Those Sony headphones have leaked again. But there are some clues that this leak was set up by none other than Sony itself.
The cans in question are the Sony WH-1000X The Collexion. This name was trademarked last summer, and has since leaked a couple of times. They look like a pricier take on the Sony WH-1000XM6 timed to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the Sony MDR-1000X launch.
Though as we'll see, they could actually be worse than the XM6 in one key area.
Damson Idris frolicking in NYC pic.twitter.com/cPdXdoc574May 3, 2026
If you recognise the person wearing the new headphones, that's because he's an actor – none other than Damson Idris from the Apple TV movie F1.
When you consider this with the fact that the photos are very natural looking (dare one even say, posed?), it's all starting to look a bit like a plant.
These photos were posted by Complex Style on X, only for the official Sony Electronics account to reply with a 'eyes wide open' emoji. Which also seems suspicious – usually, companies try to play down leaks and rumours.
The Sony WH-1000X The Collexion have also been referred to as the Sony WH-1000XX and by the product code YY2998.
They're said to have the tagline 'Master the art of listening' and to come in white and black options, with active noise cancellation, the Mediatek MT2855 system on a chip and Sony's DSEE Ultimate tech. They're said to have metal hinges but do not fold.
At €629 (around £550 / $740 / AU$1000), they look like a more premium proposition than the XM6, but according to The Walkman Blog, they will only have 24 hours of battery life with ANC activated. That's far short of the XM6's 30 hours. Could it be a case of style over substance?
They're thought to launch on 19th May, so we should find out soon enough.
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