Sony WF-1000XM3 Review: Almost Perfect True Wireless Earbuds
Sony WF-1000XM3 Review: Almost Perfect True Wireless EarbudsPacks great sound quality, customizable noise cancellation, and strong design—but they aren't without their shortcomings. We tried everything that they offered in 36 hours.
We like this
-
High quality sound
-
Amazing noise cancelling and other features
-
Battery life is amazing
-
Bluetooth connectivity can sometimes be intermittent
-
A bit pricey
-
Official waterproofing is not available
The Sony WF-1000XM3 are amazing earbuds that sound great—when you can get the Bluetooth connectivity working without issue.
The Sony WF1000XM3 was purchased by us so that our expert reviewer could fully test it and evaluate it. Continue reading to see our complete product review.
The WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds from Sony is a major breakthrough in the market. Sony's WF-1000XM3 wireless earbuds are a big hit. They were confusingly called the WH-1000XM3, which was wildly popular. Sony took that design and technology and made a product which competes with Apple AirPods Pro and AirPods Pro. The WF-1000XM3 headphones were my first purchase. I used them for several days. Let's see how they performed.
Related Reading: Jaybird Vista Review: Durable Earbuds For a Rugged Lifestyle
Design: Very sleek and definitely Sony
When I opened the WF-M3s, the first thing that struck me was how they had taken over from the WH100XM3 over-ear headphones. These can be purchased in either black or silver. Both have the classic copper accent tone. The battery case is a great example of this. It is similar in shape to the AirPods Case, but larger and more spacious.
The magnetic lid is flat and sits on top of the case. It's copper-colored which adds a nice touch to the matte black plastic. From a design standpoint, the earbuds are quite unique. The majority of the build consists of a rectangular, flattened enclosure that has a copper accent and includes Sony's logo. This outer form is angled at an angle so the eartips can better fit into your ear canal. Sony took the less-traveled route to true wireless headphones with both the case as well as the earbuds.
Other manufacturers opt to make the earbuds as dangling stems such as the Airpods or smaller footprints such the Galaxy Buds. The earbuds are not hidden in your ears, and I prefer that they don't look like dangling stems. This category wins my vote.
Related Reading: Willful M98 Review: An Affordable Bluetooth Headset For Truckers
Comfort: Could it be better
I am an extremely tough customer when it comes to the fit of my earbuds—a fact that is further amplified when the earbuds are true wireless and could fall to the floor. Comfort is a top priority for the Sony WF1000XM3s. They have silicone ear tips that fit comfortably into the ear. There are three sizes to choose from, as well as three options of foam tips. They aren't just hanging there.
However, I was disappointed that Sony chose an extended enclosure and didn't include an outer-ear fin or wing like other brands. These buds are a bit more fragile than I would like, but they still make great wireless buds. They do make my skin feel a little stuffy, even though they're not the most snug. They are not heavy at 0.3 ounces and they don't feel the lightest.
These earbuds have a consistent theme. Comfort and fit are subjective and can be criticized by Sony. You have more options for customization than if there were no eartips.
They took all I put at them, including the most bass-heavy Hip-Hop music and even the most acoustic songs.
Related Reading: Microsoft Surface Headphones Review: A Premium Set
Build Quality and Durability: Elegant, durable, and premium
This earbud is one of the best parts of having them. It is constructed of soft, matte material with a copper-toned lid. It opens quickly and snaps shut very satisfyingly.
Sony made the earbuds from similar materials and included magnets in the case so that they can be sucked back into their original places. High-quality materials and magnetic features are essential. The Jabra Elite 65t's earbuds had one major problem. They were too small to fit inside of their cases, so opening them took some effort. It is essential to have a simple, straightforward mechanism that does all the common tasks you need.
The WF-1000XM3s don't have an official waterproof rating. This is a major problem. This is a surprising omission considering all the attention paid to the other features. For those users who use earbuds to exercise, this could be an issue. These were brought along to a gym class and didn't appear to have been damaged by sweat. However, it's not something I could be certain they would withstand a hard workout or any precipitation. If you are looking for an all-purpose pair of headphones, this is the place to look.
Sound Quality - Rich and full sound quality.
The WF-100XM3 earbuds have the best sound quality in their class, as is the case for the WH100XM3 overears. There are many wireless earbuds on the market, but I have only seen one that I like better than others.
Closed 0.24 inches are a powerful little speaker. It provides a rich, full-range response over the entire 20-20kHz frequency range. It is rare to find this feature in earbuds. In practice I found it very easy to use, despite the fact that they could handle everything, even heavy-bass hip-hop and acoustic music.
If you are not satisfied with the sound quality these earbuds have, there is a ton of options. Thanks to the Sony earbuds Connect app, which I'll dig into more later, you can actually adjust the EQ with five bands of precision—boosting bass, cutting mids, emphasizing voices, etc. This is combined with adaptive noise cancelling, which gives you the ability to tailor your sound exactly to your preferences. Although it is not directly related to sound quality, I noticed more Bluetooth distortion and stuttering than I would like. It was quite robust when music was being played.
