# Sony WF-1000XM5

5 Hacker News commenters recommended Sony WF-1000XM5 and 5 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 5 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Recommended mainly for comfort; critics say noise cancelling is inconsistent and Bluetooth features can be unreliable, especially on Windows.

## What people warn about

- Bluetooth features unreliable (2 comments): "I've tried multiple combinations with my WH-1000XM6 and WF-1000XM5, but nothing works stable on Windows." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45899002)) "my experience has been that bunch of features just don't work when LE is used" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45897884))
- Touch controls and UX annoy (2 comments): "The UX is reportedly worse and a bit buggy, but the sound should be better." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48712321)) "it was always super-annoying to accidentally tap ANC off or tap "play" while taking them off or putting them on" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50292272))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Apple AirPods](https://hackerapproved.com/p/airpods.md): 257 recommend
- [Apple AirPods Pro](https://hackerapproved.com/p/airpods-pro.md): 115 recommend
- [Fairphone Fairbuds](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fairbuds.md): 7 recommend
- [Pine64 PineBuds](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pinebuds-pro.md): 7 recommend
- [Anker Soundcore earbuds](https://hackerapproved.com/p/soundcore-earbuds.md): 5 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Sony+WF-1000XM5+wireless+noise+cancelling+earbuds&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Official site](https://www.sony.com/electronics/truly-wireless-headphones/wf-1000xm5)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Sony WF-1000XM5", https://hackerapproved.com/p/sony-wf-1000xm5/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).