The Sony WH-1000XM4 is a fantastic pair of wireless noise-canceling headphones by any standard. They’re our pick for the best headphones of 2020. Because of their exceptional noise cancellation and cutting-edge codec support, they deliver exactly what they promise.
Sony WH-1000XM4: Price
The Sony WH-1000XM4 has an MSRP of $350, and it is currently available at most major retailers, including Best Buy, Amazon, and other authorized dealers.
Design
Sony hasn’t exactly returned to the drawing board with the WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones, but you will notice a few subtle differences here and there. The first is about the plastics used around the earcups and sliders.
The WH-1000XM4 features the same 40mm drivers as the previous model and the same finishes: black or platinum silver.
A new 30mm carbon fiber composite dome is featured in the XM5 headphones. In addition, there are two physical control buttons for power/pairing. A button that cycles through noise-canceling modes around the outside of the earcups, as well as a 3.5mm aux. Jack and a USB-C charging port.
Unlike the XM5, which can only fold flat, the XM4 headphones can be folded once more, making them even more compact for throwing into your bag. All of these elements work together to create a very comfortable fit. The pressure is right to grip your ears and form a solid seal around them without the headphones feeling too loose.
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Battery Life
While the Sony WH-1000XM4 doesn’t have a longer battery life than its predecessors. It does get a solid 30 hours with noise canceling turned on and around 38 hours with noise canceling turned off.
According to Sony, a full charge takes about three hours, and a five-hour charge takes about ten minutes.
Features
The introduction of a new sound processor is the WH-1000XM4’s standout feature. Sony has replaced the DSEE HX engine with the new DSEE Extreme engine. The new engine not only attempts to upscale compressed music to near-high-resolution quality but also incorporates Edge-AI artificial intelligence technology.
The WH-1000XM4 newcomers, on the other hand, provide a much better sense of noise cancellation in the mid-ranges. Those areas where you get a low-level humming sound that you could attribute to a fan or air conditioning unit or engine noise. Of course, it’s never completely silent, but it’s incredibly quiet, and once you have actual audio playing through the cans, you can’t hear anything outside.
The best new WH-1000XM4 features, however, are those that cater to convenience. They’re straightforward and effective additions. For example, when you remove the headphones, a sensor in the earcups detects this and pauses the music, automatically resuming playback when you replace them.
