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Updated January 10, 2024·
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 could be a better option if you're looking for a budget-friendly, sweatproof, and dustproof choice with good exercise suitability and decent battery life. These earbuds are also relatively light and offer integrated controls optimized for both Android and Apple devices. However, the Sony WH-1000XM5, though more expensive, provides higher overall sound quality, superior noise isolation, and active noise cancelling, making them ideal for air travel and environments with a lot of background noise. They are over-ear headphones, which are typically considered more comfortable for extended use and have sophisticated app controls, including an equalizer and audio customization. If you need a headphone with a mic for calls, the WH-1000XM5 has a higher mic quality but the Outlier Air V3 also performs reasonably well in this respect. For TV and gaming, both have limitations, so neither may be ideal if low latency is a priority. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
- Good for phone calls
- Very good for exercise
- Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Advantages of the Sony WH-1000XM5
- Very good for music
Key differences
Music
5.7
8.2
The Sony WH-1000XM5 is very good for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Phone Calls
7.6
5.5
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is good for phone calls, while the Sony WH-1000XM5 is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.9
6.0
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Sony WH-1000XM5 is only fair.
Noise Reduction
6.5
9.1
The Sony WH-1000XM5 is excellent for noise reduction, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is only fair.
Battery
10.0 Hours
40.3 Hours
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has 10 hours of battery life. The Sony WH-1000XM5 has 40.3 hours of battery life.
Cost
$30
$398
$0
$100
$200
$300
$400
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has a price of $30 and the Sony WH-1000XM5 costs $398.
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Key similarities
Gaming
5.1
5.6
The Sony WH-1000XM5 and Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 are both poor for gaming.
TV and Video
5.4
5.8
The Sony WH-1000XM5 and Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 are both poor for TV and video.
Build Quality
9.0
8.8
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 to have excellent build quality, while the Sony WH-1000XM5 has very good build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 and the Sony WH-1000XM5 compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 | Sony WH-1000XM5 |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $398 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | Sony | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | May 1, 2022 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Headphones | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wired + Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 5.7/10 | 8.3/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 7.6/10 | 5.6/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.2/10 | 5.6/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.5/10 | 5.8/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 8/10 | 6.3/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 10 Hours | 40.3 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 1.5 Hours | 3.5 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5.2 | 5.2 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 40 | N/A | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | Yes | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 6.5/10 | 9.1/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | Yes | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 6.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 8.8/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | N/A | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5.2 Grams | 249.4 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
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Trusted Reviews
Kob Monney | July 2022
"The V3 present the best version of the Outlier Air series yet. The new features such as Active Noise Reduction and Ambient mode are integrated well; the performance of both is as good as you’ll get below £100. The design is less bulky and more comfortable thanks to being smaller and lighter, and the Outlier Air V3 eke out more clarity, detail and definition from music."
Sony WH-1000XM5
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Headphonesty
Kazi Mahbub Mutakabbir | February 2023
"The Sony WH-1000XM5 are the best Sony Bluetooth headphones so far and one of the most well-rounded Bluetooth headphones around. Look no further if you need class-leading ANC with a mostly inoffensive sound signature. Just be ready to pony up the price premium."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 or the Sony WH-1000XM5
About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
About Sony
Sony is a multinational corporation, based out of Japan, with over 75 years of experience in the consumer electronics industry. In the audio market, Sony has been a trendsetter several times throughout its history. In 1979 they released the first-ever portable music player, the Sony Walkman, followed by the Discman 20 years later. Today, Sony is one of the leaders in the wireless headphone and earbud market, especially in terms of Active Noise Cancellation technology.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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