The WH-1000XM5 has a battery life of around 30 hours assuming that the internal battery is fully charged.
If you find that the battery life for the wireless headphones is shorter than expected, then you can take a look at this troubleshooting article at Seeking Tech to see how you can fix the battery drain issues.
1. The first step we recommend taking is to disable some features that you aren’t using.
In order to do so, you first need to download and install the “Sony | Headphones Connect” app on your smartphone or mobile device if you haven’t done so already.
Next, you need to connect the Sony WH-1000XM5 to the phone or mobile device.
Afterwards, open the “Sony | Headphones Connect” app and then disable any of the following:
- DSEE Extreme
- Speak-to-Chat
- Equalizer
- Voice Assistance
- Service Link
- Noise Cancellation
- Ambient Sound Mode
For best results, we recommend disabling all of the aforementioned features. Of course, you can also leave functions like Noise Cancellation enabled if you want to keep using it at the expense of a shorter battery life.
2. While you are using the “Sony | Headphones Connect” app, you may also want to make sure that the sound quality mode during Bluetooth playback isn’t set to prioritize sound quality.
3. In the same application, make sure that you have automatic power off setting enabled.
With this feature turned on, the headphones will automatically power off after 15 minutes of inactivity. As a result, you will save the battery from depleting.
4. The Sony WH-1000XM5 has a recommended operating temperature range of 0 °C to 40 °C (32 °F to 104 °F). If you use the headphones outside of that range, then the battery may end up holding less charge.
5. Furthermore, the product has a recommended charging temperature range of 5 °C to 35 °C (41 °F to 95 °F). If you try to recharge its battery outside of that range, then it may result in a lower-than-expected battery life.
6. If you haven’t used the WH-1000XM5 for more than 6 months, then its maximum battery capacity may have been temporary reduced due to over-discharge.
To fix this particular problem, we simply recommend that you use the headphones normally and then recharge it once the battery life gets low. After a few cycles of charging and discharging the internal battery, you should start seeing improvements when it comes to the battery life.
To prevent over-discharge, make sure you recharge the Sony WH-1000XM5 at least once every 6 months.
7. You should also make sure you have the latest firmware installed for your WH-1000XM5 as a new update may improve the battery usage efficiency. If you are running into issues trying to update your headphones, then we recommend that you take a look at this troubleshooting guide to see how you can fix your problem.
8. It is also very important to note that the internal battery of the WH-1000XM5 will wear out over time and lose its ability to hold a charge. As a result, the battery life will become worse.
In order to slow down the wear-and-tear of the battery, you can try taking the following precautionary steps:
- Try not to let the battery life of the WH-1000XM5 fall below 20%.
- You may also want to avoid recharging the headphones to more than 80%.
- Avoid using the device if the ambient temperature is outside the recommend range of 0 °C to 40 °C (32 °F to 104 °F).
- Avoid charging the WH-1000XM5 outside the recommended ambient temperature range of 5 °C to 35 °C (41 °F to 95 °F).
- As we stated above, recharge the battery at least once every 6 months.
If the battery capacity has been significantly reduced, then you will need to replace battery with a new on.