Is Sony teasing its ultra-premium Air Pods Max 2 rival? It looks a lot like it, as F1 star gets spotted wearing the super-chic cans, two weeks before tipped launch — and Sony itself is drawing attention to the suspiciously high-quality photos | Tech Radar
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Is Sony teasing its ultra-premium Air Pods Max 2 rival? It looks a lot like it, as F1 star gets spotted wearing the super-chic cans, two weeks before tipped launch — and Sony itself is drawing attention to the suspiciously high-quality photos
Damson Idris wears The Colle Xion, I wear my tin-foil hat
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These are the XM6 — the leaked photos of the Colle Xion model are just below (Image credit: Future)
If there were any doubt that Sony was cooking up something special, it should now be dispelled. We've reported on 'Sony WH-1000XX The Colle Xion' leaks before, and now it seems like the brand's 10th-anniversary super-premium headphones could be real.
They haven't been officially announced yet, but they seem to have shown up in public, all but guaranteeing a release is on the horizon.
Specifically, they were seen worn by F1 star Damson Idris, in several photographs which were shared by various fashion pages on X. Case in point:
'Makes the WH-1000XM6 seem cheap' — Sony just leaked elite 'Collexion' headphones, coming very soon
3 upgrades I want to see in the imminent Sony XM6 flagship earbuds
Skip Apple's new Air Pods Max 2 — Sony's award-winning WH-1000XM5 headphones are down to a near record-low price
Damson Idris frolicking in NYC pic.twitter.com/c Pd Xdoc 574 May 3, 2026
Damson Idris frolicking in NYC pic.twitter.com/c Pd Xdoc 574 May 3, 2026
Over on the r/headphones Subreddit, audiophiles were quick to note that these aren't a known pair of headphones, with a Sony logo making it clear that these are the product of the Japanese brand, but several design differences from the likes of the WH-1000XM6.
It seems, then, that we're looking at Sony's as-yet-unannounced premium option. The pictures give us a look at a few key design features, including an interesting metal headband/hinge, an audio jack, some grilles and a carry case too. Thankfully, the latter looks a lot more sensible than the Air Pods Max 2 'bra' case.
Ostensibly, this could be a simple leak. We occasionally hear cases of tech testers snapped with upcoming gadgets in public: companies do need to let their devices get real-world testing, after all.
But you probably don't use Hollywood stars to do said testing. The fact that it was Damson Idris who was spotted with the cans, in very professional-looking photographs, makes me think it wasn't a massive coincidence — and then there's the fact that an official Sony account replied to the above X post with the 'eyes' emoji, drawing attention to the whole thing rather than avoiding it.
My conspiracy theory (and that of most of the Reddit commenters)? Sony has started sending out the WH-1000XX The Colle Xion headphones to certain people, in the hopes that they'll get pap-snapped with the cans to raise intrigue.
We've seen it before, with brands such as Beats giving its audio products to influential people, to tease the imminent launch of an exciting new device. Even if not true, and this was just a happy coincidence for the brand, Sony's clearly leaning into it.
The rumor mill says that these headphones will be announced on May 19. Since we're getting these 'candid' teases of the cans, that launch date is looking increasingly likely.
So far we've heard that these will be top-end cans selling for around €629 (about
If the rumors are correct, we won't have long to go until we discover the truth in these whispers.
➡️ Read our full guide to the best noise cancelling headphones
- Best overall: Sony WH-1000XM6
- Best mid-range: Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones
- Best under $100/£100: 1 More Sonoflow Pro HQ51
- Best under $60/£50: Soundcore Q30
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Tom Bedford is a freelance contributor covering tech, entertainment and gaming. Beyond Tech Radar, he has bylines on sites including Games Radar, Digital Trends, Android Police, Tech Advisor, Whatto Watch and BGR. From 2019 to 2022 he was on the Tech Radar team as the staff writer and then deputy editor for the mobile team.
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