For the last several years, Sony have been pushing hard to deliver the best possible wireless headphones. Their wireless over-ear headphones and earbuds have been solid entries for some time now. The new Sony WH-1000XM3 takes over from where the 1000XM2 left off and improves in some key areas, while trying to fix some previous issues. Its noise cancellation technology has always been top notch, which sets the XM3s apart from others.
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In our Sony WH-1000XM3 review, we put these premium wireless Bluetooth headphones through its paces and see if it lives up to the hype of the predecessors. Is it one of the best wireless headsets available today?
Design, Build and Comfort
As is to be expected, the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones is very similar to the WH-1000XM2. One noticeable change is the change from metal to plastic in the headband. While some may think it makes it feel less premium, there is a good reason for the change. It makes the XM3s lighter than the XM2s, which is welcomed when you use them for long periods of time.
Is also makes it more comfortable over the ears than before as the metal frame could at times squeeze in over larger heads, which is no longer a problem. The plastic doesn’t feel cheap at all and you still have the leather cushioning at the top of the head for that premium feel. It feels better than the padding from the predecessor as well.
Another significant change is the inclusion of USB-C instead of the former micro-USB port. As all our gadgets are – or already have – moved over to the new standard, this will decrease the amount of wires and charging cables you need to carry. The charging port is found on the right earcup, while on the left you have the power button and the noise-cancelling/ambient button (more on this later).
The headphones retain the minimalist design of previous iterations, which we like. It wants to exhume a business-like, professional image, which it does with aplomb.
This minimalist philosophy means that you don’t have any buttons for playback controls – there aren’t any physical controls to pause, play, skip track, volume up or volume down. This is all done via the touch capacitive controls on the right earcup covering. To skip forward, you’ll need to swipe right on the pad or swipe left to go back. Pausing is done by double-tapping, and resuming is then done the same way. Similarly, turning the volume down requires you to swipe down on the pad, and turning it up is done by swiping up.
While these control work fine, they can be finicky at times. It takes a week or two to get used to and isn’t our favourite implementation of capacitive touch, but it works well enough.
If you’re planning to use your wireless noise-cancellation headphones for long period of time, they need to be as comfortable as possible, of course. The leather over-ear cushioning is some of the best you can find on any headphones. The shape is very deliberately not the largest you can find, meaning it doesn’t extend beyond your ears. You may think that with it pressing onto your ears then, it could be uncomfortable. This is why Sony had to make it extremely plush, which they’ve done very successfully here. Using it for many hours in a day won’t leave your rubbing or scratching your ears like so many other headphones have done in the past. One particularly arduous day I used it for a full 10 hour day of work and then when relaxing afterwards and binging shows. Not once did I have to even think about the headphones I’ve been wearing for so long.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 wireless headphones are our top pick when it comes to build and comfort, with other premium headphones being some distance behind.
Noise-cancellation
The main reason to buy a pair of these kind of premium headphones is the noise-cancellation, of course. The ability to block out most if not all noise has perhaps never been as important with many of us working from home in a space perhaps not perfectly suited for productivity. In this area, there are none better than the Sony WH-1000XM3.
According to Sony, the XM3s are four times better than last year’s XM2s at noise-cancellation. While that may be a bit extreme (the XM2s were already very good at noise-cancellation), the XM3s are certainly a step above the competition.
An area where noise-cancellation is most effective is with consistent background noise – you will never want to fly or board a train without them again. Impressively, they XM3s were able to do the same in new work-from-home situations that I wasn’t expecting. You’ll no longer hear the washing machine, dishwasher or even distant droning of the TV using the XM3s (I know what you’re thinking – how could you possible hear all of this at once at home? Well, work-from-home wasn’t the first design consideration made in building apartments in the Cape Town CBD).
It will also remove nearly all the noise from people talking, which previous versions weren’t as adept at. After all, removing the noise from high frequency, intermittent sounds is quite difficult without deafening yourself with other noises.
Sound Quality
We can’t neglect sound quality if you’re paying a premium for your headphones. Some noise-cancelling headphones have the tendency to sound muffled, even drab, when playing music or video. Luckily this isn’t the case with the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones.
They have an open, spacious sound with which you can distinctly pick out every musical instrument, sound effect or vocal nuance. They have a very consumer-friendly sound in general – by which we mean it suits almost any use case and any type of sound.
It isn’t for music producers, don’t get me wrong – it is no audiophile headset. But for the normal person with a wide variety of use cases you can’t go wrong with these wireless headphones.
The included mic is also good for the person on the other end. It uses similar technology to the noise-cancellation in conjunction with directional mics to also remove some of the ambient sound in the environment and pinpoint your voice in phone calls.
Battery
According to Sony, the battery on the XM3s will last you about 30 hours. In testing with a wide variety of scenarios and jumping between devices, we found this to hold true. It is some of the most impressive longevity we’ve seen in headphones with good noise-cancellation.
With our heavy use we were able to go through two full days before having to charge. It is also very simple to check the battery level – simply quick press the power button and the XM3s will tell you what percentage of battery remains.
It also charges extremely quickly. You can add 5 hours of charge with a quick 10 minute charging session and it will fully charge from nought in about 35 minutes.
Conclusion
As has become the norm with Sony, their latest iteration of wireless noise-cancellation headphones are extremely impressive. The Sony WH-1000XM3 should be at the top of your shopping list if you are looking for a top quality noise-cancelling wireless headset.
It’s very comfortable to use for long periods of time, has the best noise-cancellation available and delivers premium sound. On top of that, it will last you ages before needing to recharge.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 wireless Bluetooth headphones are the easiest recommendation to make, if you are able to pay around R6,000 for headphones.
