This time I got the product for testing before the WF-1000XM3 was launched, so I would like to explain to you that the product I borrowed this time is a test model, so there will be signs such as Not For Sale, please don’t take offense. , As for the test machine and the official listing version is not much different, please rest assured. The Sony WF-1000XM3 is packaged in the same white box as the previous generation, with the product body and its main features printed on it. Of course, the WF-1000XM3 has also been certified by Apple and Android, and can support devices of both systems.

The WF-1000XM3 is changed to USB-C for charging. The charging port can be seen under the charging box. It also supports the fast charging function. It only takes 10 minutes to charge and can provide 90 minutes of playback time.

The fully remodeled portable charging box, in addition to the changes in appearance, it is important to change to a magnetic adsorption design, which improves the situation that the previous generation charging box is often not charged because it is not properly placed or popped out due to vibration. At the same time, a charging indicator light is attached to the front of the charging box, so that users can better identify the current charging status.

After the headphone body is taken out, the BQ33100PW can see the magnetic suction device and the metal contacts. In addition, although the charging box has a fool-proof design, the logo of LR can still be seen in the charging box. In addition, Sony also cleverly placed the NFC sensing area in front of the opening of the upper cover of the charging case, so that it is difficult for people not to notice.

Different from the previous generation WEF-1000X, the earphone shell of WF-1000XM3 is made of plastic material, with a matte anti-fouling coating design, and there are touch panel devices outside the left and right earphones. Both trackpads are made. Two feed-forward microphones are also built on the left and right sides of the headset, which can receive external sound sources for 20-stage ambient sound adjustment (the previous generation was 3 stages). time identification.

The corresponding metal charging contacts can be seen on the inside of the earphone, and the built-in wearing sensor of the WF-1000X can also be seen. When the user puts it on, it will automatically turn on, and when it is removed, it will automatically pause. will automatically shut down. In addition to the feed-forward microphone on the outside of the headset, the WF-1000XM3 also builds a feedback microphone on the inside of the headset, which can improve the sound quality of Bluetooth calls.

Two different color matching headphone products, Sony also equipped them with different color matching charging boxes. The left is the silver style, and the right is the black outer box. I prefer the silver headphone body, and then I like the black style. , but unfortunately Sony does not accept the service of random matching.

Having said that, I still feel that the black model of WF-1000XM3 is more low-key and calm, which is more suitable for business people to wear. Personal subjective feeling, it is still necessary to decide the color matching style according to your own preferences.

In fact, when the WF-1000X was launched, the editor started to buy this true wireless noise-cancelling earphone. This time, I also took it out for comparison. First, let’s look at the comparison of the charging box. Compared with the previous generation’s slightly longer design, WF - Although the charging box of the 1000XM3 is a little taller, the width is slightly smaller, and there are also big differences in color matching.

In addition to changing the charging port from Micro USB to USB-C, the WF-1000XM3 also changed the position of the charging port and the charging indicator. The new charging box charges faster and the charging indicator is more recognizable. Many and more beautiful.

The biggest difference between the previous and next generation charging boxes is the difference in the internal charging structure. The WF-1000X on the left adopts a tenon-type charging form, and the WF-1000XM3 on the right adopts a magnetic charging form. In addition to the substantial improvement in stability, There will also be no case of charging failure due to vibration, which I think is a considerable improvement.

Although they are all WF-1000X series products, the appearance of the two generations is very different. The WF-1000X has a modern texture of metal and transparency. As for the WF-1000XM3, it is reminiscent of Sony's own WF-SP900 waterproof true wireless headphones. , just more configuration of microphone and touch panel. There is not much difference on the back of the headset, but the WF-1000XM3 will change the case to plastic material, perhaps to solve the previous unstable Bluetooth connection, and the WF-1000XM3 will also use the previous fitted ear hooks. Cancel and wear the sensor instead.

The new WF-1000XM3 has also greatly improved the wearing structure design. The previous generation WF-1000X needs to be fitted with ear hooks attached to improve the wearing stability, but the WF-1000XM3 adopts ergonomic design. The three-point fixing structure and the high-resistance rubber surface treatment on the ear can improve the wearing stability.

