Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Apple AirPods Pro 3: which premium wireless earbuds are better?

Sony and Apple are two of the biggest names in wireless earbuds. The former's XM series has won multiple What Hi-Fi? Awards over the years, and consistently feature in our list of best wireless earbuds as fantastic all-rounders.

While Apple's AirPods initially struggled to compete with the best rivals around, they have improved markedly in recent years – the last two generations of AirPods Pro have scored five stars thanks to their excellent sound quality and noise cancellation.

The current flagships are the Sony WF-1000XM6 and Apple AirPods Pro 3. Both are five-star pairs, and if you're wondering which would be best for you, you've come to the right place.

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Apple AirPods Pro 3: price

On paper at least, there's not much to choose between the two prices, but in reality, it's a little more complex.

As the most recent buds to launch, the Sony WF-1000XM6 have stuck to their launch price of £250 / $330 / AU$500. The AirPods Pro 3 launched towards the end of 2025 for £219 / $249 / AU$429, but have since fallen – at time of writing, they sell for £204 in the UK, but we have seen it drop as low as £198.

These kinds of discounts, along with their lower launch price, gives the AirPods Pro 3 this round.

**Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3**

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Apple AirPods Pro 3: build & comfort

The two pairs have very different designs – the Sony buds are much more rectangular while the AirPods stick with the buds-and-stem design that has served them well over the years.

The XM6's boxier shape helps accommodate an extra mic and creates space for the new ventilation structure, which increases airflow to reduce internal noise within the earbud. The case too is much boxier than the AirPods', and feels a little cheap next to Apple's slimmer bud holder.

Sony has slimmed the buds down to make them more comfortable, but they still pack an 8.4mm driver unit and 'soft edge' surround for a better bass response. The XM6 come in two finishes – black and platinum silver – compared to the AirPods' trademark white. The black finish is a little smoother, while the silver is more textured.

Sony's eartip material is a bit more fiddly to fit than Apple's, and the tips only come in four sizes to the AirPods' five. Both pairs have an ear fit test within their respective apps, which gives you a better chance of a secure fit.

The AirPods Pro 3 are a little smaller than their predecessors, and a little differently shaped to provide a better fit. They're also more lightweight than the Sonys, which will make a different for longer commutes and long listening sessions.

Overall, we found the AirPods Pro 3 a little easier to get on with on the whole – the XM6 make you work harder to get the right fit. The Pro 3 are also less bulky, and have more choices of eartip size. Still, we would recommend trying your desired pair before buying to make sure they fit you well.

**Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 3**

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Apple AirPods Pro 3: features

Both brands' flagship models are always bursting with features, and these two are no exception.

The XM6 pack Sony's new QN3e processor for everything from controlling noise cancellation to improving the DAC performance. The XM6 can handle 32-bit processing, while Sony's DSEE Extreme processing boosts the quality of low-quality sound files.

Sony's Sound Connect app gives you plenty of ways to tweak the sound. If you don't want to fiddle with the 10-band equaliser, you can pick from some presets to save time. You can also re-assign which button presses perform which functions, optimise the spatial audio and adjust the intensity of Sony’s Ambient Sound.

An IPX4 rating protects the XM6 from water splashes, but the AirPods outdo this with IP57, meaning they'll survive full immersion in water as well as having greater protection from dust ingress. Both pairs can wirelessly connect with two devices at once, though the AirPods do this using Apple's own tech (which only works with Apple devices) while the XM6 use the more commonly used Bluetooth Multipoint, making them more versatile.

The Pro 3 have all the features as their predecessors, but bear in mind that you will need an iOS device to benefit from the full raft. These include hearing health features, conversation mode (Sony's equivalent is Speak-to-Chat), various modes related to active noise cancellation (ANC), spatial audio with dynamic head-tracking, and head gesture controls.

They also benefit from a new heart rate sensor for tracking workouts and the Live Translation feature (though this is also available on the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with ANC).

In terms of Bluetooth codecs, the AirPods Pro 3 still only support the standard SBC and AAC codecs and there are no provisions for higher-quality codecs (though neither do Apple's iPhones). Sony XM6, however, support the firm's own LDAC hi-res codec in favour of aptX, and are compatible with a rising number of smartphones and portable hi-res music players that also support LDAC.

For battery life, it's a dead heat. Both pairs give you eight hours from the buds, and a total of 24 hours including the charging case. That's with ANC activated.