Battery life: Reliable and excellent
For a small package of wireless earbuds like these, manufacturers have made incredible strides in battery life. Bose SoundSport Free offers a battery life of 12-15 hours with the included case. AirPods will give you a complete 24 hour experience with your case.
Sony WF1000XM3 Earbuds provide up to 8 hours of battery life, plus an additional 18 when you add the case. It's a remarkable feat given the volume these tiny drivers produce. Sony admits that these figures are not accurate. They state that noise cancelling will give you a longer battery life and you can get up to six hours of use time if you have a lot to do.
Although I only got 6 hours from the buds, I believe I was getting more than that with the battery case. The exact numbers are difficult to provide as the majority of time the buds will be stored in the same case they charge, so it is hard to keep track of battery usage. The reason I highlighted the Sony-advertised battery life numbers is because I am always amazed when manufacturers give you accurate, conservative and real-world information about it. While they don't claim to be the best in class, they do want to make sure you have enough battery life to last for a couple of workdays. It took about one hour to charge the entire case. I found the charging time for the headphones slow, but overall I was happy with the package.
Setup and Connectivity: Simple setup, but poor connectivity
Setting up the WF-1000XM3 earbuds was about as basic as you could hope for—just pull them out of the case and select them in your Bluetooth menu. It's also very easy to put them in pairing mode. Just keep your fingers on the touchpads of both ears for seven seconds. So far so good.
However, I had problems with my first commute on the WF1000XM3s. Although I experienced little to no stuttering, interference, and I was able to get on a fast, crowded subway car I began experiencing real stuttering, cutouts, and other symptoms. They weren't distracting and didn't make a lot of noise, but it was definitely noticeable. Further investigation revealed that the WF1000XM3s can experience this problem if there is a lot of wireless devices nearby, or if your phone is not far from the headphones and people are between. This is frustrating because Sony advertises a dual-Bluetooth Chip and an upgraded internal antenna.
NFC comes out of the box and Bluetooth 5 is included. Sony also uses their proprietary DSEE HX sound enhancement compression protocol. I found it disappointing that these specs weren't useful for a rocky commute. The firmware was updated and there were no problems when I was in stable conditions. Sony also offers a "Connection Priority" mode within the app. This allows you to focus all your energy on Bluetooth connectivity and not fancy sound quality enhancements. This was, however, a real nit in the pro column.
Sony WF Earbuds offer up to 8 hours of battery life, plus an additional 18 when you add the case. It is quite impressive considering how loud these tiny drivers pump out.
Software with Extra Features: Get the complete package
I was not disappointed with the WF-1000XM3s. It had a lot of standout features and technology. The first is Sony's QN1e noise cancelling chip. This provides noise cancellation without affecting audio quality.
The DSEE HX proprietary compression format and dual-noise sensors technology adapt the noise cancellation to your environment. There is also a Quick Attention feature which allows you to place a finger on your left earbud and temporarily lower the volume to hear ambient sounds and increase the volume. There are touchpads on each ear that let you assign controls—such as answering phone calls, calling up Google Assistant, and the like.
The intuitive Sony Connect app allows you to expand these controls even more. You can toggle the adaptive sound control using the app. This was really cool because I could assign different profiles based on my activities and times of day. The EQ and noise cancelling controls can be accessed via the app.
You can also take 360-degree photos with the phone's camera of your ears to optimize spatialization. These controls are very geeky and audiophile-centric. They can be left as is. There are many options for those who want to get their device working the way they want.
Prices: Not as expensive as you think
According to Sony, the average WF-M3s retail price is $230. However, Amazon can sometimes undercut this amount depending on whether you are able to catch a deal. This is a high-end price for headphones. It's surprising, however, how inexpensive they can be for their feature list. AirPods Pro are Apple's solution to noise-canceling wireless games. They cost $250.
Given how great the WF-M3s are, the quality of the noise cancelling, and the premium price tag, it's hard to believe Sony has made a bargain.
Sony WF-1000XM3 vs. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless
Apple and Bose aren't the only ones that can compete with the WF1000XM3s. Sennheiser makes it. The Momentum earbuds are exactly the same as the Sennheiser Momentum, and offer premium sound but no noise cancellation. Although you'll have a shorter battery life, the design is slightly better. Although the Momentum offers app control but not as many as Sony's, Sennheiser has IPX4 waterproofing so are more friendly to the weather. This is definitely an option you should look into.
Final Verdict
Wireless earbuds that are almost perfect with excellent noise cancelling.
Sony WF1000XM3s truly stunning wireless earbuds pack an impressive array of features. There's so much to like about the WF-1000XM3s, from the outstanding noise cancelling and rich sound response to the incredible battery life and premium packaging. However, I find the Bluetooth connectivity problems almost inexcusable for an earbud that does everything right. You may have different preferences, but the WF1000XM3s is the best option if you like how they look and want premium noise cancelling.