Battery Life
The battery life of the Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones is still impressive at 30 hours with both Bluetooth and noise-cancelling enabled. If you turn off noise-cancelling, you can expect to get 40 hours of use out of these headphones – an increase of two hours compared to the XM4 model. A ten-minute charge should provide you with five hours of battery life, while using a quicker USB PD charger (not included) can give you three hours of battery life in just three minutes. Overall, the battery life of the XM5 headphones is more than sufficient for most listening needs.
Conclusion
The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones feature a comfortable new design that looks more modern but may not fully justify their $400 price tag. The already excellent noise cancellation has been further improved, and these headphones sound clearer and more natural, although the sound signature is somewhat different from that of their predecessors, which may be divisive.
If you already own a pair of 1000XM4 headphones and are satisfied with their performance, there is no compelling reason to upgrade to the XM5 model. However, if you have an older pair of Sony headphones, such as the 1000XM2 or M3, and the battery is starting to wear out, the XM5 headphones may be a worthwhile investment. These headphones offer the best noise cancellation that Sony has achieved to date, as well as multipoint connectivity.
