It’s flagship wireless headphones season, and Sony has revealed its highly anticipated WH-1000XM6—a pair of over-ear noise-cancelling Bluetooth headphones three or five or even nine years in the making, depending on how you look at it. I’ve had a few days to go hands-on with the WH-1000XM6, so here are my first impressions. The Sony WH line has long been an excellent all-rounder, a perennial best-for-most recommendation (the XM10004 was one of the first things I reviewed for this very publication). So, if you’re familiar with Sony’s headphones since at least 2022 (and many commuters and frequent flyers will be), you’ll recognize most aspects of the new 1000XM6’s aesthetic. With its vegan leatherette-wrapped cylinder of a headband and matte, touch-sensitive (and fingerprint-friendly) earcups, the 1000XM6’s build is 95 percent 1000XM5—an gentle evolution from the last model rather than a revolution. But it does address the biggest complaint of the previous generation: the lack of foldability. That’s right, hinges—last seen on 2020’s 1000XM4—are back. And a folding mechanism means a more compact carrying case, with a new magnetic lock so no inconvenient zippers to get stuck or wear out. Despite the similarities to the 1000XM5, there are many small, purposeful tweaks blended into the 1000XM6 chassis. The headband is a touch wider, flared toward the back for both stability and as a directional cue on how to wear them. Similarly, the asymmetrical earcups (which now have replaceable pleather cushions) feature the power button—now a round, recessed button rather than raised tab—on the lower left as another indicator. And that’s accompanied by a tiny tactile marker in the rear center of the housing, just in case you weren’t sure. Point being, Sony has addressed long-term comfort and portability and made it easier than ever to get the headphones to your head correctly, whether you’re sprawled out at home or feeling cramped in basic economy. Once on, the clamping power is higher than the 1000XM5 but not excessive, and the weight is an easily manageable 254g (for comparison, the AirPods Max weigh 385g). The Sony WH-1000XM5 and Sony WH-1000XM6 (in the case and on the right) shown side by side. The sound So, what should you expect once the 1000XM6 is on. Much is being made of the tuning, done through a collaboration with material science and mix engineers. The 1000XM6 features a 30mm driver, consistent with the 1000XM5, but featuring new components. And it’s not the size, it’s how you use it. When asked about the choice of materials in the driver units, Sony Electronics’ Shimo Hiroaki commented, “There are various advantages to using carbon in the dome [diaphragm] of headphones. For example, high rigidity allows the diaphragm to move precisely as intended, resulting in less sound distortion. Additionally, the lightweight yet rigid carbon material can respond quickly to vibrations in the high-frequency range.” That translates to a more crisp, articulate, authoritative sound. The high-frequency reproduction is further refined by the use of a perforated bobbin—an unassuming support in the voice coil that can extend and smooth response through resonance dampening and controlled airflow. As for the voicing, it’s informed by Grammy-winning and -nominated engineers from Battery Studios, Sterling Sound, and Coast Mastering. Following in the “as the creator intended” messaging of the BRAVIA home entertainment launches of the last couple of years, Sony drew on internal resources (in this case Sony Music Entertainment facilities and personnel) to achieve a more “truthful” house sound. While I don’t know all their target curve or individual signal chains, per se, this crew of new release, catalogue, and immersive mastering engineers brings a wealth of golden ears. Beyond the acoustic architecture and artistic input, digital signal processing (DSP) plays its part. Sound quality starts with the quality of signal, and Multipoint Bluetooth 5.3 with support for AAC, LDAC, and LC3 lets the 1000XM6 connect to your device of choice in the most optimal way. There’s no support for aptX Adaptive, however, and there won’t be as LDAC is Sony’s proprietary high-resolution codec. (While I keep an Android smartpone and several DAPs around for testing because I believe LDAC at 990kbps is perceivably superior to AAC on an iPhone, YMMV. And thanks to all of the software efforts on both ends, AAC isn’t bad, I’m just an acknowledged snob—if I can stream uncompressed audio, I don’t want to bottleneck it as much as possible. The ultimate solution would be to use the 3.5mm headphone jack, if you have a source that supports it.) The result of all this fine-tuning? On its default settings, the 1000XM6 is less bassy, more taut than its predecessor. Listening to the deep, post-disco house of “Blind (Frankie Knuckles Remix)” by Hercules & Love Affair, the kick drum is less fuzzy than on the 1000XM5. The groove of the bassline is more defined, the edges of the brass section more clearly etched, the lush piano chords allowed to billow and breath. While the melancholy yet uplifting vocal from Anohni sustains its intensity more effortlessly. It’s more soulful, more propulsive, cleaner and more detailed compared to previous Sony drive units. Undoubtedly enjoyable. As to whether it’s more “natural” and an authentic connection to the source, that will require more close listening and A/B testing with other top-tier wireless headphones to firmly determine. And, as always, the Sony app provides ample ways to tweak the sonic signature. There’s the familiar DSEE Extreme for upscaling compressed sources and a 10-band EQ (versus the 1000XM5’s 5-band) thanks to the upgraded processor—the first new chipset in several generations. Noise cancellation To test the noise cancellation, now supported by 12 microphones (up from 8 in the 1000XM5), I would have liked to have taken a flight. While timing didn’t allow that, I had the next best thing: a flight path. I live within walking distance of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (the most infamous airport at the moment after Newark, unfortunately). And this means almost constant rumbling roars from every trajectory (reinforced by the railroad tracks between me and the runway). You learn to tune it all out naturally, but being able to cancel it digitally is even better. So, with DCA and Amtrak as my backdrop, I went on a walk. At first, I thought something was wrong. Not only was the noise not being cancelled, but I could hear birds chirping clear as day. Looking at the app, I realized I’d left Adaptive Sound Control on and Ambient Sound—jacked up to the top level (20)—had triggered when I started moving. Then, as I was checking the settings, the background suddenly went black. Apparently, it didn’t take a lot of standing still to send the headphones back into a focused state. So, that’s a quality passthrough mode proof of concept, if your day involves more interaction and/or you want more automation. And there are customizable Scenes to help you dictate when silence and situational awareness should be prioritized, as well as what music service should be used. Back to the planes. What planes? Toggling between Ambient Sound and Noise Canceling instantly took the stretched thunder of ascent from a whoosh to a whisper. And with music playing, it disappeared all together. Would the effect be even more pronounced if I didn’t wear glasses? Would it be less pronounced if I had hair? Sony claims no, as the new 7x faster QN3 processor adapts ANC to compensate for hats, air pressure, eyewear, etc. As a near-sighted bald, I appreciate my head coverings and corrective lenses being considered, even if I’ll never know what part a hairstyle plays. What I do know is that what I hear, or didn’t hear in this case, reinforces the XM series’ reputation as a preferred travel companion and I look forward to an actual in-transit test. And a quick dip into a coffeeshop on the way home gave the impression that the broad spectrum of ambient noise is being addressed, including chatter and clatter. I them sat through my wife’s work check-in without the need to sign an NDA; I couldn’t hear a thing (the deafheaven album playing surely helped). Call quality The Sony WH line has always bridged the gap between headphones and headset for business leaders, and the latest iteration improves directivity for when you just have to be in on that meeting but you’re off-site. On a recent call testing the XM5 versus the XM6, the person I was speaking with commented that my voice on the XM6 sounded clearer and cleaner, particularly in the sibilants (think the many, many times you make an s, z, sh, or zh sound). The XM6’s combination of six beamforming mics—two more than the XM5—plus AI noise reduction/voice isolation regulated all my higher amplitude utterances while exhibiting lower compression artifacts. If you’re someone who likes to dictate texts, notes, etc., these will work well to ensure intelligibility. Battery life and charging capability One last new feature of note is that you can use the 1000XM6 while charging it via USB-C cable, though charging will stop at 80 percent when in use in order to reduce battery wear. To achieve a 100 percent charge, turn off the headphones. And if the battery is running dry but you’d rather not remained tethered, a three-minute charge can give the 1000XM6 three hours of juice. As for the total run-time advertised, it’s the same as the 1000XM5: 30 hours with ANC off, 400 with ANC on. And an effective wear sensor helps conserve that. The Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones are available to order now for $449.99 in Black, Platinum Silver, and Midnight Blue.

