Sony's best headphones and earbuds now come in a very fetching pink

Sony's WH-1000MX5 and WF-1000XM5 are now available in a brand new color

News By Carrie Marshall published 20 September 2024

As much as we love the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds and Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones they're not much fun in the color department: earbuds like Google's Pixel Buds Pro 2 are much more visually entertaining, and while this month's AirPods Max update was a little disappointing there's no denying that Apple's colors are more fun than those in Sony's flagship. So it's nice to see a new color option for both the in-ear and over-ear Sony flagships.

The new color is called Smoky Pink and as you can see it's more of a pastel pink than a Barbie hue or the bright coral of the Pixel Buds Pro 2. That fits with the other color options – black, midnight blue and platinum silver – which are all low-key and understated. 

Sony has helpfully provided a video to show you what pink looks like and suggested it's for "all the girly girls!" Don't let that put you off, though.

Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones 1000X series Smoky Pink Product Video | Sony Official - YouTube

Watch On

Why Sony's thinking pink

I'm being a little unkind here because of course, headphones are part of your overall look. That's particularly true of over-ears, which can ruin an otherwise carefully co-ordinated fit: some headphone colors, especially the more beige-y ones, look more hospital-issue than high fashion. And earbuds can end up overpowering the look of your earrings. 

Personally I'd have loved some brighter options, but I suspect that the market Sony is going for here is looking for something more sober: if you're travelling for business you're probably not going to want something primary-colored that's more kindergarten than business casual. I do think the AirPods Max colors are a bit more fun, but it's still nice to get away from the black/beige binary of most of the best headphones.

Looks aside, both the buds and the over-ears are Sony's flagship models with the firm's best-ever noise cancellation and sound quality. They're not huge upgrades over their predecessors, but the over-ears are five-star headphones and rank among the best wireless headphones; the in-ears are up against much more high quality competition among the best wireless earbuds, but we still think they're "sonically special".

The new smoky pink versions of the Sony WF-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM5 are on sale now from the usual outlets.

Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox

Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors