Sony WH-1000XM5 retail packaging leak confirms headphone redesign [Update: May 12 Launch Date, $399 RRP Rumored]

Retail packaging images of Sony’s highly anticipated next-generation WH-1000XM5 headphones have leaked online, confirming recent rumors. new design And a launch proposal might not be far off.

Originally shared on a file Sony subredditimages on the box confirm the rumored redesign, where the swivel-covered arms on the 1000XM4 have been replaced by a bare-arm that has a single contact point in the earcups, which looks a bit larger than the previous generation.

But the photos put one aspect of the rumors into question. Last month, based in Germany Tech News mentioned An anonymous retail source has indicated that the WH-1000XM5 will have up to 40 hours of battery life with active noise cancellation turned on, which is 10 hours longer than the XM4. Details in the square list up to 30 hours of battery life.

One possible explanation is that 30 hours is related to noise cancellation when Sony’s Hi-Res LDAC audio encoding technology is enabled, and this increases to 40 hours when LDAC is not active, but that’s just speculation. Alternately, Sony may have chosen to reduce the battery capacity to reduce overall weight while preserving battery life due to more efficient components, but again, we won’t know for sure until the product launches.

It’s not clear when that will happen, but given that retail packaging appears to be complete with potential units already in the wild, that suggests they could become available sooner rather than later. The short-term confidentiality date on the FCC files for the headphones is said to expire on August 8, but the XM5’s could debut earlier. For reference, Sony announced the XM4 in June 2021.

Notably, after more than on the Korean navigator The blog doubles as the improved noise-cancelling functionality and new headphones, and suggests supply chain issues could see a higher price tag than the XM4, which retails for $349. Either way, we should know all the details fairly soon and learn how they stack up compared to what will be their main competitor, the $549 Apple AirPods Max.

Update: “yes,” chirp John Prosser in response to this article. The YouTube leaker claims that the XM5 headphones have a 30-hour battery life, and Sony will announce it on May 12 at a price of $399.