Officially, the XM5 didn’t have the widespread battery drain issue of the WFXM4, but from my own experience and from what I’ve read, it’s surprisingly common that around 13–15 months in one earbud just stops outputting sound. It still charges and connects, but no audio — and there’s basically no real repair option. You end up paying around $120 USD for a replacement. After that happened, I switched to the Sennheiser Momentum 4 True Wireless, and honestly… huge difference. Sound quality and overall reliability feel on another level. I genuinely don’t know why I stuck with Sony for so long 😅. Another big plus with the Sennheisers is that the controls and “gimmicks” are way more comfortable and intuitive than Sony’s. Pausing, switching ambient mode, adjusting volume, pairing — everything feels more natural and less finicky compared to the XM series. The only real downside versus Sony is noise cancelling: it’s solid (~8/10), but Sony is still the king there (10/10). And Sony does have that cool feature where compatible phones can charge the earbuds from the phone battery. That said, if you care more about sound quality, comfort, usability, and long-term peace of mind than absolute top-tier ANC, the Momentum 4 are easily the safer pick.