Last Updated on September 1, 2023 by Daniel Osakwe
Sony WH1000XM3 Reviews
Pros
- Suparb noise cancellation
- Great sound quality.
- Fast Attention Mode
- A 30-hour battery life.
Cons
- Small changes from 1000XM2
- Low call quality
How do Sony’s noise-canceling headphones feel to wear?
One of those accessories we’re not sure we’ll ever need are noise-canceling headphones. That said, I’ve been using Sony’s WH1000XM3 headphones for a few weeks now, and they’ve become my go-to pair for a walk in the city.
If you need to make crucial calls or listen to loud music at work, noise-canceling headphones are the best solution.
The WH1000XM3s has been my go-to headphones for walks in the city, rides in the car, runs around the neighborhood, and flights around the world. They’re comfortable, easy to use, and powerful.
To block out ambient noise, the headphones use active noise cancellation. They use a combination of a smart amplifier and a microphone that’s integrated into the right ear cup, to block out the noise.
Table of Contents
Sony WH1000XM3 Price and Release Date
- At launch, it costs $349/£300/AU $499.
- Discounts are available often.
In August 2018, Sony released the WH-1000XM3, which was announced at IFA 2018.
Sony’s WH-1000XM3 was among its best-selling headphones before the company introduced the XM4 to the lineup, joining the two previous 1000X models. Among their many features, as described in the previous section, these headphones will also sound excellent.
Because they have so many functions, they’ll set you back $349/£300/AU $499, which is a bit more than your ordinary non-noise-canceling headphones. However, they’re frequently discounted these days and can be had for a fraction of their initial cost.
Sony WH1000XM3 Reviews: Design
- lighter than its predecessors
- New padding along the bridge
- Charging via the USB Type-C port
- Touch controls
The design of Sony’s WH-1000XM3 headphones differs the most from the XM2. They are more comfortable and slimmer due to their lightweight design and greater comfort.
The headphones are around 1 ounce (22 grams) lighter than their predecessors. That may not seem like much, but when you’re wearing these for a lengthy amount of time, like on a transcontinental journey, every ounce counts.
One of the major changes in the new flush fit, which replaces the original bridge cushioning with something a little more cushiony.
As a result, when worn, these over-ear headphones are more comfortable and less strange-looking. Likewise, the earcups have been deepened, and the side accents have been replaced with copper tones instead of silver.
Additionally, Sony has replaced the micro-USB charging port on the right earcup with a USB Type-C charging port.
Apart from these modest changes, these are still quite simple headphones, which cater to the business-class customer that Sony is aiming for.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 is available in only two colors: all-black or gray-silver, and is completely unremarkable save for an engraved Sony logo over each earcup. These aren’t as flamboyant as Beats headphones, but they sound great and are pleasant to wear.
The headset has two buttons on the left earcup. One is for power/Bluetooth, while the other is for switching between the noise cancellation’s three modes: On, Ambient Mode, and Off. There’s an auxiliary jack below the controls, which is mirrored on the other earcup by a USB Type-C port for charging the headphones. (A USB-to-USB Type-C cable, a 3.5mm AUX cable, a two-pronged AUX converter, and a protective carrying case are included in the box.)
With the touch-capacitive ear cups, you can adjust the volume of your music. For forward movement on the right earcup, swipe right, and for backing up, swipe left. Double-tapping is used to pause the music, and the same action is used to resume it. Similarly, swiping down on the right earcup lowers the volume, while swiping up raises it.
It may take a week or two for you to get used to this method, but after that, it is very easy to use.
Sony WH1000XM3 Reviews: Performance
- Strong noise cancellation
- Quick Attention Mode
- aptX and aptX HD support.
- There is little difference in audio performance.
- Integration with Google Assistant
- Better call it quality—but not exceptional.
The ability to successfully filter out ambient sound is, of course, why you’re buying a pair of noise-canceling headphones. Until the XM4, there was no better in that category than the 1000XM3.
According to Sony’s tests, the 1000XM3 is four times as effective at noise cancellation as the 1000XM2—a remarkable achievement given how well the M2 did.
As a matter of fact, in professional contexts, both low-frequency sounds, such as those found on trains and airplanes, and higher-frequency sounds, such as people conversing or music playing, remain true. In almost every circumstance, the WH-1000XM3 performed admirably, reducing noise from a deafening hum to a more bearable buzz, and in some cases, completely eliminating it.
As with its predecessors, the 1000XM3 may selectively allow some noise to enter the headphones. You may hear announcements over railway station PA systems in the Ambient Noise mode, but the Quick Attention option allows you to instantly pipe in loud noises without unplugging your headphones.
Reduce the level and use the microphones in each earcup to accomplish this. You can do this by lowering the volume and using the microphones attached to each earcup. Since the release of the XM3, many headphones have copied this feature, including the AirPods Pro and the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.
While noise suppression has improved significantly, audio quality remains similar to that of the 1000XM2… The M2 would have been even more disappointing if it weren’t already a great wireless headphone.
When connected to an Android device that supports the aptX HD standard, the Sony WH-1000XM4 sounds better than the iPhone. The mids are plain, the highs are crystal clear, and the bass is heavy and can have a lot of wallops. Their performance is particularly impressive on devices supporting the LDAC codec, such as Sony Walkmans, although they aren’t limited to that.
Pushing the noise-canceling button also allows you to call either Google Assistant or Alexa, allowing you to ask either voice assistant questions. iPhone users can also access Siri’s Voice Assistant through touch-sensitive earcups, using a finger to manage their smartphones.
The call quality of the 1000XM3 is the final component of performance worth examining. When we used the headphones, we sounded clearer—but a little quieter-on a number of phone calls compared to using the phone’s built-in microphone. This could be due to the headphones’ additional microphones.
The 1000XM3’s sound quality isn’t as good as the sound quality on other business-ready headsets, so they’re not the best choice if you regularly make phone calls in an office setting.
Sony WH1000XM3 Reviews: Battery life
- A 30-hour battery life.
- The Quick Charge function
- The auto-off mode through the app
So, how long do you think these headphones will survive on a single charge? There are many variables, but after a few days of testing, we discovered that a good benchmark is around 30 hours. The headphones didn’t need to be recharged at all during the four-day testing period (five hours per day x four days), with about 30% battery life left on the final night.
When used wirelessly, that’s around 10 hours greater than the Bose QuietComfort 35, and 10 hours less than the Bose when used with cable. If you’re flying to the UK from the US West Coast, you’ll have plenty of energy to get there and back.
Don’t worry if your battery dies: the 1000XM3 has a “Quick Charge” feature that allows you to get up to 5 hours of playback after just 10 minutes of charging. In order to put that claim to the test, we connected to the wall for exactly 10 minutes. minutes and went from roughly 30% battery life to 50%. The claim has been validated.
If you want to extend the life of your headphones, you can use the Sony Headphones Connect app to reduce the amount of time they sleep. The default time is 15 minutes, but you can reduce it to five minutes if you really want to squeeze every last second out of it.
The verdict
The Sony XM3 noise-canceling headphones are another incredible pair. The Sony WH-1000XM3 noise-canceling headphones, for example, are exactly what we’ve come to expect from the new leader in noise-canceling headphones.
Even if they’re a little too close to the XM2s for comfort, they’re still among the best headphones you can purchase over three years after their release, with just the Sony WH-1000XM4 edging them out.
However, you can save money by purchasing the Sony WH-1000XM2 — they’re nearly as good as the Sony WH-1000XM1 and have recently been reduced in price.
