Why Sony's Latest Noise-Canceling Headphones May Be A Dealbreaker — Just Like Apple's AirPods Max

Sony Corporation SONY is about to unleash its latest on-ear noise-canceling headphones, the WH-1000XM5, but the latest upgrade from the well-received line could be a dealbreaker for some users.

What Happened: The headphones are set to hit Amazon.com, Inc’s AMZN and Best Buy Co Inc’s BBY platforms on May 20, according to a statement from the Japanese conglomerate.

Sony said XM5 headphones will  “set a new standard of high-quality audio,” but the $400 headphones have a redesigned headband, which does away with the dual hinge that existed on their predecessors. 

This basically implies that these headphones don’t fold and come with a carrying case that is significantly larger than the one that came along with the XM4 model. 

YouTuber Marques Brownlee has termed the XM5’s design a “downgrade” for one main reason — travel. 

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Why It Matters: Brownlee compared the XM5s with Apple Inc’s AAPL AirPods Max and Bose 700 headphones in the sense that all these devices did not fold. 

“The AirPods Max are notoriously annoying to travel with even though I still try to make it work,” said Brownlee.

However, the YouTuber pointed out that Sony was keeping the XM4s around and they retail at a comparatively lower price than XM5s.

Where the XM5s do have a slight advantage over the older model is weight. While the latest headphones weigh 250 grams, the XM4 weighs 254 grams, according to a CNet report. 

Price Action: On Friday, Sony Group shares closed 3.7% higher $87.02 in the regular session. On the same day, Apple shares closed 3.2% higher at $147.11 in regular trading hours, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

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