In addition, it is not difficult for you to see the difference between the two from the structural design of the earphone. When actually wearing it, the WF-1000X will have a strong sense of suspension, as well as the intrusion of the in-ear earphone, and the gap between the earphone and the ear is also Slightly bigger. As for the WF-1000XM3, it is more suitable for the ear type, and the gap between the ear and the ear is small. As long as the right size earplugs are selected, the sound insulation effect can be completely achieved by 90%. At the same time, the curved structure design also reduces the sense of invasion, which is suitable for long-term wear. will be more comfortable.

How does Bluetooth pairing work? How is the stability?

The Sony WF-1000XM3 adopts the new Bluetooth 5.0 transmission technology to provide a more stable and more power-saving Bluetooth connection, and supports the Qualcomm TWS+ left and right independent connection mode, allowing users to use the left and right earphones alone for music playback or call functions. The lines are paired as follows:

Method 1: Support NFC induction Bluetooth pairing function, the premise is that the user's playback device must support NFC induction, such as Apple operating system devices need to use manual Bluetooth pairing.

Method 2: When using a device that does not support NFC inductive pairing, you must first take out the earphone and wear it, and press and hold the touchpads of the left and right earphones at the same time. At this time, the voice of the earphone will remind the user to enter the Bluetooth pairing mode and enter the Bluetooth device list. Select "WF-1000XM3" for Bluetooth connection.

Supports smart Bluetooth pairing function. Users only need to pair for the first time, and then they will automatically connect to the device as long as they take out the headset. In terms of fixed performance, the fully upgraded Bluetooth 5.0 chip and Qualcomm chip make the Bluetooth connection more stable. There is a substantial improvement, even in a more cluttered wireless network environment, there will be no disconnection or instability. The left and right earphones can be used independently, which is also a very convenient design for users who drive to and from get off work.

Here, the editor also actually tested the latency of watching videos or playing games. The performance of the previous generation WF-1000X was a bit unsatisfactory in this part. I believe this is also one of the troubles of many generations of users. The editor uses YouTube respectively. Video and mobile games are used to experience the experience. It is not difficult to find that the delay between video and audio is almost negligible, and it is unlikely that the audio and video will be out of sync. The new generation of Bluetooth chips does improve this part of the experience.

Complete the operation with the Sony Headphones Connect App!

With the launch of the new WF-1000XM3 by Sony, the Sony Headphones Connect App that is used with it is also updated synchronously. The editor recommends that everyone download this App. In addition to supporting Android and iOS systems, it can also be used for WF-1000XM3. -1000XM3's music playback mode, flexible sound effect control, personalized equalizer, noise reduction mode, left and right button operation, headphone firmware update, etc. are set. These additional setting menus alone are worth recommending.

After connecting with the device via Bluetooth, open the App to connect to the main screen of the WF-1000XM3. The top of the screen will display the color and style of the earphones, the power switch button, the wireless music transmission mode, and the current battery level of the left and right earphones. Going down, you can see the elastic sound effect control and the ambient sound control. Only one of the two functions can be activated. The ambient sound control is set manually. The user can set 20 ambient sound settings, from noise reduction, reduction Wind sound to environment 1~20, the larger the value, the more ambient sound can be received.

The elastic sound control is more inclined to let the system automatically determine the current user's behavior mode, and then automatically adjust the current environmental sound control. Sony distinguishes it into four modes: stationary, walking, running and riding a vehicle, and determines these behavior modes. It is mainly carried out through mobile devices, rather than using headphones to make judgments. I will explain this to you.

In fact, in these four behavior modes, Sony pre-sets suitable ambient sound control. Of course, users can adjust it themselves if they feel that it is not suitable. However, I tried these four modes myself. Basically, ambient sound control The degree of sound is appropriate. In the case of walking and running, the editor will improve the environmental sound effect of the 3rd stage, so that we can better grasp the situation of the external environment.

