Sony’s Answer to Apple’s Airpods
Sony has now opened up pre-orders for their latest wireless active-noise cancelling earphones called the WF-1000XM3. It is basically a miniaturized version of the company’s highly popular WH-1000XM3 headphones. Sony also seeks to redeem themselves from previous launches like the WF-1000X and WF-SP700N.
Considering Apple‘s Airpods currently have no active noise cancelling feature, Sony is in a good position with this release. Although Apple is rumoured to release an ANC version sometime in Q4 2019 or Q1 2020.
Externally, the design uses a superior sealed in-ear tip than the awkward WF-1000X with its wing tip. Although arguably bulkier than other earphones, the extra size is excusable considering the hardware inside.
Internally, it has four microphones allocated for active noise-canelling. This is two more than previous units. The earphones also make use of the new HD Noise Cancelling QN1e. This is a variant of the QN1 chip used on the WH-1000XM3 headphones. The difference is that it is much more power-efficient due to the smaller form factor.
Each earbud has its own battery unit, and it is rated for up to six hours of use with ANC. Users can expect up to eight hours of listening without otherwise.
How Much are the Sony WF-1000XM3 Wireless ANC Earphones?
These earphones are now available for pre-order for $230 USD (via Amazon). For this price, users will get a charging case with the earphones. This gives up to 24 hours of power with noise cancelling on before requiring a charging cable and up to 32 hours without.