So which pair is better? It's a close one. Apple has a greater focus on health features, though that may be of less interest to audiophiles, who will prefer Sony's embrace of the hi-res LDAC codec. Sony's buds are also platform agnostic, giving you the same feature set whether you use an iOS or Android device. A lot of the ANC modes are the same, too.

In the end, the Sony just pips it forward.

**Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6**

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Apple AirPods Pro 3: noise cancellation

Noise cancellation is one of the key selling points of premium wireless earbuds. Sony's QN3e processor adds more computational power, and works alongside the Adaptive NC Optimiser which adapts the ANC algorithm to your fit and environment.

The result is certainly impressive. Testing them on both the London Underground and during a couple of short-haul flights, we were impressed by their "consistency and ability to extract both low-frequency rumbles of carriages and aeroplane engines, but also more high-pitched screeches and whistles that crept into our environment," we wrote in our Sony WF-1000XM6 review.

The result is particularly effective in the mid and upper frequencies.

Apple too has improved the noise cancelling on the AirPods Pro 3, through ultra-low noise microphones, advanced computational audio, and the new foam-infused eartips.

Again, we put the AirPods through their paces on a flight, and found mid- and low-frequency noise was silence more effectively than with the previous-gen AirPods.

"The deep rumble of the airplane’s engine noise was damped down further than when listened to through the Pro 2, while the general chatter from people and announcements from the pilot were quieter through the new earbuds on full ANC mode," we wrote in our AirPods Pro 3 review.

The AirPods have a natural, airy way of cancelling noise, which is the opposite of the more intense, vacuum-like effects found on some rivals. It's a great performance, but when compared with the Sonys, we find the XM6 are just that little bit more effective across the board.

**Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6**

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Apple AirPods Pro 3: sound

No pair of headphones gets five stars from us without earning it in the sound department. And the WF-1000XM6 and AirPods Pro 3 have certainly done that.

The XM6 aim for a more natural sound, which is effectively Sony parking its tanks on Apple's lawn. Compared to Sony buds of old, the XM6 have a newfound sense of natural warmth, but still retain a healthy level of detail and insight.

Like previous Sony flagships, they're consummate all-rounders, boasting "a fantastic sense of timing, an expressive midrange, weighty yet well-defined bass and crisp, nicely controlled highs," we wrote in our review.

They're analytical, but never too much so, keeping a natural tone and great sense of integration. "Playing Tom Odell’s Black Friday, the Sonys give you a front row seat and reveal themselves as expert communicators. There’s delicacy and subtlety in spades, which helps the earbuds extract fantastic emotion and feeling from the track," we noted.

For the Pro 3, Apple revamped the multiport acoustic architecture to deliver more precise airflow control for more bass and a wider soundstage. It also updated the Adaptive EQ to better optimise the sound to your individual ear.

The improvements are obvious the minute you start listening. It's still the same natural, balanced presentation that's become Apple's trademark, but clearer and more detailed. There's more space within the presentation, and a greater sense of dynamism at play.

No frequencies stick out unduly, but neither are they too smoothed out. It's a tricky balance, but Apple pulls it off with aplomb.

As we wrote in our review: "There is bite and attack to the crunchy, brash highs of Fontaines D.C.’s Starburster, while the basslines in Forgot About Dre are taut, agile and tuneful, and punch with quite a good deal of depth and power in Billie Eilish’s Blue."

Vocals are clean and textured, which really helps communicate the emotion of a track, while dynamic shifts are handled effortlessly. It's an enjoyable performance.

But they don't quite reach the sonic heights achieved by the Sonys. The XM6's textures are that bit more authentic, and the dynamic subtleties that bit more in evidence. The XM6 are simply able to dig deeper into details and reveal greater space and layers for music to flourish, along with better rhythmic precision and even more subtlety.

**Winner: Sony WF-1000XM6**

Sony WF-1000XM6 vs Apple AirPods Pro 3: verdict

Both pairs excel in all the main areas we prioritise, with fantastic noise cancellation and sound quality, bags of features and great designs.

The designs are quite different though, which will affect fit and long-term comfort. A lot also depends on which mobile operating system you'll be using with your earbuds – Apple users will naturally benefit more with the AirPods Pro 3, while the Sonys will play nice with pretty much everyone.

Ultimately, it's the Sony WF-1000XM6's greater sound quality and noise-cancelling abilities that win this battle. The AirPods Pro 3 are talented earbuds and it's a close-run thing, but the Sonys are a step ahead with more authentic, more precise and revealing sound quality.

**Overall winner: Sony WF-1000XM6**

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