AirPods Pro 2 vs Sony WF-1000XM5

Sony’s WF-1000XM5 arrived on 24 July 2023 at $299.99, between Apple’s two versions of AirPods Pro 2: the original, announced on 7 September 2022 at $249, and the USB-C model of 12 September 2023, also $249. Both are previous models now. Apple’s current Pro is AirPods Pro 3, rated for up to 8 hours with noise cancellation and fitted with a heart-rate sensor for workouts, and Sony has a newer 1000X model with a newer chip than this pair’s QN2e.

AirPods Pro 2 and WF-1000XM5 side by side

Spec	AirPods Pro 2	Sony WF-1000XM5
Released	Announced 7 September 2022; USB-C case 12 September 2023	24 July 2023
US launch price	$249	$299.99
Chip	H2 in the buds; U1 in the USB-C case	QN2e and Integrated Processor V2
Driver	Custom high-excursion driver; size not published	0.33-inch Dynamic Driver X
Codecs	Not published	SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3
Two devices	Switches across your Apple Account	Multipoint, two devices at once
Hearing features	Hearing Test, Hearing Aid, Hearing Protection, Loud Sound Reduction	None listed
Listening, noise canceling on	Up to 6 hours	Up to 8 hours
With the case	Up to 30 hours	Up to 24 hours
Buds, dust and water	IP54	IPX4 equivalent, holes excluded
Case, water	IP54	Not water resistant
Tips	XS, S, M, L	Noise Isolation Earbud Tips; number of sizes not published
Weight, one bud	5.3 g	About 0.21 oz with medium tips (Sony Japan: about 5.9 g)
Bud size	30.9 × 21.8 × 24.0 mm	Not published
Case	50.8 g; 45.2 × 60.6 × 21.7 mm	About 1.38 oz; about 2.54 × 1.57 × 1.04 in
Wireless charging	MagSafe, Apple Watch charger or Qi	Qi, pad sold separately
Finding the case	U1 chip, speaker, lanyard loop	No Find My listed
Bluetooth	5.3	5.3; profiles include A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP, TMAP, CSIP, MCP, VCP, CCP

Your phone decides a lot

Most of what sets AirPods Pro 2 apart needs Apple hardware. They switch between your devices on one Apple Account, Personalized Spatial Audio needs an iPhone with a TrueDepth camera, and the hearing features and U1 finding depend on Apple’s software. Apple’s later updates also add Live Translation, in beta, for AirPods Pro 2 and later. On other phones, AirPods Pro 2 are Bluetooth earbuds with limited features.

Sony’s extras lean toward Android. LDAC needs a compatible player, head tracking works on capable Android 13 phones, and 360 Reality Audio runs on listed Xperia setups. Multipoint keeps the buds connected to two devices at once, which suits anyone moving between a phone and a laptop. You set the buds up in Sony’s app, Sony | Sound Connect.

Codecs and sound

Sony lists SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3 for the WF-1000XM5, but not aptX. For LDAC’s higher bitrate, Sony points you to Priority on Sound Quality in its app and cites 990 kbps for Hi-Res playback. DSEE Extreme is in the app too.

Noise canceling claims don’t line up

Apple calls its system Pro-level Active Noise Cancellation with Adaptive Audio and says it cancels up to twice as much noise as AirPods Pro (1st generation) and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation. Sony ties its noise canceling to the QN2e and Integrated Processor V2 chips and several noise sensors, and its “best noise-canceling” line rests on a market-share footnote dated 10 April 2023, not a measurement. Neither company gives a decibel figure, and neither claim is measured against the other pair.

To hear the room, AirPods Pro 2 have Transparency, Conversation Awareness and Personalized Volume. Sony has Ambient Sound and Quick Attention, plus Speak-to-Chat, which you switch on in Sony’s app; a tap dismisses it, and music comes back after 15 seconds by default.

Battery

Mode	AirPods Pro 2	Sony WF-1000XM5
Listening, noise canceling on	Up to 6 hours	Up to 8 hours
Listening, noise canceling off	Not published	Up to 12 hours
Spatial Audio with head tracking	Up to 5.5 hours	Not published
Lossless with Apple Vision Pro	Up to 4 hours	Not published
Talk time	Not published	Up to 6 hours with noise canceling on, 7 off
With the case	Up to 30 hours	Up to 24 hours: about 8 from the buds plus about 16 from the case
Quick charge	5 minutes for about an hour	About 3 minutes for about an hour
Full charge of the buds	Not published	About 1.5 hours

The Sony buds run two hours longer per charge with noise canceling on, but AirPods Pro 2 get more out of their case: up to 30 hours in total against 24. Apple’s figures assume AAC playback at 50 percent volume with noise cancellation on.

Water: Sony’s case is the weak spot

Apple rates the AirPods Pro 2 buds and USB-C case IP54: resistant to dust, sweat and water during non-water sports, though not permanently and not for swimming. Sony rates its buds IPX4 equivalent, which covers splashes from any angle but excludes the sound conduit, vents and mic holes. Sony gives no dust rating and says the case isn’t water resistant. Both pairs’ buds handle splashes; only Apple’s case is rated for water at all.

Fit, calls and the case

AirPods Pro 2 come with four tip sizes, XS to L, and each bud weighs 5.3 grams. Sony supplies Noise Isolation Earbud Tips without saying how many sizes, and each bud weighs about 0.21 ounces with medium tips, or about 5.9 grams by Sony Japan’s figure.

On the stem, AirPods Pro 2 take a press, a double-press, a triple-press, a hold for listening modes and a swipe for volume. For calls they use dual beamforming microphones, an inward-facing microphone and Voice Isolation; Sony puts three microphones and a bone-conduction sensor in each earbud.

The AirPods Pro 2 USB-C case has a speaker and a lanyard loop, charges on MagSafe, an Apple Watch charger or Qi, and comes with a USB-C cable in the box. Apple lists it in white only. Sony launched the WF-1000XM5 in Black and Silver and has also listed Smoky Pink; its box has the case, a USB cable, tips, a warranty card and a reference guide.

Price, and buying AirPods Pro 2 used

AirPods Pro 2 launched at $249 and kept that price as the USB-C model. Sony launched the WF-1000XM5 at $299.99, and on 19 September 2026 its own store showed the black pair at $329.99, marked down to $279.99. Store prices move, so check apple.com and electronics.sony.com before you buy.

Used AirPods Pro 2 split by port. The USB-C model, which Apple’s battery and IP54 figures describe, has buds numbered A3047, A3048 or A3049 and case A2968. The 2022 Lightning version has buds A2931, A2699 or A2698 and case A2700.