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Sony WH-1000XM3Editor's Choice1 / 7
Sony

Sony WH-1000XM3

It may not be very different than its predecessor, but that's not a bad thing.

Current price · Amazon US
$359.55
Check Price on Amazon

Price last checked 1d ago

Noise Isolation / ANC
4.4/ 10
4.4
0.010.0

A 4.4 puts its noise isolation / ANC in the bottom third of over-ear headphones we've measured.

Measured on 86 of the 240 we've cataloged.

Key specs

Battery Life Wireless
30 hBelow average
30 h
11 h100 h

below average for over-ear headphones — based on 150 of 240 we've cataloged.

Charging Method
USB-CMost common
Usb-c87%Micro usb10%Others3%

Usb-c is the most common — on 87% of the 135 over-ear headphones we've cataloged (of 240).

Bluetooth Version
4.2
5.326%520%5.218%4.23%

4.2 appears on 3% of the 145 over-ear headphones we've cataloged (of 240).

Connection Type
Wired-3.5mm48%Bluetooth44%Wired-usb-c7%Others1%

Bluetooth appears on 44% of the 215 over-ear headphones we've cataloged (of 240).

Battery

Battery Life Wireless
30 h
Charging Method
USB-C
Full Charge Minutes
210 min
Battery
Yes
Fast Charging
Yes

Connectivity

Bluetooth Version
4.2
Connection Type
Bluetooth wireless
USB Charging
Yes

Design

Weight
255 g
Color Options
Black, champagne gold
Foldable
Yes

Features

Companion App
IOS + Android
Control Type
Physical buttons, touch controls
Eq Customization
Full parametric EQ
Auto Pause
No
Voice Assistant Support
Siri and Google Assistant

Sound

Acoustic Design
Closed-back
Ambient Mode
Adjustable level
Driver Size
40 mm
Frequency Response
20-20000 Hz
Frequency Response High Hz
20000 Hz
Frequency Response Low Hz
20 Hz
Noise Cancellation Type
Active

Microphone

Microphone
Yes
Noise Reduction Type
Passive noise isolation

SoundGuys review

Read the full review ›
SOUNDGUYS rating
7.3/ 10
Recommended
Christian Thomas
Reviewed byChristian ThomasEditor-at-largeReviewed August 2024
Noise cancelling6.4
Isolation4.4
Battery life9.3
Comfort & fit8.4
Connectivity8.0
Design7.0
The verdict

Following up our pick for best wireless headphones, best noise canceling headphones, and best headphones of 2017—Sony released a slightly-upgraded monster in the WH-1000XM3. Virtually identical to the model it replaces, incremental upgrades over the best isn't exactly a bad thing.

✓What we like
✓Great active noise canceling
✓Good sound quality
✓Comfort
✓Portability
✓USB-C charge port
✓SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC, and wired playback
✕What could be better
✕User-reported durability issues
✕Price
Read the full SoundGuys review →

Lab data

How we test ›

Objective measurements from the SoundGuys test lab — overlay other models to see how this one compares.

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Sony WH-1000XM3SoundGuys Headphone Preference Curve
Sony WH-1000XM3 frequency responseMeasured frequency response (dB) against the SoundGuys house target — the dashed curve. The closer the measured line tracks the target, the more neutral the tuning; peaks ride above the target, dips fall below it.-80-60-40-200+20201001k10k20k

Measured frequency response (dB) against the SoundGuys house target — the dashed curve. The closer the measured line tracks the target, the more neutral the tuning; peaks ride above the target, dips fall below it.

Frequency response — measurement data
Sony WH-1000XM3: frequency response, as measured in the SoundGuys lab. Frequency in hertz.
Frequency (Hz)Response (dB)
200.2
254.2
327.2
408.7
508.2
637.0
806.2
1005.7
1255.0
1603.0
2000.8
250-1.1
315-2.2
400-2.5
500-2.4
630-2.1
800-1.1
1000-0.1
1250-1.8
16000.3
20006.3
25006.3
31504.0
40003.3
50001.0
63002.2
80006.5
100005.9
12500-3.3
16000-24.1
20000-72.4

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