AirPods Pro in trouble as Sony WF-1000XM3 get exclusive feature

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The Sony WF-1000XM3 are getting Hi-Res Audio support

Sony WF-1000xM3
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Sony WF-1000XM3 will allegedly get a new update that will allow them to use Hi-Res Audio, a high performance audio standard already used by Sony in other high-end audio products.

What is Hi-Res audio and aptX HD?

If the aptX HD support is indeed being enabled in the Sony WF-1000XM3 through an update, audio fans are in for a treat.

Hi-Res Audio-encoded files contain the richest recordings you can find, even better than CD quality (which is not that good) and much, much better than any lossy MP3 and AAC audio file. The songs are encoded using lossless codecs that offer a higher range of sound, using the original masters from the recording studio. The higher resolution, just like HDR10+ in video, offer a higher sound dynamic range. In other words: you will be able to hear everything that happened in that recording booth down to the breathing of the singer or a trumpet player.

However, these audio files are usually transmitted to your cans using cables, not wireless standards like Bluetooth. The latter has poor quality and not enough bandwidth to carry all that information — unless your devices support aptX HD. This Bluetooth codec can transmit Hi-Res Audio files at 24-bit/48kHz.

The current Sony WF-1000XM3 doesn’t support that standard — neither does the AirPods Pro. But it seems that the former earbuds may have the hardware to support that. It’s may not be enabled yet and that’s what the Qualcomm’s page leak seems to indicate.

Jesus Diaz
Jesus Diaz

Jesus Diaz founded the new Sploid for Gawker Media after seven years working at Gizmodo, where he helmed the lost-in-a-bar iPhone 4 story and wrote old angry man rants, among other things. He's a creative director, screenwriter, and producer at The Magic Sauce, and currently writes for Fast Company and Tom's Guide.