Sony has reveal itsWF-1000XM5flagship wireless earbuds , its in vogue attempt to overlook the true wireless field of battle . And as always with a new newcomer in the market , we seek to compare to it another pair of earphone .
In this typesetter’s case it ’s theApple AirPods Pro 2 . While you might not say that both are verbatim rivals ( Apple is iOS , Sony leans towards Android ) , for some , picking a young true radio may mean a alternative between these two options , especially if you ’re an iOS substance abuser .
With that in judgment , stay on show on to see how the Sony WF-1000XM5 fare against the AirPods Pro 2 .
Price
The Sony WF-1000XM5 are useable from August 24th for the price of £ 259 / $ 299 / € 320 .
The AirPods Pro 2 have been out for long having launched in 2022 for £ 249 / $ 249 / € 299 , but if you have a expression around you could find them for £ 199 .
There are obvious saving on getting the AirPods Pro 2 , though more often that not they can be find for £ 239 , so the difference in price between the two wireless earphones is n’t as big as some might trust .
Design
The WF-1000XM5 ’s blueprint nestles inside the ear while the AirPods Pro 2 utilise a stem - shape that both sits within with the stem perching next to the ear . Both are prosperous to wear out with each bud weighing less than 6 g each , though of the two , the Sony earbuds are sluttish to apply with their touch ascendence .
We still chance the AirPods Pro 2 ’s stalk sensor to be fiddly and not always the most precise , whereas we did n’t have any issues with the WF-1000XM5 ’s ascendency . Both cover volume control so you wo n’t have to take your smartphone out the pocket to control bulk levels .
Both arerated IPX4to safety machine against some urine and swither , and both also come box with surplus minuscule ear - tips to help detect the best fit and seal for the ear ( Sony packs noise - isolation gratuity , Apple includes silicone ear - tips ) . Colour options are black and white for the Sony , while the AirPods Pro 2 come in a glossy white colourway which can attract dirt more easily in our minds .
In price of design , we give the win to the WF-1000XM5 mainly because its controls are easier to use . The fiddly nature of the force sensor is not an vista we enjoy about the AirPods Pro 2 , but if you ’re someone who ’s at ease with those types of controls , you may feel the Apple earbuds are the preferent choice .
Features
The AirPods Pro 2 clique Apple ’s H2 mainframe ( and the U1 chip in the MagSafe case ) . The H2 central processing unit aims to power the disturbance - cancellation and a more three - dimensional speech sound , with an Adaptive EQ that tune medicine in real time to present clear gamey notes and deep , rich bass .
The WF-1000XM5 dramatize a like course of thought . They use the fresh modernise Integrated Processor V2 and HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN2e , that latter suppresses sound with bang-up precision than previous Sony true wireless .
Battery life on the Sony is eight hours per earbud ( 24 in amount ) with noise - cancellation , while with the Apple it ’s six hours and up to 30 with the charging case . Fast - charging and wireless charging are supported by both .
Noise - cancellation on both these pairs is wondrous . The XM5 performs well at inhibit general ambient stochasticity and people ’s voices , and also minimises wind noise on the Underground . The AirPods Pro 2 are arguably just as good with their adaptive ANC and on the tube they effectively quell the racket in the go-cart to much calmer layer .
Both come in with a transparence musical mode , though the Sony offers more control over both noise - cancellation and ambient modes , allowing for a finer degree of control over both . The Apple employ adaptive tech , i.e. it adjusts the strength of the interference - cancellation automatically . One characteristic it has that the Sony does n’t is that when in Transparency fashion it can boil down the impact of cheap racket you encounter during the day .
There ’s more customisation available with the Sony phone , which can be found in the Headphones Connect app . From adjusting the EQ to play with the noise - cancel musical mode , switching voice control services , tweaking the wireless performance and more , the WF-1000XM5 gives users a much wider degree of ascendence over their experience . Apple is quite hard-and-fast by comparing with very small control over the experience .
The AirPods Pro 2 ’s Bluetooth performance is first-class with barely any audio drop-off outs during use . The Sony are a little prostrate to drop outs depending on the mode they ’re in , in exceptional theirLDACmode . The support for LDAC is only available on Android machine , otherwise on iOS , both these headphone let for AAC Bluetooth streaming .
Call quality on the Apple buds is first-class , while it ’s a trivial motley on the WF-1000XM5 , as it can leak in dissonance when you ’re mouth .
We ’d call this one a draw . We reckon the Sony might be better for noise - cancellation but not by a huge amount , and while the WF-1000XM5 have longer battery life , the Apple bud have more in reserve with the charging instance . Call quality is also better in the AirPods Pro 2 , but you do get a much wider range of customisation over the experience with the Sony earbuds .
Sound Quality
The AirPods Pro 2 present music with a richer tone but still offer plenty of detail and lucidness to pick out with music . They manage bass excellently , ensuring that it does n’t overwhelm the residual of the frequency range .
Vocals are warm , politic but also very decipherable in how they ’re presented . They ’re a very confident - sounding pair of true wireless earphone .
The Sony WF-1000XM5 have adopt a more balanced approach to sound than premature generation . Tonally they ’re more even , with perhaps less bass output than the AirPods Pro 2 , but they sound very unclouded and detailed with gamy and low frequencies , and vocal are given plenty of ok particular .
In this case , we would say it calculate on what type of strait you prefer . The Sony WF-1000XM5 auditory sensation more balanced , while the AirPods Pro 2 have a richer character .
Verdict
In terminal figure of which wireless earbud is best , we ’d give it to the Sony WF-1000XM5 . Its feature article count is massively more expanded and they offer an experience that can be customised to how you require it . Its ease of enjoyment in footing of controls is good than the fiddly force sensor on the AirPods Pro 2 .
But the Apple bud offer just call calibre , and if you ’re heavily invest in the iOS ecosystem , they ’re belike the better choice give the iOS specific features they tender . Both are first-class unfeigned radio , though we would say that the Sony WF-1000XM5 have a wider appeal that the AirPods Pro 2 ’s more specific iOS approach shot does not .
