Sony is getting ready to show off a new flagship pair of headphones, and this one might not be the simple WH-1000XM6 replacement some people expected.
The company has scheduled a livestream for May 19 at 4PM UTC, focused on its next entry in the WH-1000X headphones family. For Malaysia and Singapore, that timing lands at 12AM on May 20, so yes bro, this is one of those “stay up if you really care about audio gear” launches.
What makes this interesting is that the new model reportedly is not a direct successor to the WH-1000XM6, which only arrived around a year ago. Instead, rumours suggest Sony is preparing something even more premium — a model that could sit above the XM6 rather than replace it.
That matters because Sony’s WH-1000X line has basically become the default “safe expensive headphone” recommendation for a lot of people. Students, office workers, frequent flyers, gamers who want strong noise cancelling without going full gaming-headset RGB — this series has been everywhere. If Sony is now carving out an even higher tier, the pricing and feature gap will be important.
Reports point to a possible US$649 price tag. Converted roughly, that is around RM3,000 before official Malaysian pricing, tax, and retailer markups. That is a serious jump compared with what most Malaysians usually expect from mainstream flagship ANC headphones. At that level, Sony will not just be competing with Bose and Apple — it will also have to convince people that this is worth more than grabbing an XM6 on discount.
The rumoured design change is also notable. The new headphones are said to come with a leather design, which makes sense if Sony wants this to feel more premium and lifestyle-focused. There is also talk of a new name, potentially ColleXion, though we will need the official launch to confirm exactly what Sony is calling it.
Feature-wise, nothing final has been confirmed yet. But if Sony is dedicating a full event to this model, expectations will be high. Better noise cancelling, upgraded drivers, improved call quality, stronger codec support, longer battery life, or more premium materials would all make sense for a product positioned above the normal WH-1000X range.
For SEA buyers, the big question is simple: who is this actually for? If you are already using an XM5 or XM6, this might only make sense if Sony delivers a clear upgrade in comfort, sound, and ANC. But if you travel often between KL, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, or Manila, premium noise cancelling can genuinely be a quality-of-life upgrade — airport noise, MRT rides, cafe work sessions, all settle faster with good ANC.
Still, RM3k-ish headphones are not an impulse buy here. Sony needs to show more than just a nicer finish. If this new “ColleXion” model is going to live above the XM6, it must feel meaningfully different, not just more atas for the sake of it.
We will know more once Sony’s livestream goes live on May 19 UTC, or midnight May 20 for Malaysia.
Source: GSMArena