How many hours of battery life will the Sony WH1000XM3 provide?

Best answer: The WH1000XM3 is rated for 30 hours of playback with active noise-canceling on. You can get even more battery life out of it by turning noise-canceling off, or by using a wired connection.

Amazon: Sony WH1000XM3 ($348)

How long do the WH1000XM3 last?

Bluetooth headphones are great, but they're not much good when the battery dies. Luckily, the WH1000XM3 have great endurance. They're good for up to 30 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. That's with active noise-canceling enabled, but you can extend the life by another eight hours (totalling up to 38 hours) by turning noise-canceling off.

How can I make the battery last even longer?

Thirty hours is already enough to make it through a week with casual use, but there are a few tricks to help you get even more endurance out of these headphones. Again, disabling noise-canceling will extend the life of your headphones for about eight more hours of continuous playback, but you can reach all the way up to 200 hours with noise-canceling turned off by making use of standby time — in other words, not playing audio.

While it sounds counterintuitive to not play music through your headphones, keep in mind that this just means you don't have to worry about turning off your headphones when you're not using them to save battery — they'll be just fine.

Even if you manage to fully deplete the 1000XM3's battery, you can continue using them with the included 4ft auxiliary cable. You won't get the benefit of active noise-canceling, but the headphones are sealed well enough that you might not need it unless you're on a loud plane.

How long does it take to recharge the 1000XM3?

From a completely dead battery, you can fully recharge the WH1000XM3 in just three hours, or get up to five hours of playback in just ten minutes. Best of all, you can even use the same charger that you use for your phone since the 1000XM3 features a USB-C port.

Our pick

Sony WH1000XM3

$348 at Amazon

No more worrying about battery life

Thirty hours of continuous playback with noise-canceling enabled is already great, and there are plenty of ways to make the WH1000XM3 last even longer. They're a great option for travelers and coffee shop screenwriters alike.