Finally, after 2 years Sony has finally released the new 1000XM4 earbuds and it boasts a ton of upgrades and features. But are they worth the wait?
A lot has changed since the WF-1000XM3 was launched. When the M3 earbuds were launched they had the best sound quality and noise-cancelling of any true wireless earbuds on the market at that time. But a lot has happened since, at the top end you have earbuds like the AirPods Pro and the Bose Quiet Comfort earbuds setting the standard while at the low-end you can get a perfectly good pair of earbuds cheaper than ever before. How does the new Sony stack up against the best?
The design
As you can see the earbuds have a totally different looking than the previous version. Sony has dropped the unmistakable pill design for a more traditional design. The new design also means that the earbuds are a bit smaller so they are able to fit your ears very snug, secure and stable so they won’t fall out if you decide to go for a run.
All those complaints we had about the previous model like how they stuck out of the ears too much, how the case was too big and the fact that there was no water-resistant. Sony has listened and fixed most of these issues.
You can finally get them wet
One of the things that was disappointing about the previous version was that it didn’t have any kind of IP rating/waterproofing. This made users super cautious about using them outdoors or in any situation that might them wet. But luckily with these brand new M4’s you now get an IPX4 rating so you will be fine against rain or splashes.
Speak-To-Chat
Speak to chat is a great new feature that Sony added for conversations. So if you start talking to someone the earbuds will actually recognize that you’re talking and it turns your music down to allow you to hear who you’re talking to while also allowing you to hear yourself.
Noise Cancelling & Ambient Mode
Sony says these earbuds have a new custom chip called the V1 and it processes both sound and noise-cancelling and takes them to a different level.
ANC is going to be the huge selling point and with the almost $300 price tag, these earbuds are right in line with the Bose Quiet Comfort earbuds which in our opinion had the best noise-cancelling when it came to true wireless earbuds. But after spending some time with the Sony I can safely say these are slightly better. The M4’s does an impressive job in blocking out a wide range of frequencies better than the competition.
Battery Life
Battery life is rated at 8-hrs with noise cancelling on at moderate volume levels and you can get up to 12-hrs of playtime with noise cancelling off. The charging case holds an additional 16-hrs of power and whenever you’re low on power just 5 minutes of charging will give you an hour of playtime. Plus you also get wireless charging.
The Sound
It’s not surprising to hear that these earbuds sound really good. Because this is what we have come to expect from the Sony 1000 series line of wireless headphones. The NV1 Chip and the redesigned 6mm drivers help to make these earbuds sound richer than the previous version. You get well-defined bass that goes deep with natural-sounding mids and highs.
The Sony App
Once you download the Sony app it will provide an ear tightness test where it basically sends some signals to your ears to make sure your earbuds have the right seal. The app also has some pre-built EQ options and gives you the ability to tweak the EQ settings yourself. Plus, it does have the adaptive sound feature where the earbuds will adjust their sound based on the environment, you’re in.
My final thoughts
Sony’s new WF-1000XM4 Noise Cancelling earbuds are the best Noise Cancelling earbuds that you can get. By combining the latest hardware with a great fit is why Sony has beaten the Bose to reclaim the noise cancellation crown for now. They also sound as good as any of the best sounding earbuds on the market and will outlast the competition in battery life. The price might be a bit off-putting for most but for those who are willing to spend will be getting a top-notch experience. And you now get reassuring water-resistant.
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