Contrary to the White House's assertions, we consumers are indeed footing the bill for all these tariffs. Companies from across industries have been stopping sales or raising prices over the past month or so, and the chaos continues on. It doesn't help that the actual tariff situation is so volatile. President Donald Trump kept escalating the tariffs against China in particular, all the way up to 145%. Then, the administration made a deal with China to suspend most of the tariffs until August, but some tariffs still remain. As such, companies are scrambling to figure out the best way to protect their bottom lines and shareholder values—part of that strategy involves raising costs.Gaming is no exception to this reality. Many gaming companies manufacture their components in China, which means their devices face tariffs if they ship to the U.S. Here's where the situation currently stands with the biggest gaming companies.MicrosoftXboxes are apparently an appreciating asset. On May 1, Microsoft raised the prices on all Xbox consoles, and some Xbox accessories—including controllers and headsets. These price hikes were actually pretty steep: Both the standard and digital Series X models jumped by $100, while the 2TB model jumped a whopping $130. On April 30, Series X with 2TB of internal storage would have set you back $600. Now, you're out $730.Games aren't wholly exempt here, either, but the news is a bit better: Existing titles will keep the same MSRP they did before the price hikes, while select new titles will cost $80 this holiday season.To be fair, Microsoft doesn't directly attribute the tariffs to these raised prices, instead referring to "market conditions and the rising cost of development." However, seeing as tariffs are the driving force of current market conditions, it seems a safe assumption that Microsoft is recouping some increased costs due to these import fees. SonySony, too, raised the prices on its flagship consoles—but only in select markets. The company increased the price of certain PS5 units in Europe, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The price increases, as well as which console received them, depends on the region: Europe, for example, only saw an increase on the PS5 Digital Edition by €50, while the disc drive PS5 remained the same. Australia and New Zealand, on the other hand, were not so lucky, seeing price increases on both. New Zealand has the highest MSRP for a PS5 on the list at NZD $949.95 (or roughly $560 USD at this time). However, that doesn't mean those of us in the U.S. are safe from PS5 price increases. As reported by The Verge, Sony says that it expects tariffs to cost the company 100 billion yen ($681 million), and is considering both relocating manufacturing to the U.S., as well as raising costs for consumers. Sony is a massive company, so that could involve raising prices on products other than PS5. However, the lack of a definitive answer on which products would be affected means that Sony may raise PS5 prices in the future.NintendoHere's the good news: Nintendo did not raise the MSRP of the Switch 2, nor any of its existing Switch consoles. The Switch 2 will remain $450, or $500 if you buy the Mario Kart World bundle. However, Nintendo has reacted to the tariffs in other ways. First, it paused preorders for the Switch 2 in the U.S. and Canada, "to assess the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions." We already know it ultimately kept the Switch prices the same, but once Nintendo picked a new preorder date, it also announced new price increases for Switch 2 accessories. The Pro Controller is now $15 more than it was, and while the Joy-Con 2 controllers are only $5 more, they now cost an astounding $95. The Switch 2 camera is also $55, when originally it was $50. The rest of the Switch 2 accessories remain the same. PC gamingPC gaming is a more complicated beast than console gaming. Unless you opt for a gaming laptop, you most likely are looking to build your own PC, which requires purchasing a number of parts—many of which are made in China. Luckily computers, phones, and PC cases were exempt from the full 145% tariff, but not other PC components.According to PCMag, most PC parts haven't been hit that hard by tariffs yet—at least when it comes to April prices. The outlet observed that PC cases, processors, and memory kits all had modest increases ($10, $15, and $3, respectively), while