I've had these headphones in my possession for a couple days, and I have to say they live up to my expectations. I was looking at getting a WH-1000XM3 (the full-sized headphones) to use in my office, where I have both noisy neighbors and a loud HVAC system to deal with, but when I saw these come up for pre-order I thought they might work better for my use case (aka, not on an airplane).
So far, here's the pros:
Battery life is directly on the mark with what's advertised. I used it in my office with noise cancelling on, volume at mid-levels from 11-5 before the left earphone actually died. The right still had 20% - maybe using the touch controls for playback a lot causes quicker battery drain?
Along with battery levels, charging from the case also seems on the mark. After the earbuds died, I threw them in the case and left for a quick walk. 20 minutes later, my right earbud went from 20%->100%, and the left from 0%->70%. Excellent imo, this more or less means I can just recharge my earbuds whenever I have a brief conversation with a coworker and never have to worry about the battery dying on me.
Music quality is great. These sound excellent on the "Excited" EQ preset to me, and I rotate through all kinds of genres, from (electronic) hardcore, 80s city pop, 00's nu and death metal, pop and R&B and rap.
The noise cancelling - honestly, on a first wear, I was slightly disappointed. I had read the pre-release reviews about how great it was, but when I started to use it out the box, I could still hear people talking to me. Really, these won't block out loud/direct conversations, but that doesn't diminish their usefulness. It completely eliminates the fairly loud HVAC noise in my office, and makes mouse clicks/non-mechanical keyboard usage fade out. And that's without music playing. Once you add music to the mix, these really do block out the world really effectively, even on low volumes. I actually had a coworker today try to get my attention for a minute, of which I noticed nothing, before they resorted to a loud knock on my desk, which I actually thought was a part of the ambient soundtrack I was listening to at first. Very impressed with the noise cancelling when combined with music, and even on its own with my tempered expectations. They're not earplugs, but they're pretty darn close.
A quick note: Using full noise cancelling when walking outside results in some annoying wind noise, but there's a preset called "wind noise" one step below full noise cancelling in the app that will completely kill that wind noise and still block other noises very well.
Connectivity is great. No issues connecting it to my TV, computer, Android phone, or iPad. Protip: Hold the touch sensitive button on both ears for 7 seconds to enter pairing mode for connecting to a computer or non-Android/IOS device easily.
The cons (aka, why I'm saying 4.5 stars):
No wireless charging. It's a shame with the bulky case, and would make things way more convenient.
No volume controls/option for volume controls. Having to open use my device to change volume all the time is kind of more annoying than I originally thought it would be.
No way to quickly change noise cancelling modes without the app.
Those last two points are fairly understandable given the small(ish) size of the buds, but still would have been nice. The ambient pass-through mode does work perfectly once you enable it in the app though.
Overall, I really like these things and I'm super satisfied with the risk I took ordering them before reviews came out. If you're on the fence, I'd buy these. I'll update this review in the future if I have any other complaints/issues, but I'm honestly really happy with these.
EDIT 8-12-19: Two weeks have passed since I wrote this and I have a couple updates. One, you actually can quickly change the noise cancelling level by setting one of the touch controls to "ambient sound control" in the app. This lets you toggle between a couple different noise cancelling modes with a tap. I've also started to use the adaptive sound control option, which I've found to be pretty accurate and useful. I have mine set up so it's in full noise cancelling when I'm sitting still, wind noise reduction when walking, ambient sound level 10 when running and full noise cancelling when on transportation. I've only really tested the first two options since I don't run nor commute by public transit, but the app switches modes pretty quickly and it's convenient when I decide to go for a quick walk while working.
I've also noticed that every so often I do lose sync between sounds/video when connected to my tv, but it often fixes itself pretty quickly, or a pause-play will fix it as well. I haven't noticed it on my phone, so it's likely a mix of distance and the Bluetooth chipset on the TV.
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From the manufacturer
WF-1000XM3
A new age of wireless freedom.
Industry-leading Noise Canceling Truly Wireless Earbuds with Alexa Voice Control
Digital Noise Cancellation
Industry-leading Digital Noise Cancellation
Industry-leading digital noise cancellation technology means you hear every word, note, and tune with incredible clarity, no matter your environment. Additional microphones also assist in isolating sound while talking on the phone, resulting in improved phone call quality.
Proprietary technology for premium sound
Sony’s proprietary HD Noise Canceling Processor QN1e brings the WF-1000XM3 to the pinnacle of noise cancellation. With 24bit audio signal processing and best in class signal-to-noise ratio, the WF-1000XM3 headphones dramatically improve the sound quality of whatever you choose to listen to.
Extended battery life plus quick charging
Enough power to last all day. Get up to 6 hours of battery life on a single charge, and the charging case supplies another three full charges, delivering up to 24 hours of battery life. Low on battery? 10 minutes of charge time gives you up to 90 minutes of playback.
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Amazon Alexa Built-In
Alexa-enabled for hands-free voice access to music, information, and more.
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Touch control panel
Tap or swip the panels with your fingertip.
Change the track, activate your phone’s voice assistant, and take or make calls.
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Quick Attention Mode
Place your hand over the left earbud.
Turn the volume down and deactivate noise canceling for instant conversation.
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Music will automatically pause and resume.
When the headphones are removed from your ears and put back in.
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Smart Listening by Adaptive Sound Control
Automatically switches to ambient sound mode based on your activity.
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Alexa Built-In
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Touch controls
3
Quick Attention Mode
4
Wearing detection
5
Smart Listening
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Sony I Headphones Connect app for Android and iOS
Smart Listening technology to control your ambient sound settings and adjust the sound levels.
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Tap and hold the right earbud.
Activate your smartphone’s voice assistant with a simple touch.
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Hear essential sounds when you’re on the move.
Switch to Ambient Sound mode with the Sony | Headphones Connect App.
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Conversation flows freely.
With easy, hands-free calling. Leave your phone where it is: just speak with a tap.
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Auto on / Auto off
Automatically turns on and off to save battery when not in use.
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Sony I Headphones Connect
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Voice assistant function
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Ambient Sound Mode
4
Easy hands-free calling
5
Auto on / Auto off
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Rating | (6604) | (67524) | (22838) | (850) | (22033) |
| Price | $228.00 | $219.00 | $129.99 | $269.95 | $249.95 |
| Sold By | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
| Color | Black | White | Black | Black | Black |
| Fit Type | Over-Ear | In-Ear | In-Ear | In-Ear | In-Ear |
| Item Dimensions | 5.60 x 4.72 x 2.50 inches | 0.94 x 0.86 x 1.22 inches | 1.52 x 2.75 x 1.04 inches | 6.69 x 4.53 x 1.77 inches | 10.00 x 7.87 x 11.02 inches |
| Item Weight | 0.66 lbs | 1.60 ounces | 4.80 ounces | 0.59 lbs | 0.63 ounces |
| Special Features | Noise Cancellation | iOS Phone Control, Noise Cancellation, Microphone Feature | Microphone, sports-and-exercise, Carying case included, Android, wireless, iOS | Lightweight | Volume control, Sports & Exercise, Lightweight, Universal Phone Control, Microphone Feature |
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