Sony WH-1000XM5 / Apple AirPods (3rd generation)

Sony WH-1000XM5: WH-1000XM5; colours vary by region: black, silver, midnight blue, pink and platinum. The later WH-1000XM6 is a separate product.

Apple AirPods (3rd generation): AirPods (3rd generation) launched in 2021 with the MagSafe Charging Case; from 2022 a version with the Lightning Charging Case was also sold. The earbuds are the same with either case. AirPods 4, AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro are separate models.

Specification	Sony WH-1000XM5	Apple AirPods (3rd generation)
Release year	2022	2021
Driver	30 mm dynamic driver, closed back, neodymium magnet Sony	—
Frequency response	Bluetooth: 20 Hz–20 kHz (44.1 kHz), 20 Hz–40 kHz with LDAC (96 kHz/990 kbps); wired: 4 Hz–40 kHz The wider frequency range applies only with LDAC and high-resolution sources; over AAC and SBC the upper limit is 20 kHz. Sony	—
Bluetooth and codecs	Bluetooth 5.2; SBC, AAC, LDAC; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; multipoint (two devices) Multipoint keeps the headphones connected to two devices at once. Google Fast Pair and Windows Swift Pair offer quick pairing. Range is 10 m. Sony	—
Noise cancelling	Active noise cancelling; Integrated Processor V1 and HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1; 8 microphones in total (4 noise-sensing per earcup) Auto NC Optimizer adjusts noise cancelling to fit and atmospheric pressure; Adaptive Sound Control switches modes based on the environment. Ambient Sound mode and Quick Attention let outside sound in. Sony	—
Call microphones	4 beamforming microphones; AI-based noise reduction, wind noise reduction Sony	—
Battery	30 hours of music with noise cancelling on, 40 hours off; 24/32 hours of calls Times are measured under Sony’s test conditions; volume and codec change real-world runtime. Sony	Up to 6 hours of listening per charge (5 hours with Personalised Spatial Audio on); up to 30 hours with the case; 5 minutes in the case ≈ 1 hour of listening Apple
Charging	Full charge in about 3.5 hours via USB; about 3 hours of playback from 3 minutes with a USB-PD adapter Quick charging requires a separately sold USB Power Delivery-compatible adapter. Sony	—
Controls and sensors	Touch panel on the right earcup; NC/Ambient button on the left; wear sensor; Speak-to-Chat The wear sensor pauses music when the headphones are removed and resumes when they are put back on. Speak-to-Chat pauses music and turns on ambient sound when the user starts talking. Sony	—
Spatial audio	DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio support DSEE Extreme aims to restore high-frequency detail lost in compressed music files by estimating it. Sony	—
Impedance and sensitivity	48 Ω when on, 16 Ω when off; 102/100 dB/mW The headphones can be used passively with a cable while switched off; noise cancelling does not work then. Sony	—
Weight and in the box	About 250 g; soft collapsible carrying case, 1.2 m L-shaped cable (3.5 mm), USB charging cable Sony	—
App	Sony Sound Connect: equaliser, shortcut settings, listening history, Safe Listening Safe Listening tracks sound exposure against World Health Organization guidelines. Sony	—
Design and fit	—	Open-fit in-ear design without silicone tips; short stem Because the earbud does not seal the canal, ambient sound is heard; fit depends on ear shape and there are no interchangeable tips. Apple
Audio technology	—	Custom high-excursion Apple driver; custom high dynamic range amplifier; Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ Adaptive EQ measures what is heard in the ear with the inward-facing microphone and adjusts the tuning to the fit in real time. Head tracking anchors sound to the Apple device’s screen. There is no active noise cancellation or transparency mode. Apple
Chip and connectivity	—	H1 headphone chip; Bluetooth 5.0 Automatic device switching, “Hey Siri” and one-tap pairing work with Apple devices. Apple
Sensors and microphones	—	Dual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone, skin-detect sensor, motion and speech-detecting accelerometers, force sensor The skin-detect sensor pauses playback when an earbud is removed. Apple
Controls	—	Press the stem once to play/pause or answer a call; twice to skip forward or end a call; three times to skip back; press and hold for Siri There is no on-bud volume control. Apple
Charging case	—	MagSafe Charging Case (MagSafe, Qi and Lightning) or Lightning Charging Case The included cable is Lightning to USB-C; there is no adapter. Apple
Sweat and water resistance	—	IPX4: earbuds and charging case IPX4 protects against splashes; it is not for submersion. Apple
Size and weight	—	Earbud (each): 30.79 × 18.26 × 19.21 mm, 4.28 g; case: 46.40 × 54.40 × 21.38 mm, 37.91 g Apple