sony xm5 earbuds leaked in full color!
Sony is specifically targeting the XM4's comfort issues
This article is based on rumors and leaks. Take everything you read with a grain of salt as nothing is 100% confirmed.
🍭 short and sweet
Sony XM5 renders were recently leaked
Sony is adopting a new teardrop, two-texture design and angular case
Comfort seems to be a major focus with decreased size, reduced weight, and angled nozzles
Some details, such as foam eartips, look to remain unchanged
A while back, I wrote about the Sony XM5 earbuds and some of the changes we were expected to get based on initial rumors:
Now that some time has passed, we finally got full renders of them, and it seems that Sony is going all-in to make them as comfortable as possible.
comfort is the main focus
I’ve seen people in the past recommend the lower-tier LinkBuds S over the XM4s simply because of their more compact size. From both a size and design standpoint, Sony is taking quite few cues from the LinkBudS S for the XM5.
As a previous owner of the Sony XM4 earbuds, I can undoubtedly say that as much as I wanted to like them, they just were not comfortable. They were big and bulky, which made them press against my ear, and the foam eartips they used just felt inferior to the typical silicone eartips they used in the past.
That being said, it seems that Sony is listening to feedback and is completely re-engineering them to be significantly smaller than before.
I’ve seen people in the past recommend the lower-tier LinkBuds S over the XM4s simply because of their more compact size. From both a size and design perspective, Sony is taking quite few cues from the LinkBuds S for the XM5.
They still stick out almost as much as the XM4s, but the overall size of the bud itself is WAY smaller, which should mean it will have a harder time pressing up against people’s ears and make it easier for people with smaller ears to use and enjoy them.
But size (or lack thereof) isn’t the only thing Sony is going for this year. According to leaked specs, the XM5s will supposedly weigh 5.9 grams, which is 1.4 grams lighter than the XM4s. When it comes to earbuds, that much of a weight difference is significant.
Not only that, but Sony also looks to be angling the “nozzle” that sticks in your ear slightly downward to make them more ergonomic.
That being said, it looks to be retaining the foam tips from the last generation as well, which…weren’t my favorite. At all.
They were either too small and creating an uneven seal (which affected noise-cancelling), or they were too big and hurt my ear canals. Hopefully, the redesigned nozzles will help alleviate this.
also getting a sleek new design
I wasn’t a big fan of the matte plastics used on the XM4s. They felt incredibly cheap, and the case felt like I could snap the lid off at any moment. That being, it seems like Sony is changing things up this time around.
But comfort isn’t the only thing that’s getting completely redone: Sony is also giving them a complete design overhaul.
I wasn’t a big fan of the matte plastics used on the XM4s. They felt incredibly cheap, and the case felt like I could snap the lid off at any moment.
That being said, it seems like Sony is changing things up this time around.
Instead of going for the rounder, more bulbous design with matte plastics, Sony is implementing a teardrop-shaped design with both matte and glossy plastics: matte on the outer touchpad area, and glossy everywhere else.
Sony also looks to be cleaning up the design a bit by removing a lot of the seams between the different elements, so it looks a lot sleeker overall.
They are also redesigning the outer microphone to make it look more like the LinkBuds S. It’ll be interesting to see how this ends up affecting performance.
Not only that, but it also looks like Sony is redesigning the case with angular corners and a typical circular LED rather than the LED strip from the XM4.
From the pictures, the case almost looks to be a bit bigger as well. But this may just end up being an illusion as the earbuds almost look to be sitting higher up due to them being smaller (the cavities in the lid support this since they look shallower than before).
One way or another, the XM5s look set up to be a strong upgrade over the XM4s.
If Sony follows their typical release schedule, they should hopefully come out sometime next month or in August.
This week’s question…
How important is comfort to you when it comes to earbuds? If that was the only improvement over the XM5s, would it be worth the upgrade to you?
Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts!
Anyway, just wanted to share that with you guys. Thanks for joining me, and I’ll see you all around! Adios! 👋
→ Austin from nexgen
Comfort is everything! Especially when looking for a pair of earbuds that accommodate several hours of use. It’s great to see Sony prioritizing this aspect of their product. Although I’ve never owned a pair myself, these upgraded earbuds look really cool. Thanks for the info!