Why Sony's Latest Noise-Canceling Headphones May Be A Dealbreaker — Just Like Apple's AirPods Max

Author: Shivdeep Dhaliwal | May 16, 2022 02:21am

Sony Corporation (NYSE:SONY) is about to unleash its latest on-ear noise-canceling headphones, the WH-1000XM5, but the latest upgrade from the well-received line could be a dealbreaker for some users.

What Happened: The headphones are set to hit Amazon.com, Inc’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Best Buy Co Inc’s (NYSE:BBY) platforms on May 20, according to a statement from the Japanese conglomerate.

Sony said XM5 headphones will “set a new standard of high-quality audio,” but the $400 headphones have a redesigned headband, which does away with the dual hinge that existed on their predecessors.

This basically implies that these headphones don’t fold and come with a carrying case that is significantly larger than the one that came along with the XM4 model.

YouTuber Marques Brownlee has termed the XM5’s design a “downgrade” for one main reason — travel.

Why It Matters: Brownlee compared the XM5s with Apple Inc’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) AirPods Max and Bose 700 headphones in the sense that all these devices did not fold.

“The AirPods Max are notoriously annoying to travel with even though I still try to make it work,” said Brownlee.

However, the YouTuber pointed out that Sony was keeping the XM4s around and they retail at a comparatively lower price than XM5s.

Where the XM5s do have a slight advantage over the older model is weight. While the latest headphones weigh 250 grams, the XM4 weighs 254 grams, according to a CNet report.

Price Action: On Friday, Sony Group shares closed 3.7% higher $87.02 in the regular session. On the same day, Apple shares closed 3.2% higher at $147.11 in regular trading hours, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

Posted In: AAPL AMZN BBY SONY