The Walkman Blog posted images of Sony’s upcoming WF-1000XM5 headphones, with a more compact design and upgraded charging case.

Sony WF-1000XM5 Headphones: First Images Revealed

The Walkman Blog has published the first images of Sony’s upcoming headphones, the WF-1000XM5. These new headphones will be a successor to the popular and now two-year-old WF-1000XM4.

Design Changes

From what can be seen from these initial photos, it appears that the XM5 earbuds are more compact than their predecessors with a slightly rounded form factor.

No Direct Specifications Yet

There are no direct specifications available for these new headphones at this time. However, there is information available about their charging case which may give some clues as to what we can expect.

FCC Licensing Filing Clues

The charging case has an FCC ID and model number consistent with an FCC licensing filing submitted by Sony on February 22nd of this year for a “wireless noise-cancelling stereo headset.”

New Charging Mechanism & Capacity Upgrade in Case Design

In terms of charging mechanisms, photos show that XM5 cases have been upgraded to use two-pins rather than three-pins used in previous designs (like those found on XM4s). The capacity upgrade also looks promising – offering 230mA compared to its predecessor’s 140mA.