Sony’s WF-1000XM3 bring noise cancellation to AirPods-style wireless earbuds

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  Sony’s latest attempt at making good noise-cancelling true wireless headphones: the WF-1000XM3. [credit:
  Sony ]

Since launching last year, Sony’s WH-1000XM3 headphones have been near-universally praised as one of the most effective pairs of noise-cancelling headphones on the market. Now, the Japanese giant hopes to translate that success to a true wireless design with the launch of the WF-1000XM3.

The new totally wireless earphones are up for pre-order at various retailers beginning on Friday and will become available to purchase sometime in August. They’re priced at $230.

Trying to make true wireless ANC work

Sony’s elevator pitch with the WF-1000XM3 is to mix the active noise cancellation (ANC) technology of the over-ear WH-1000XM3 headphones—which, in our previous testing, has come out slightly ahead of long-time market leader Bose in terms of pure noise cancelling strength—with the cord-free design of Apple’s AirPods, which have seemingly skyrocketed in popularity in recent years and helped increase the demand for the true wireless form factor as a whole.