ships decked out with IP57 rating, aptX (for Android, but no AAC for Apple), proficient ANC, and a overnice frequency response. If y'all don't demand racket cancelling, check out the Jabra Elite 3.

Frequently asked questions nigh Sony WF-1000XM3

The Sony WF-1000XM3 earbud panels are about double the size of the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus earbud touch panels. The Sony case is also much larger than Samsung's.

Aye, though whether or non these volition piece of work well with your calculator depends on its hardware.

360 Reality Audio is Sony'south approach to object-based spatial sound technology. In other words, information technology'due south in-ear surround sound that delivers an immersive audio experience; as if y'all're listening to music at a live concert. The Sony WF-1000XM3 supports this feature, though it is only compatible with select streaming services including Tidal (HiFi subscription), Deezer, and nugs.net.

Aye, the Sony WF-1000XM3 work with whatsoever laptop or tablet device with Bluetooth. TVs are dissimilar story as not all support Bluetooth. If your specific TV model does, then yes, you should be able to go through the settings and connect to the earphones.

Yes! You can engage mono listening with the Sony WF-1000XM3 past removing simply one earbud from the headset. The selected earbud will then connect to your previously paired device and you tin heed from bed or walk effectually and remain enlightened of your environs.

To initiate pairing for the starting time time with the Sony WF-1000XM3, remove both earbuds from the charging case and brand sure the LEDs on the housings are flashing blue. Enter your smartphone'southward Bluetooth menu and scan for available devices. "WF-1000XM3" should appear every bit an option, select it and allow the devices to connect. If you're pairing the headset to a new, secondary device, remove the earbuds from the case. Press and hold both touch panels for seven seconds; the left earbud will relay a notification proverb, "Bluetooth pairing." From here, you lot tin do the same equally before: enter your phone'south Bluetooth card and search for a new device, select the "WF-1000XM3." This works with an iPhone or Android smartphone.

Unfortunately, the Sony WF-1000XM3 true wireless earbuds do non back up multipoint connectivity as they tin can only be continued to 1 device at a fourth dimension. They can, yet, "remember" upward to viii devices; although you have to manually switch between devices, doing and so should be rather firsthand.

The case'southward dimensions are as follows: 142 x 119 10 64 mm. Here is a flick of the case next to a Google Pixel iii for reference. It tin fit in a men's pant pocket all right, only won't fit comfortably in nigh women'due south pants pockets.

Yes! In that location'south simply no guarantee that your sweat or dust won't find its way in. Nosotros've all had good luck with earphones atSoundGuys, but nosotros prefer them to have IP ratings on the off-take a chance nosotros have to RMA/repair them.

Yes, the earphones may connect to both Android and iOS devices. In order to make the initial connexion, remove both earbuds from the charging case and open your device's Bluetooth menu. Make sure that Bluetooth is turned on and that your source device is scanning for bachelor devices. The Sony WF-1000XM3 should appear as an choice, and when they do, click them in the menu.