Next, you can see the equalizer mode, which includes Off, Cheerful, Passionate, Mellow, Relax, Vocal, Enhanced Treble, Enhanced Accent, Speech, Manual and two custom equalizer modes, which are quite rich sound effects playback modes. Select, users can adjust according to the type of music they listen to. The music playback interface will display the currently playing music, and can also control the playback. The next sound quality mode can choose between sound quality priority or connection stability priority.

The new version of the application can be set for the WF-1000XM3 left and right touchpad control functions, including playback control, ambient sound control, Google Assistant and no assignment, which can be set according to your own usage habits. Finally there are auto power off, notification and audio guide languages, and automatic software download options.

How to use the touch panel?

This time, the WF-1000XM3 replaced the original physical buttons with a touch panel, so in actual use, it takes a little time to get used to and memorize the operation of each function, and it will be easier to use. There are only two types of touch panel operations: light touch and long press. The sensitivity of the touch is quite good. You don’t need to press too hard for it to work. Too much force will make it uncomfortable to wear.

Introduction to the basic operation functions of the touchpad:

Left ear headphone -

Tap: Noise Cancellation > Ambient Sound > Turn Ambient Sound Off

Long press: Quick attention mode

Right ear headphone -

Tap: play/pause

Double tap: next track

Triple tap: previous track

Long press: Voice assistant (Siri/Google)

Wearing comfort performance? Can it be used while exercising?

WF-1000XM3 adopts a newly designed ergonomic three-point stable structure, coupled with a high-resistance rubber surface, which really reduces the uncomfortable intrusion of in-ear headphones in actual wearing, and the gap between the ear is not as obvious as the previous generation. Even if noise reduction is not turned on or music is played, it already has good sound insulation, and the overall wearing comfort is quite good, and it will not be uncomfortable to wear for a long time in real time.

Unfortunately, the WF-1000XM3 only has the basic waterproof function for daily life, so there will be few choices when exercising. I will wear it for more static sports such as jogging or heavy training. The reason is very simple. The first is sweat. The flow will not be too much, just wipe it with a clean dry cloth after the exercise, the second is that the earphones that are afraid of too much movement are easy to fall off. However, in fact, the wearing stability of WF-1000XM3 during exercise is quite good. The editor did not drop it during exercise, but when running, the sound will sound like a jumping feeling from far and near due to shaking. It's a rather unfortunate place.

How is the noise reduction effect? Practical experience in various environments

The WF-1000XM3 is equipped with the QN1e high-fidelity noise reduction processor exclusively developed by Sony, so that this true wireless noise reduction headset has the same noise reduction performance as Sony's WH-10000XM2 and WI-1000X noise reduction headphones. According to Sony's official report, the WF-1000XM3 has a 43% improvement in noise reduction compared to the previous generation. Therefore, in the context of normal commuting, the editor actually took the MRT and bus, and conducted an experience test of noise reduction in an outdoor walking and static environment.

The first is to walk outdoors. Recently, there are often thunderstorms in the afternoon, and there will be a great wind blowing before the rain. Through the walking mode controlled by the elastic sound effect, the interference of wind noise can be minimized, while maintaining a little ambient sound. It is quite good to be able to pay attention to the conditions of the surrounding environment without affecting listening to music.

In an outdoor environment, sometimes you want to sit down for a cup of coffee or take a break. At this time, the elastic sound effect control will turn on the static mode. At this time, the noise reduction effect will focus on the voice, so that the listener can chat with others at any time. , but if the ambient sound is out by yourself, the editor recommends that the value can be reduced from 20 to about 10, and you can feel a more peaceful listening experience.

Is the battery life just as bad?

Since I use the previous generation of WF-1000X headphones, I am really troubled by its tragic battery life of less than 3 hours. This time, although the WF-1000XM3 officially announced that the battery life with noise reduction turned on is up to 6 hours, it is twice as long. Improve, but the editor is still skeptical about testing. The editor uses the manual noise reduction mode (value 20) with 75% volume and Spotify music playback. The actual test time from full power to voice guidance reminder to charge is about 5 hours and 33 minutes, compared to the previous generation. The battery life is really much better. I used to only dare to use it on planes flying to Hong Kong or Shanghai. Now it can be used even on flights to Japan, South Korea, Singapore, etc. within 6 hours.