After creating buzz with its global debut, the Sony WH-1000XM6 has officially landed in India. This newest entry in Sony’s acclaimed 1000X series aims to set a new benchmark for premium personal audio, building on a legacy of award-winning performance and consumer acclaim. With improvements in sound quality, adaptive noise cancellation, and an even more seamless design, Sony positions the WH-1000XM6 as its most advanced wireless headphones yet.
However, the competition has never been tougher, Sennheiser recently released their 80th anniversary flagship model, boasting cutting-edge features and claiming leadership in sound and comfort. Can the Sony WH-1000XM6 truly stand out in this crowded field, and how significant are the upgrades over its predecessor, the WH-1000XM5? In this review, I will put the latest 1000XM6 to the test against its rivals and previous generation to find out.
Design
There’s no denying that Sony has nailed industrial elegance with the WH-1000XM6. Sleek, feather-light, and meticulously crafted, the Platinum Silver variant I tested immediately impressed with its premium look and feel. The wider headband with a soft-fit vegan leather finish provides unmatched comfort, ensuring these remain wearable for marathon listening sessions. Compared to the WH-1000XM5, the XM6 has shaved off a bit of the clunky bulk and now fits more snugly around the ears without creating pressure hotspots.
The tactile experience of handling these cans adds to their appeal. A fingerprint-resistant finish keeps them looking pristine, while the seamless fold-and-swivel mechanism demonstrates Sony’s clear focus on longevity and everyday usability. Sennheiser’s Momentum 4, by contrast, opts for a more traditional, sturdier form factor, but it misses out on the finesse of Sony’s foldable, compact-friendly case, which now even features a magnetic closure for added convenience.
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Intuitive controls elevate the WH-1000XM6 further. A blend of tactile buttons and a responsive touch panel offer smooth switching between noise-cancelling, ambient sound, and mic mute. While familiarity serves returning XM5 users well, I appreciated the better tactile definition between buttons on the XM6, fixing one of my long-running gripes with the XM5. Bose still keeps things very simple via minimalistic button layouts, but Sony successfully balances functionality with form. Combined with colour options like Midnight Blue and Black alongside Platinum Silver, the brand gives enough room for styling these headphones along with your personal aesthetic.
Connectivity and App Support
Sony continues to showcase its dominance in seamless connectivity. Pairing the XM6 with multiple devices is fast and reliable, aided by Swift Pair for Windows and Fast Pair for Android. Multipoint connection allows easy toggling between devices, which worked flawlessly when I switched between my MacBook, iPhone, and Android test device. Adding to that, auto-switching intelligence reduces friction for multitaskers juggling calls on one device and media on another. Comparatively, Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 also nails multipoint, while Bose sometimes falters when rapidly switching contexts.
The companion app is where Sony pushes personalization further. Beyond the now-familiar EQ adjustments and noise-cancellation settings, the 360 Spatial Sound Personalizer app integrates your ear shape data for a custom immersive field, especially when paired with Bravia XR TVs. And while Sennheiser offers an excellent tuning EQ inside its Smart Control app, Sony edges it out with spatial optimisation and activity tracking, features that make the XM6 feel intelligent, not just functional.
Sound
When it comes to sound, the WH-1000XM6 firmly solidifies itself as one of the most capable headphones currently available. Sony has always had a knack for tuning consumer-friendly yet detail-rich sound profiles, and with this iteration, the refinements are clear. The use of a specially designed driver unit and carbon-fiber composite dome results in astonishing clarity, vocals soar without harshness, instruments retain their individuality, and the bass is tight, never bloated.
Where the XM6 separates itself is in its ability to morph across listening modes. In Cinema mode with noise cancellation on, the listening experience borders on enveloping; dialogues stay crystal clear while background scores expand with a theatre-like precision. For gaming, Sony borrows expertise from its Inzone line to enhance directional cues, making it more immersive than the Momentum 4 for FPS sessions.
The processing muscle behind these headphones also deserves applause. Sony’s HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN3 works dynamically with AI-driven DSEE Extreme, restoring compressed files with surprising fidelity. Streaming low-bitrate tracks on Spotify became much more engaging as the XM6 breathed life back into lost layers. LDAC support gives Hi-Res Wireless listening a significant edge over rivals. For audiophiles leaning into FLAC or DSD libraries, this remains a huge plus.
Immersion gets another boost with Sony’s head-tracking-enabled 360 Reality Audio. Watching an AR game like Ingress highlighted how positional cues felt natural, and unlike any stereo-based experience. It’s not a gimmick, the engine uses motion sensors to recalibrate in real-time, maintaining consistency. For movies, the upmixing magic from regular stereo to broader spatial audio delivered a noticeably expansive presentation.
Ultimately, Sony has perfected a blend of neutrality, detail, and configurability that makes the WH-1000XM6 excel not just for music but across cinema, gaming, and casual everyday use. In side-by-side testing, Sennheiser excelled in pure stereo fidelity, but Sony delivered the most versatile all-rounder experience.
Call Quality
Call performance, however, remains a mixed bag. On paper, six beamforming microphones with AI optimisation sound impressive, and they do help cut through most background noise. In quiet settings, my voice came across with good sharpness and definition. Sony has done a good job at reducing wind noise, with repositioned mics making outdoor calls cleaner than on the XM5. Still, when stacked against the Sennheiser Momentum 4, the XM6 sits in the middle. It’s far from unusable, most people on the receiving end didn’t complain, but it doesn’t hit the premium bar Sony has set elsewhere with audio.
Battery Life
The Sony WH-1000XM6 gives users 30 hours of playback, which sounds impressive at face value. It’s more than adequate for daily commuters and even long-haul flights. Features like quick charging, three minutes of charge for up to an hour of playback with a USB-PD adapter, add convenience.
That said, battery life is the one department where competitors often edge ahead. Sennheiser Momentum 4 delivers nearly double the stamina at 60 hours. It’s not a dealbreaker, but in this price bracket, expectations rise, endurance should match innovation, and here Sony still feels slightly conservative.
Verdict
Priced at ₹39,990, the Sony WH-1000XM6 is an undeniable evolution of an iconic series. Thoughtful design tweaks, class-leading personalisation, and versatile sound tuning make them a superb all-rounder. In key areas like immersive sound, app integration, and adaptive noise cancellation, Sony not only holds its ground but surpasses rivals. Yet, it’s not flawless: call quality for what it is worth is average, and battery life trails competition by a noticeable margin.
But if you want a headphone that stretches effortlessly across music, films, and games with an intelligent, personalised touch, the new Sony WH-1000XM6 delivers on the promise of “premium.” Whether that’s enough to beat the competition depends on your listening priorities, but for most, Sony has once again set the standard to beat.
