Sony WH-1000XM5 Premium Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones, Black

Why it's worth it

Sony's flagship noise-canceling headphones, with eight microphones, two processors, and 30 hours of battery. For a developer in an open office or a house with kids, it's the difference between shallow work and deep focus.

Open-plan offices are a hard problem, and this is the closest thing to a fix that fits in a gift box. RTINGS' lab measurements put the WH-1000XM5 at 97.2% ambient noise reduction at 300Hz — the top ANC result they recorded in the over-ear category across their 2024–2025 test cycle. That frequency range is roughly where conversation and HVAC hum live. Your developer will hear their editor and not much else.

Battery is the practical selling point. Sony rates 30 hours with ANC on and 40 with it off, so a forgotten charge doesn't wreck the workday. Three minutes on USB-C gets three hours back, which covers the panicked moment before a standup. Multipoint pairing keeps them connected to a laptop and a phone at once.

From our review of 7 gifts for programmers and developers

What we like

• +Open-plan offices are a hard problem, and this is the closest thing to a fix that fits in a gift box
• +Battery is the practical selling point
• +These are also the best call headphones on this list
• +As a gift, they present well

What to know

• –The Bluetooth relationship with Windows PCs is where owner complaints cluster
• –They don't fold flat at the hinge the way earlier Sony models did
• –This is the most expensive gift here besides the dock