Reviewing the Sony WF-1000XM4 True Wireless Earbuds, priced at $218. Here we are going to deep-dive into its design, Audio Quality, ANC, Voice controls, and Battery life, sharing my thoughts on whether it is worth it or not.
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Sony WF-1000XM4 Design
Sony made waves when they released the previous model, the WF-1000XM3. These were wireless earbuds that provided active noise cancellation—something you typically would expect from larger over-ear headphones. Now, over a year later, we have the design and what’s new with the upgrade of the WF-1000XM4. but it’s worth mentioning that these still aren’t tiny. When using it after some hours play you may start to feel some discomfort after extended use.
Read Also: Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Pro Review
Sony WF-1000XM4 Audio Quality
Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds feature a new driver unit, which brings an improvement in both power and frequency response. This is thanks to a 20% increase in magnet volume and a more flexible diaphragm. Overall, the sound quality is great—Hi-Res audio support through LDAC, rich balanced and detailed, with pronounced mids and powerful lows. These wireless earbuds offer impressive sound quality. Additionally, this is the first set of wireless earbuds to support high-res wireless audio through Sony’s LDAC technology, and regular audio can also be upscaled to near high-res quality due to the use of AI.
Noise Cancellation and Voice Controls
Behind the magic is a new Sony V1 processor. It’s more powerful, better at correcting for high-frequency noise, and more efficient since it integrates both noise cancelling and Bluetooth audio in one chip. The active noise cancellation is pretty incredible, especially for this form factor. Sony claims that it’s 40% more effective than last year’s model, and I believe it. The foam tips already cut off a lot of the noise, but with a single tap, the outside world gets muted. Tapping the left earbud again toggles from noise cancellation to ambient sound, where the earbuds pipe in audio from outside so you can keep track of what’s going on.
It sounds pretty natural too. For example, voices don’t seem overly boosted or artificial. The WF-1000XM4 provides better voice detection and quality than the previous model, thanks to a combination of both a bone conduction sensor and directional microphones that point to your mouth. There’s a neat feature called “speak to chat.” If you say something, the earbuds will detect your voice, automatically stop your music, and switch from noise cancellation to ambient sound—all hands-free. It’s more reliable here than on competitors like the Galaxy Buds Pro. In the same vein, the functions of the headphones can be controlled with your voice. If you speak the wake phrase for a voice assistant, they will be ready to help you.
Battery Life and Charging
Battery life has improved quite a bit over the previous model. You get a couple more hours of use per charge, and that’s pretty significant if you need to wear them for the whole day. Of course, you charge them like before—inside their charging case, which itself can be topped up through USB-C. Sony WF-1000XM4 also supports Qi wireless charging if you find that more convenient, Additionally, connectivity has been improved. Now, it’s even easier to pair with Bluetooth to your Android device or even your Windows 10 PC.
Conclusion:
So, there you have it, The Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds seem like a clear upgrade over the previous model, which already set a standard for noise cancellation. Of course, they bring the typical drawbacks of earbuds as far as comfort goes. But in pretty much every other respect, these can hold up surprisingly well against full-sized over-ear wireless headphones and are worth recommending.
