Sony WF-1000XM3 Earbuds Review

So out of the box I was excited for these, they were a little treat to myself and much like a kid at Christmas, I couldn’t wait to get them out of the box and have a play with them.

Taking them out of both the case is made from thick plastic, giving a weighted, premium feel to them. The case feels secure, and the buds and lid are held in place by magnets to stop them from falling out. The magnets also ensure they are in the right position to charge the buds when they aren’t being used.

For this test, I am seeing how easy it is to pair with my phone. I am using the Samsung S21 Ultra 5G. The pairing was as easy as going to Bluetooth settings and selecting Sony, the total time to pair was less than a minute which is a lot faster and more reliable than other headphones I’ve used in the past. I did then have to log into the Sony Headphones app but that still took hardly any time at all.

Once paired when I want to use them again I just have to take them out of the case. They automatically switch on and pair with my phone almost instantly.

Having been an avid headphone user, I have always been under the impression that earphones would never match them in sound quality. But I’m delighted to admit Sony has completely proven me wrong. Not only do they match the quality of my trusted Marshalls but they exceed it. Every note in a song can be heard perfectly, it turns listening to a podcast on the commute into being in a room surrounded by friends.

The noise cancelling on these is impressive, my commute can be a noisy one, either from the train or general London traffic. What I really love is you can adapt to how effective noise cancelling is. So for example, if you are waiting at a train station, you can allow ambient noise so that you can hear any announcements, or if walking so you can hear traffic or your surroundings to stay safe.

You can also turn it up to the max when you are in places where you want to shut the world out completely, like when you are in the backseat of the car on a road trip, or there’s a crying baby on your plane.

So when it comes to comfort, it’s going to be a very personal review here. My preference when it comes to listening to music is over or on-ear headphones. But they come at the cost of bulk. So for me personally, I do not find the Sony WF-1000XM3 Earbuds secure when I wear them. They feel just a little bit off and like they could fall out at any time. Sony does provide different sizes and material buds which I love, but for me, they are either just a little bit too big or a little bit too small.

Sony make the claim the materials allow a high friction surface, and they are shaped to allow a tri-fold structure. This means they come into contact with three points of your ear to allow a secure comfortable fit. Ideally, they would have a hook for your ears, like the Hyphen Aria from Rolling Square.

Although this doesn’t seem to happen to me, it doesn’t stop me from enjoying these earbuds. However, it does mean I am mainly using them when I am in bed or sitting at my desk.

Sony has clearly not skimped on material quality for these, I have used a lot of Sony products over the years, and they have vastly varied in quality. Sony is very much a brand where you get what you pay for, you pay a low price and the build is cheap and nasty, you pay a high price and you get something that’s beautifully crafted. But with these earbuds, they feel very solid.

They have a bit of weight to them in a way that makes them feel like quality, and the option to switch between foam or plastic earbuds shows a lot of thought has been put into how the material affects comfort.

In this case I am very happy with the compromise between price and build quality. As the WF-1000XM3 is a few years older now and has been succeeded by newer models, meaning the price has dropped but the build quality remains the same. Currently, you can pick these up for a very reasonable £99.

On a full charge, the Sony WF-1000XM3 Earbuds are expected to give 6 hours of playtime. The case then provides an additional 3 full charges, taking it to 24 hours. They charge rapidly too, with just 10 minutes of charge providing 90 minutes of playtime.

The Sony WF-1000XM3 Earbuds earbuds are great and have definitely earned their place in my pack. As of yet, I don’t think they’ll be replacing my headphones completely, but they will definitely be my go-to when I’m not doing any too vigorous activities.

You can definitely spend more but I think at this price point you are getting incredible value for money. For the same great quality in a more comfortable (albeit bulkier) form, check out the Sony WH-1000XM4 I reviewed.