They could sit above the current AirPods + Wireless Charging Case = $199 bundle, and yet shouldn’t warrant pricing above the $250 that Apple wants for its new PowerBeats Pro true wireless pair and their whopping 9 hours of listening time. Enter Sony and its truly wireless buds variation of the critically acclaimed WF-1000XM3 cans.

Sony WF-1000XM3 wireless buds noise-cancellation feature

Next is the design of Sony’s new wireless buds, as they fit in a way that largely blocks ambient sounds in the first place, aided by the specialized rubber coating. If you want to hear the noise around you, the buds borrow the best features from their canned brethren, Sony’s Quick Attention gesture where you tap on the left touch pad to lower the volume for a second and hear what’s happening around you.

Sony WF-1000XM3 buds battery life and connectivity

The fresh Sony earphones are rated for 6 hours of playback on a charge, or exactly as the AirPods, and come with their own charging case that can top them off three times, for a full day of listening. Needless to say, there is also a quick charge function with 90 minutes of listening available for 10 minutes spent in the case, neat. As if borrowed directly from the AirPods again, the connectivity improvements consist of a a dedicated chip to connect each bid directly to your audio device, minimizing pairing and dropped connectivity issues.

Sony WF-1000XM3 wireless earphones price and release date

The Sony WF-1000XM3 will be launched a bit later this month in two color options – black and platinum silver – and they are priced at $230 which, again, is as much as the AirPods 2/3, or whatever Apple names them, are expected to cost. Sony, however, will have about two months head start on Apple’s upcoming AirPods that are slated for a September release alongside the new iPhones 2019.