Sony WF-1000XM4 true wireless earbuds full review

These are Sony’s new WF 1000X M4 wireless earbuds. And if you’re into this sort of thing, these are kind of a big deal. So let’s see what makes them special. Sony made waves when they released the previous model, the WF 1000X M3, these were wireless earbuds that provided active noise cancellation, something that you typically would expect from larger over ear headphones. And they did it so well that it pretty much set the bar for the industry. Now over a year later, we have the upgrade the WF 1000X M4 Sony has basically rebuilt the headphones from the ground up

Design

Starting with a slightly smaller, more compact form factor. They’re smaller than last year, but it’s worth mentioning that these still aren’t tiny, and depending on how big your ears are, he may start to feel some discomfort after extended use. 

Sound Quality

For the sound, the headphones feature a new driver unit, which brings an improvement in both the power and the frequency response. This is thanks to a 20% increase in magnet volume and a more flexible diaphragm. Overall, the sound is just great. It’s rich, balanced and detailed with pronounced mids and powerful lows for wireless earbuds I haven’t heard better. Plus this is the first set of wireless earbuds to support high res wireless audio through Sony’s l DAC technology, and regular audio can also be upscaled to near high res quality through the use of AI. Behind the magic is a new Sony view one processor, it’s more powerful, so better at correcting for high frequency noise, and it’s more efficient since it integrates both the noise cancelling and Bluetooth audio in one chip. 

Noise cancelling

The active noise cancellation is pretty incredible, especially for this form factor. Sony claims that is 40% more effective than last year’s model, and I believe it the foam tips already cut off a lot of the noise. But then with a single tap the outside world gets the mute button. Tapping the left ear but 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 to for example, voices don’t seem overly boosted or artificial. 

The WF 1000X M4 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 one feature that’s pretty neat, called speak to chat. If you say something the earbuds will detect your voice automatically stop your music and switch from voice cancellation to ambient sound all hands free. It’s more reliable here than non competitors like the Galaxy buds Pro. In the same vein, the functions of the headphones can be controlled with your voice. And if you speak the Wake phrase for a voice assistant, it will be ready to help you. Okay Google, who are the original members of Black Sabbath. 

Battery

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 USBC. The new model also supports Qi wireless charging, if you find that more convenient, and connectivity has been improved. Now it’s even easier to pair with Bluetooth to your Android device or even your windows 10 PC. 

You can buy the Sony WF-1000XM4 here
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