When I started writing this article about 20 minutes ago, it was going to look a little different — then I clicked on the Sony WH-1000XM5 listing and saw Amazon dropped its price an additional $50.
That's not to say these headphones are automatically the ones to get on Prime Day — even if they're now $248 to the Sony WH-1000XM6's $428 sale price. However, after comparing them head to head just a few weeks ago, I can confidently say that while these headphones have some differences, they certainly don't feel like they're $180 different. With that in mind, I've laid out the case for picking up either this Prime Day. Without further ado:
The case for the Sony WH-1000XM6 deal
The Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones didn't need to go on sale this Prime Day. I didn't necessarily expect them to, especially since the 2022-release WH-1000XM5s Prime Day showing last year was just okay at $298. So when Amazon dropped the price on these headphones, I was surprised, even though the deal is a more modest $20 price drop.
I imagine this deal appeals most to folks who were already likely going to buy these headphones, but just wanted to see if they could eke out a few extra bucks in savings. As for XM5 owners, I would say it's not quite enough to force you to rush an upgrade. As I wrote in my comparison, these headphones do have a warmer and rounder sound profile, and a better design due to folding ear cups and some minor button changes — but it's not as if Sony reinvented the audio wheel with this release. The other group I could see this deal being worth it for is frequent travelers — the ear cup change does genuinely make a difference in the carrying case size, ultimately making this a much more travel-friendly pair of headphones.
The case for the Sony WH-1000XM5 deal
The Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones arguably had a rough start to Prime Day sitting at $298 — the same exact price we saw them at last Prime Day. If you're willing to grab the black pair, however, you get an additional $50 in savings, bringing these headphones down to $248. That's $151.99 cheaper than their $398 asking price, $180 cheaper than the XM6 sale price, and a new record low price for them by $1.99 (we've only seen them hit $249.99 once before).
All this to say, if you're looking to save money, it's hard to make the case against this deal. While their sound quality isn't quite as good as the XM6s, I'm willing to bet these are differences only the more audiophile-oriented among us will notice. In head to head testing, I found the ANC to be roughly the same as the XM6s. I wish the ear cups folded up, but I don't $180-wish it. Overall, these are still an incredibly well-rounded pair of headphones that are nearly $200 cheaper than most other premium options on the market. (And at a lower price than even the XM4s were just a couple of weeks ago, according to price tracking data from camelcamelcamel). For most people, I recommend picking up the Sony WH-1000XM5 deal for $248. If they jump back to $298, I'd either say wait for another sale, seriously consider another brand, or even wait for the XM6s to drop in price some more.
