Chris Thomas / Android Authority
These offers come from Amazon. Additionally, you’ll be glad to hear the discounts apply to all color models available.
Sony WH-1000XM5
The Sony WH-1000XM5 have a pretty high retail price, too, at $399.99. That said, you can currently get them for just $298, and the experience is pretty similar to the newer model’s. These were at the top of the SoundGuys list of the best headphones for years, too, before the XM6 iteration came to replace them.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are known for their impressive audio quality and ANC performance. They compete only against the best in these departments. We also really like the design, which is honestly very similar to that of the Sony WH-100XM6 headphones. We can say most people will have to look pretty close to tell them apart.
We are also big fans of the XM5’s battery life. While the Sony WH-1000XM6 have better battery life at over 37 hours, based on internal tests from SoundGuys, the XM5 cans don’t fall far behind at about 32 hours per full charge. The best part is that the battery life can be extended to a whopping 53 hours if you turn off noise canceling.
Of course, these are still high-end headphones, so you get an ample set of features. You can take advantage of touch gesture controls, Bluetooth Multipoint, Find My Device support, and more. If we had to make a request, it would be to add USB-C listening, but the Sony WH-1000XM6 lack that, too. Regardless, you can still listen wired using the 3.5mm headset jack.
The truth is, these high-end headphones don’t truly get that much better with every new release. The upgrades are minimal, so the experience will be very similar between the XM5 and XM6 headphones. You might not even notice a difference, unless you are a serious audiophile. Sure, the Sony WH-1000XM6 are technically better, but I do not believe they are really worth over $150 more in terms of value.
As our own Adam Birney summarizes it: “For most users, the XM6 is a better product—but the XM5 remains the better deal.” If you want to learn why, here is the SoundGuys comparison between the Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Sony WH-1000XM5.
Sony WH-1000XM4
Sony WH-1000XM4
An exceptional pair of noise canceling headphones.
High-quality Bluetooth codecs, great sound, improved noise-canceling, good battery life, and smart features like auto-pause and Bluetooth multipoint make the Sony WH-1000XM4 a great all-round pair of headphones.
If you want a nice pair of high-end headphones at a much more reasonable price point, the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones are still excellent in 2025! You will notice more of a difference compared to the XM6, but the XM4 are still really good, especially when you consider the $228 discounted price point.
The audio quality is still excellent. While not as impressive, ANC still does better than most other models at this price point. Most listeners will love these, as the experience is still premium, albeit older. The design is also pretty different from the two newer models, but they look good and are still built very well.
You won’t miss out on many extra capabilities, either. These still get Bluetooth Multipoint, auto-pausing, touch controls, etc. That said, these are the ones with the worst battery life out of the three, but they still get about 24 hours of listening per charge, which is nothing to scoff at.
If you need a more in-depth comparison, here’s our Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Sony WH-1000XM4 article.
I am the deals guy around here, and I would much rather get the XM5 or XM4 headphones over the expensive Sony WH-1000XM6. Your hard-earned money will stretch much further with these. Act quickly, though, as we’re not sure how long these deals, or the current stock, will last.
