It’s been almost three years since Sony announced the WH-1000XM5 — its current flagship wireless headphones. And if a recently uncovered Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing is any indication, the wait for the XM5’s successor may soon be over. The Walkman Blog found an FCC Label and Location document filed by Sony on January 22, 2025 for a set of headphones bearing the model number YY2984. There’s no reference to “WH-1000XM6” and Sony’s internal headphone codes (YY1234) are sequential in order of release date, and not connected to type or kind of product. So while the timing and the diagram strongly suggest the existence of the XM6, we can’t say for sure.
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If these are in fact the WH-1000XM6, the diagram points to two new design elements that could distinguish these new cans from the XM5. The most obvious of these are the removable ear cushions. On the XM5, the ear cushions can be replaced, but they aren’t designed to be easily removed. Because of this, Sony chose to print the FCC ID information on a semi-circular label applied to the earcup’s mesh grille. If you roll the edge of the ear cushion back a bit, it’s plainly visible.
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On this new FCC diagram, the label location is on the interior of the earcup itself, and can only be accessed if you remove the ear cushion. The diagram doesn’t show how the cushion stays attached, though magnets have proven to be the method of choice on many flagship models, like the Apple AirPods Max, Sonos Ace, and Master & Dynamic MW75.
The less obvious change is the section where the headband meets the earcup.
When Sony released the XM5, it abandoned the fold-up/fold-flat design of the WH-1000XM4 in favor of a fold-flat design with a hidden internal yolk. This met with some resistance from observers who preferred the older design. But the biggest issue with the XM5’s design is its durability, not its lack of a second fold. Reddit’s r/SonyHeadphones community gets regular posts from users sharing sad photos of their XM5, broken at the point where the headband slider meets the rotating earcup pivot.
It looks like Sony is sticking with the hidden yolk, but the drawing suggests a more robust connection, possibly with a folding hinge. Sony used a similar construction on its ULT Wear headphones from 2024.
The Walkman Blog believes it has found evidence for other features, including:
- Bluetooth version is 5.3 (BR/EDR/LE), which could mean LE Audio will be supported. That would be consistent with Sony’s recent earbuds like the LinkBuds Open and LinkBuds Fit, both of which support LE Audio and Auracast.
- Fast charging, and
- An improved antenna design.
The report also suggests that the new cans will get a May 2025 launch, based on the confidentiality dates found in the FCC documents. That would be consistent with the timing of the XM5 launch (May 2022).
For now, however, we wait. But keep your eyes peeled: between now and May we’re likely to get leaked photos of these new headphones whether they turn out to be the WH-1000XM6, or some other Sony model.