
TL;DR
- The images of the Sony WF-1000XM5 have been leaked.
- These images show the shape of the earbuds and housing.
- A disassembly of the buttons and cover reveals characteristics we can expect from the buttons.
Sony’s wildly popular WF-1000XM4 noise canceling earplugs have high expectations of the Sony WF-1000XM5. A Sony WF-1000XM5 leaks out The Walkman Blog gives us a concrete idea of what the expected XM5 earbuds will look like.
According to the Sony WF-1000XM5 leak, the earbuds will have a rounded shape that appears more compact than the XM4 earbuds. While it may be hard to see in the photo, there is likely a hole in the left earbud for the microphone array. A sticker on the earbuds indicates that they are made in China. The FCC ID and model number of the charging case correspond to Sony’s February 22, 2023, FCC declaration for a “wireless noise canceling stereo headset”.
The glossy plastic depicted in the leak doesn’t seem nearly as premium as the matte black version of the WF-1000XM4. We hope that the apparently glossy plastic of the Sony WF-1000XM5 leak will be upgraded when production units roll out.
Sony’s pre-production WF-1000XM5 case has a more rounded shape than the WF-1000XM4 case. The XM5 case has a two-pin charging mechanism, with one falling out of the three-pin charging system on the XM4 case.
We also see a more powerful 5V = 230mA specification on the Sony WF-1000XM5 housing. This specification should provide faster charging of the earbuds than the 5V = 140mA specification for the XM4 case. Sony eschews the slim LED that rests on the seam of the XM4 case for a standard LED dot on the front of the case.
The Sony WF-1000XM5 leak shows a teardown of the case, which contains a wireless charging coil that works with Qi. The body of the WF-1000XM4 also has this, so no surprise. As seen below, the leak also shows a teardown of the WF-1000XM5 earbuds.

The Walkman Blog numbered the identifiable parts and guessed them to be the following:
- Contacts for a wireless antenna and touch sensor.
- MEMS microphone.
- Contacts for the speaker driver.
- Contacts for another speaker driver.
- Proximity sensor.
- MEMS microphone.
Let us know what you think of the design of the Sony WF-1000XM5 in the comment section below. In the meantime, bookmark our Sony WF-1000XM5 rumor hub for the latest information.