Sony WF-1000XM5 could launch on THIS date... Buy XM4 Now? 🤔

So I get this question a lot. “Is the Sony WF-1000XM5 coming? Or should I just buy the WF-1000XM4 right now? I mean, it’s on promo and it seems to be a good deal.”

Well I’ve got news for you. I was checking Sony’s FCC listings, and under the product code YY2968, there appears to be new wireless noise cancelling earbuds in the works. Now, due to how FCC listings work, much of the info in this listing is secret until the short term confidentiality date is up. It says here that the STC date is 20th May 2023. That date usually is taken to be the estimated launch date of the product, so it could be earlier or later.

But this is somewhere near the date that the XM4s were launched which is on the 8th of June 2021. That’s almost 2 years before this STC date, so I think this may be the XM5. We don’t know for sure yet, it could be something else. But before the launch of these new buds, is it worth getting the WF-1000XM4 right now?

I have to say that the Sony WF-1000XM4 are still one of my favorite earbuds, and since they are going to get a multipoint pairing update as announced by Sony, this makes them even better value for money if you do manage to secure one at a discount.

But you do have to be careful when buying them now, because there are two, so-called, variants, floating about in the market. I’m talking about the new ones that come with firmware 1.5.0, and the old units with 1.4.2. If you want to know all the differences between the old and the new units, I’ve put a link to this video in the description box.

It is possible that the new batches with 1.5.0 do come with some upgraded hardware inside, and so might work better with the upcoming multipoint update. The older batches are fine too but some of them will develop battery related issues which I’ve covered in previous videos. I made those videos because mine was initially a pre-order unit that eventually could not last beyond 1 hour of playback. So I went and got it replaced at Sony, and now I have one from the new batch, one that comes with firmware 1.5.0.

I have to give Sony Singapore a lot of credit because mine XM4s were out of warranty, but they replaced them anyway, free of charge! That’s great customer service. But alternatively, you can also consider the LinkBuds S, which does currently support multipoint pairing, and makes a great alternative to the XM4 because it has almost all of the XM4’s features, performs almost as well in terms of sound and noise cancelling, but is much smaller and with better call quality than the XM4.

I actually suspect the WF-10000XM5 will be closer to the LinkBuds S in terms of design and features, but with even better performance. That is just a prediction, so take it with a grain of salt. If any new information about the XM5 is revealed, subscribers of the YouTube channel will be among the first to know, so click on this link to get subscribed and tap the bell button to stay notified.

You can also purchase the Sony WF-1000XM4 and LinkBuds S using the Amazon links below.