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I’ve had the Sony WF-1000XM3 for over half a year now. As a big fan of Sony headphone gear, as you can tell from my unboxing of the Sony WH-1000XM4 and also how I managed to get those headphones for £105 cheaper than anywhere else, I am really putting Sony’s top product lines to the test.

Since there are already so many reviews out there for these headphones, I thought I’d give my perspective based on how I use it mostly. I generally ever only use these headphones for running as my XM4’s definitely would not be as ideal — given they cover your ears entirely and therefore would build up condensation quite quickly.

The cost of the Sony WF-1000XM3s generally range these days at around £150 (correct as of 10/01/2021) on Amazon (vs £220 on Sony directly), though there are deals online where you can get the headphones for as little as £128 *checkout techinthebasket.com.

Here’s what you need to know.

Design

Sony’s WF-1000XM3 wireless noise headphones look sleek, designed for business and generally I think they make you look good when wearing them. I’d give the design a 10/10 versus what’s out there in the market.

It comes with a battery pack which does kind of represent the Duracell battery colours with the nice sheen of rose gold and black, of course if you go with these colours. It’s really lightweight and packs a punch in charging capability too without compromising on design or weight.

However, one thing I’ve found is that the material on the face of the case is really, really easy to scratch. Be sure not to put the case and your keys in the same pocket; otherwise, you’ll end up with scratches all over the surface.

Key Features

• Noise cancelling
• Headphones have 6 hours of battery time, and the charging case offers an additional 24 hours. With noise cancelling off, you get about 32 hours of airtime
• Hands-free calling
• 360 reality audio
• Bluetooth to connect to your phone or laptop

Running

Here is where you can run into problems. Exercising and running with these on can be problematic. When I’ve done my 5Ks, I’ve generally had to constantly push the earphones in to ensure they don’t fall out after a couple minutes of running. They will fall out. Coupled with the fact that by touching the earphones in a certain way, you also stop any music you’re playing and you typically have to constantly tap your earphones until the music comes back. It can be really annoying.

I’m not too much a fan of Apple’s approach to their latest wireless headphones, but I know they work well functionally when running as my partner wears them whilst running. This is not to say that you can’t run with the XM3 on, but it might just be a little problematic. So I’d go as far as not recommending them for running.

At The Gym

Since the lock down, it’s been fairly difficult to go to the gym, but I can say for sure that these will work in a gym setting where your movement isn’t as heavy. Unless you’re doing Zumba classes where your movement levels can be quite high — having these on whilst doing bench presses, arm curls or any of the machines will not be a problem.

Call Quality & Mic

The call quality is very good — and I have no issues with anyone that I speak to and I always have come across clear. It does a great job, and the ambient sound is great and removing any background noise. Whilst I have not had issues, it does seem those on the official Sony forum have had issues:

I called Sony Support today and they kept asking me to repeat myself because they couldn’t hear me when I was using their earbuds

Final Thoughts

I really like the earbuds, and they work really well on walks out, low level exercise (they don’t unfortunately pass the ‘jump test’), but they are definitely great for all intents and purposes anything business related or for personal use with friends.

For a runner, I’d go with another pair of wireless earbuds that are purpose built for exercise, and that are waterproof too.

Sony WF-1000XM3 Deal

Buy on Amazon

Are you looking for new wireless headphones? Then perhaps checkout the Sony WH1000-MX3. Whilst Sony have come out with the upgraded WH1000-MX4 (Released in August 2020), the MX3 is almost the same in terms of design and output, but with a much smaller price tag.

Price: WH1000-MX3 vs WH1000-MX4

As of today, you can buy the Sony WH1000-MX3 for a cool £219, whilst the latest model, the WH1000-MX3 costs £349 – a price difference of about £130. So is the later model worth the extra cash?

Sony WH1000-MX3 Sonos Sale

Buy on Amazon

−£146.00 £184.00

Design: WH1000-MX3 vs WH1000-MX4

As you can see from the pictures above, the design itself doesn’t look too different. In fact they are almost identical if not the same. If we look back to the XM2, there are what I’d say are notable differences in look & feel from the XM3. Sony’s taken the decision to keep with a very similar design to the XM3.

Having used the XM3 for over a year now, I can say that the quality of the headphones is sharp and is truly a well and tested set of wireless headphones. It is comfortable, has great sound quality, and is stylish. It’s an easy buy if you are willing to shell out £219 for one of the best wireless headphones on the market.

Should you look to future proof and get the XM4? 

In order for us to be able to identify any benefits of the XM4, we must first list the differences with Sony’s latest flagship wireless headphone model vs the XM3. From there, it’s up to you as the reader and consumer to decide whether the ‘upgrade’ to the XM4 is worth the additional £130.

Sony WH1000-MX4 Sonos Sale

Buy on Amazon

−£31.01 £197.99

XM4 differences

New Features in the XM4

• Wearing Detection: automatic pause, helps prolong battery life despite the XM3 & XM4 matching equally with 30 hours of battery life on full charge. Wearing detection is proven to help prolong battery life. But with 30 hours of battery life, can you go wrong with the XM3?
• The XM4 is slightly lighter than the XM3, with the XM3 weighing in at 255g and the XM4 weighing a gram lighter at 254g.
• The XM4’s earpads are 10% larger the XM3’s, a difference because the XM4s are touted to be more comfortable.
• The XM4 has Sony’s latest and greatest technology, the DSEE Extreme. The XM3s feature the DSEE HX chip. Both are excellent, but Sony’s latest technology features the Edge-AI artificial intelligence package which allows for much more accurate sound.
• Speak to chat feature: The XM4 features a new feature which recognises your voice and lowers the volume automatically. There’s also improved call quality offered in the latest model.

Verdict: I won’t be upgrading to the XM4, and am fairly satisfied with the XM3. The new features above don’t really do enough for me to be able to put down my current XM3s. However, I will consider the XM4s in the future once the price drops to £250-£300 range, though given it was only just released in August 2020, it might be a while before we see any price drops.