Inside Sony's latest WF-1000XM3 True Wireless Headphones

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Note: This article was first published on 17 July 2019.

Here's the latest true wireless headphones from Sony - the WF-1000XM3! These replace the WF-1000X, but because they represent such a jump in technology, Sony decided they would be considered their third generation true wireless.

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The carrying case is a lot deeper now, but that's because the battery charging capacity has also increased. The WF-1000XM3 will run for six hours per charge with noise-canceling activated, with the case providing an additional four charges, giving you enough to last through a full day. 

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Here's what the headphone looks when you take it in parts. Plenty of electronics going into a tiny earbud, but that's how the magic is created.

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Now a quick look at the key components, like this feed-forward microphone. This is used to detect what noise surrounds you in your environment, allowing the headphone to generate the appropriate noise-cancelling. 

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Shown in focus is the battery that powers the whole thing. As mentioned earlier, this gives up to six hours of listening with ANC activated, but there's also a quick charge feature so just 10 minutes of charging gives you 90 minutes of battery life. 

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More core components here. On the left is the Bluetooth chip, and on the right the noise-cancelling processor QN1e. Together, this allows for simultaneous transmission of audio to both ear buds instead of the conventional left-to-right ear relay, hence making for a more stable connection.

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Finally , we get a look at the 6mm driver and the feedback-cancelling microphone. This picks up noise that's generated between the space between the ear bud of the headphone and your own ear, thus helping to eliminate any stray noise that manages to get past the seal. 

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And that's a look at some of the key hardware component additions to the WF-1000XM3. We'll cover some of the software aspects as well as give a run down of the audio performance in an upcoming review, so check back in soon!