IFA 2018 has come to an end, but during the week we saw some huge product launches and amazing new tech! Although the big focus this year was on 8k televisions and Smart Homes, the Travel Tech market had some very impressive and important new devices.
Sony WH-1000XM3 Headphones
I think most onlookers were expecting the big news from Sony to be around their new smartphone (see below). Hell, even Sony thought that given how much space they had dedicated to it at their stand. But be in no doubt, the true showstopper for the Japanese company came in the form of their latest Noise Cancelling headphones!
Look past the name! Why Sony still stick with product codes for naming is beyond me, but this is my only gripe in what are now easily the best Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones on the market! Let me be really clear on this point –
There are currently no Bose Headphones that even come close at present. Yes, your QC35’s are old news!
What amazed me is that the WH-1000XM3 is only an evolution of last years XM2 but just a few modest tweaks have resulted in a new benchmark in Wireless headphones. Whilst stood in a packed conference hall with thousands of other people I tried the XM3s and was left speechless!
The new HD Noise Cancelling QN1 Processor performs unbelievably well, and I’ve used a good few competitors over the years. The pairing of the new processor along with the Adaptive Sound Control works to assess the noises of your surrounding environment and adjusts your audio feedback accordingly!
The headphones are lighter than before but are a more comfortable fit with a slightly thicker headband and larger ear cups. Sony have decided to stick with a very minimalistic look, albeit with a smoother finish to the outside.
Sony have also made the decision to move over to a USB-C port for charging which is great news for those wanting one standard across their devices. But power was a big focus in the making of these headphones! With a 30-hour battery life and quick charging capabilities, the WH-1000XM3s can give 5 hours of playback from a 10 minute charge!
How Much do the Sony WH-1000XM3 Cost?
The Sony WH-1000XM3 come in either Black or Silver and retail for £329.99 from Amazon. Shipping was first announced to be in September but it now looks like this has slipped back to October.
Sony Xperia XZ3
It’s not been long since Sony released the XZ2, but in that short period of time they have made some important tweaks and additions that give them a worthy flagship device!
The biggest change comes in the form of a new 6″ OLED display……. and it is stunning to look at and use! The edges have also been given the curved effect and with the whole device being sandwiched in between Gorilla Glass it feels great in the hand.
That said the fingerprint scanner and rear camera feel very similar when you are going by touch alone, this could become an issue for some users. And you won’t want to be getting greasy fingerprints on that camera lens. It houses a 19MP Motion Eye Camera with 8x digital zoom, 4K video recording and Super Slow Motion 960fps mode.
The XZ3 will come with 64GB internal storage and be expandable with an additional 512GB thanks to the micro SDXC slot. There will also be Android™️ 9 Pie as standard.
How Much is the Sony Xperia XZ3?
The Sony Xperia XZ3 will be £699 when it’s released on 5th October. You can preorder it direct from Sony.
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