Sony's ColleXion headphones leak in full: £549 luxury, not an upgrade
Sony's premium 1000X The ColleXion headphones have leaked entirely before their official reveal — complete marketing slides, press renders, and full specifications have appeared online ahead of a May 19, 2026 announcement. The price is £549 in the UK and $649 in the US. That's a 38% jump over the WH-1000XM6, which launched at £399 last year and now routinely sells for £329–£349.
The price gap
This isn't an incremental upgrade to the XM6. Sony is pitching ColleXion as a separate, fashion-forward product line — actor Damson Idris was spotted wearing a pre-release pair at the Met Gala, a move that signals lifestyle marketing rather than audio-first positioning. At £549, it sits in a different bracket entirely, competing closer to Bose's QuietComfort Ultra and Bowers & Wilkins territory than the mainstream ANC market.
The design
The biggest physical change from the XM6 is metal hinges, which Sony is framing as a durability upgrade. The earcups use faux leather rather than the standard fabric or plastic found on consumer models. The headphones do not fold — confirmed by leaked renders showing them stored flat inside a proprietary purse-style hard case with a magnetic closure and integrated handle.
Controls are reorganized: a touch panel moves to the side and rear of the earcup, leaving the outer face smooth. Physical buttons — power, Bluetooth indicator, 3.5 mm jack, and a multi-function oval button — sit along the bottom edge. Two colorways are available at launch: Black and Platinum White.
The ColleXion stored in its proprietary purse-style carrying case
The specs
Noise cancellation runs on a 12-microphone system powered by Sony's QN3 and V3 processors, adapting to the surrounding environment in real time. ANC battery life is 24 hours — slightly less than the XM6's 30 hours, a trade-off for the premium build. Without ANC, you get up to 32 hours. A five-minute quick charge adds 90 minutes of playback.
Call quality uses a separate six-microphone array with AI-based noise reduction and Sony's Precise Voice Pickup technology. The headphones also support 360 Reality Audio with head tracking, and a 360 Upmix function converts stereo audio to spatial sound across music, film, and gaming modes.
ColleXion specs detail from leaked marketing materials
What's in the box — mostly
The leaked "In the box" slide lists the headphones, the signature carrying case, and a 3.5 mm audio cable. A footnote — misspelled "Charing cable not included" — suggests the USB-A to USB-C charging cable is excluded. Sony's own product photos, however, clearly show a USB-C cable alongside the headphones and case. That contradiction won't be resolved until the official announcement on May 19, per Notebookcheck.
In-the-box contents as shown in the leaked promotional slide
Sony's non-folding choice is a deliberate statement: ColleXion is built for a desk or a handbag, not a travel backpack. Whether that justifies the premium over an already-excellent XM6 depends entirely on how much the case and the metal hinges are worth to you. Preorders and full availability details are expected at the May 19 reveal.