a liquid cooler unit actually dropped in price by $60.However, they did find a concerning price increase when it came to one particularly important component: graphics cards. In January, the MSI SHADOW GeForce RTX 5070 Ti graphics card cost $750. In April, it cost $840, a $90 increase. PCMag found a similar trend across other popular graphics cards, with price increases ranging from $250 all the way to $750. Graphics cards had been in hot demand long before Trump was even elected, largely due to their use in processing AI. Increased tariffs are now only putting more pressure on that product category. Gaming laptops largely haven't taken much of a hit yet, but Razer was one of the companies to pause direct sales to the U.S. last month. You can't predict the futureThis is where the market stands now, but there's no telling what will change in the coming days, weeks, and months. Sony could raise PS5 prices in the U.S. tomorrow; Nintendo could decide that the OG Switch needs to cost more now, too. Nothing is certain, but one thing seems reasonable to assume: The prices you see today are the best they're going to be for a while. If you're holding out for the Xbox Series X to drop in cost, or crossing your fingers that Mario Kart World won't actually cost $80 on release, you're probably not going to be happy with the future.Anything's possible, but given where we are with tariffs and global markets, prices only seem to be going up. Remaining the same is perhaps the best we can hope for—unless you're willing to give the secondhand market a try.

Sony might not be the first name that comes to mind in today’s smartphone world, but every so often, it drops a device that reminds fans why it’s still a force worth watching. The new Xperia 1 VII is a perfect example: a phone that feels like a love letter to Sony’s greatest hits, all wrapped up in a sleek, familiar frame. It’s a device for those who want the best of both worlds: cutting-edge performance and a sprinkle of nostalgia. Back in 2018, Sony’s then-CEO Kaz Hirai hinted at the brand’s long game: smartphones weren’t the end goal but a gateway to a broader, smarter ecosystem. Fast forward, and the Xperia 1 VII arrives as a showcase of everything Sony does best. It’s less about fighting for market share and more about giving loyal fans, audio buffs, and camera aficionados a playground for the company’s signature tech. Designer: Sony The Xperia 1 VII’s display is a stunner, thanks to Sony’s BRAVIA TV heritage. Whether you’re binging shows, editing photos, or just scrolling through your feed, those crisp colors and deep contrasts are hard to beat on a pocket-sized device. When it comes to music, Sony leans into its Walkman DNA, loading the phone with top-tier audio hardware and support for high-res playback that makes any playlist shine. Photography is where this phone really flexes. The rear camera setup carries the Alpha branding, with Exmor sensors fine-tuned for mobile. Advanced AI features like auto-framing, subject recognition, and human pose detection work behind the scenes to make sure you nail every shot, whether you’re snapping candid moments or something more creative. There’s also Google-powered AI magic, including Gemini and Circle to Search, to round out the smart experience. What really makes the Xperia 1 VII stand out, however, is its refusal to ditch old-school essentials. While most flagships have waved goodbye to the 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD slots, Sony keeps both alive. Audiophiles can use their favorite wired headphones for the purest sound, and shutterbugs or binge-watchers get up to 2TB of expandable storage for apps, media, and endless photos. It’s a nod to the features that matter to loyal users, even if the phone’s overall design has barely changed since the Xperia 1 III. Sony hasn’t ignored sustainability either. The Xperia 1 VII uses recycled materials for all its plastic parts, quietly helping the planet without making a fuss. For anyone who’s missed the comfort of classic features but still wants the latest and greatest in display, audio, and camera tech, the Xperia 1 VII is proof that you really can have it all, no compromises required. The post Sony Xperia 1 VII is a walking advertisement of Sony’s greatest technologies first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sony’s unexpected 5.1 surround system provides rip-roaring fun in an old-school design.