Worth noting for Indian buyers — worth noting for Indian shoppers — sony is reportedly preparing 1000X The ColleXion headphones, tipped to launch on May 19th in Europe and other markets.

Sony appears to be preparing a new premium headphone that could sit above the WH-1000XM6, with early reports pointing to a May 19th launch in Europe and other markets. The product is expected to be called 1000X The ColleXion, and if the leaks are accurate, it will be more of a luxury add-on to Sony’s lineup than a direct replacement for the XM6.

As per a report from Dealabs, the new model was first teased by trademark filings spotted by TheWalkmanBlog under the name ‘1000X The ColleXion,’ covering headphones, earphones and portable audio players. The latest leak says it will launch in a single black colour option and be carrying a price tag of around EUR 629 (around Rs 68,000) in Europe, which is well above the WH-1000XM6’s launch price of EUR 449 (carrying a price tag of Rs 49,900 in the country). That would also put it above the AirPods Max 2 in some markets, which launched at EUR 579 (around Rs 62,000 but carrying a price tag of Rs 67,900 in the country), though Apple’s premium headphones follow an ecosystem-focused pitch.

New colour for the Sony WH-1000XM6

Sony is also said to be preparing a new Sandstone colour for the WH-1000XM6 on the same day, with pricing expected to stay in line with the current colour options. That suggests Sony may use May 19th to refresh the existing premium-tier and introduce the more expensive ColleXion model alongside it.

If the pricing holds, The ColleXion would not be a successor to the XM6. Instead, it sounds closer to a limited-edition or collector-style release, aimed at shoppers who want something more exclusive than Sony’s regular premium model. That would also explain why the reported price jump is so steep compared with the current WH-1000XM6, which already sits in the premium noise-cancelling segment. Sony WH-1000XM6

This comes at a time when Sony just expanded its 1000X family with the WF-1000XM6 earbuds, and the WH-1000XM6 itself is still quite new. A more expensive model arriving so soon after the premium-tier suggests Sony may be trying to stretch The company upward rather than simply update it year after year.

This part of the market is crowded, but the competition is not exactly identical. Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones remain one of the main alternatives for noise cancellation, while Appl’s AirPods Max 2 appeal more to iPhone people who want deep ecosystem integration and premium materials. Sony’s strength has usually been a balanced mix of sound quality, strong noise cancellation and lightweight comfort, which is why the WH-1000XM6 still matters even if The ColleXion turns out to be a niche product.

For now, the safest interpretation is that The ColleXion is a higher-end optional model, not a must-buy upgrade over the XM6. If you want Sony’s best-known tuning and features without paying a collector’s premium, the WH-1000XM6 still looks like the more sensible choice. If the new model arrives with cosmetic changes only, buyers will need to decide whether the extra cost is about sound, status or simply owning something rarer.