Sony’s next flagship noise-canceling headphones might be close to launch

It’s been three long years since Sony launched its flagship WH-1000XM5 headphones, our pick for the best wireless headphones for most people, so we’re due a follow-up — and a regulatory filing indicates that the XM6 cans might nearly be ready to launch. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing hints at a slight redesign, including a new hinge and what appear to be detachable earpads.

The Walkman Blog first spotted the filing, which includes a product diagram showing off some of the details of the right earcup. Most interestingly, the diagram shows the earpad lifting off to reveal the location of the “user-visible name plate” containing the model and serial numbers. Since the FCC requires this name plate be accessible to users, it seems likely that the pad is attached without screws, though we don’t know if that’s with clips, magnets, or something else. The XM5s hid their FCC details under the inner edge of the pads instead, which were not removable.

Otherwise there’s not too much to glean from the filing. The headphones’ hinge looks slightly different from the previous generation’s, though there’s no reason yet to believe that means a return to the folding design of the XM4s. The Bluetooth version is reported to be 5.3, and there are some details on the antenna and power specs, but nothing to suggest how the headphones will look or sound.

The FCC filing doesn’t name these as the XM6 headphones, but the model numbers seem to give it away. These headphones have the model number YY2984, remarkably similar to the XM5s’ YY2954 designation. The only note of caution is that the tested model is marked as a prototype, rather than a pre-production or mass production unit, so some details may change before release.

The FCC filing includes a “short-term confidentiality” request dated to end on July 22nd 2025, which certainly suggests that we’ll get an official reveal before that date. The XM5s launched in May 2022, so we may be due another spring release.