Sony Cuts WH-1000XM5 Headphones to $198 at Amazon, Best Buy for Labor Day

Q: Is buying the half-priced Sony XM5 headphones a brilliant bargain, or a trap for outdated tech lacking modern wireless features?

At $198, the Sony WH-1000XM5 looks much more like a brilliant bargain than a trap. The key reason is that the XM5 is not obsolete in the ways that matter most to typical buyers. It still delivers premium active noise cancellation, strong sound quality, long battery life of about 30 hours with ANC on, multipoint pairing, USB-C fast charging, touch controls, app customization, and LDAC support over Bluetooth 5.2. For commuting, flights, office use, and long listening sessions, reviews still place it near the top of the market. The “outdated tech” argument is only partly true. The newer XM6 does add meaningful upgrades: stronger ANC, better call quality, Bluetooth 5.3, and newer wireless features such as LE Audio and Auracast, plus a foldable design. Buyers who specifically want those newer standards, the best possible voice isolation, or better packability may find the XM5 dated by comparison. But the performance gap is widely described as modest, while the price gap is huge. With the XM6 selling around $428 to nearly $500, the XM5 at $198 offers most of Sony’s flagship experience for less than half the money. Multiple deal trackers and reviews describe that price as an all-time low and one of the strongest premium headphone deals available. For most shoppers, this is a smart buy, not a compromise too far. It becomes a bad fit only if your priorities are future-facing Bluetooth features, top-tier call performance, or a foldable travel design.

3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Aug 31

$198 gets buyers Sony’s WH-1000XM5 at Amazon and Best Buy, matching the headphones’ late-June Prime Day low without requiring a Prime subscription.
The Labor Day deal cuts $50 from the usual roughly $250 street price and about $200 from the original $399.99 list price.
Sony launched the XM5 in 2022, but the model still stands out for sound quality and active noise cancellation despite the newer XM6 adding modest upgrades in 2025.
The discount lands amid broader holiday tech promotions, while some products including Nintendo’s Switch 2 and Matic’s robot vacuum are set to get pricier in September.