Guide for Sony WH-1000XM4

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Sony WH-1000XM4 review

Sony WH-1000XM4

If you have the money and want a top-tier pair of headphones for modern life, the Sony WH-1000XM4 is the way to go. The combination of high-quality Bluetooth codecs, great sound, improved noise cancelling, good battery life, and smart features like auto pause and Bluetooth multipoint makes these the best all-around option for most people.

What we like

Great noise cancelling

Great sound quality

Bluetooth multipoint is super convenient

Bluetooth 5.0; SBC, AAC, LDAC, and wired playback

Comfortable and has hinges for folding

Auto-pauses when you take them off

What we don't like

Cost

Double-tap to pause doesn't always work

Slightly less comfortable than the WH-1000XM3

Battery life is down from the previous version

Custom button controls either the Assistant or noise cancelling

The Sony WH-1000XM4 builds upon its predecessor, the Sony WH-1000XM3. The WH-1000XM4 continues to give Bose competition and features multipoint connectivity, speak-to-chat functionality, and a host of other advanced software features. This time around, Sony forges ahead of the pack, and with the advent of the Sony WH-1000XM5, you can get the XM4 headphones for a steep discount. Does this set of Sony headphones have the heart to continue fighting against its competition or do others overtake it? We spent two weeks with the Sony WH-1000XM4 active noise cancelling (ANC) headphones to find out.

Editor’s note: this review was updated on November 18, 2022 to address formatting changes and to add more comparisons to the Sony WH-1000XM5.

What’s it like to use the Sony WH-1000XM4?

While the WH-1000XM4 is almost identical in looks to its predecessor, there are some new features tucked away inside. Bluetooth multipoint makes it slightly more convenient in everyday use because you can connect to two devices at once (more on that later). It makes it easy to transition from listening to music while working at your desk to watching a YouTube video on your phone, and back again, all without opening your Bluetooth settings. Caveat alert: if you’re going to use multipoint, both connected devices need to use the AAC Bluetooth codec.

Aside from the ability to stay connected to two devices at once, there’s also a few new features you can only access if you download the Sony Headphones Connect app, such as the speak to chat functionality. When turned on this will pause your music whenever the headphones detect that you’re speaking. While it definitely works, the feature treads a fine line between useful and annoying, especially considering how sensitive the detection is.

For example, while listening to a podcast, the WH-1000XM4 pauses the media when I chuckle at a joke. You’re never really aware of how many weird sounds you make until you’re wearing a pair of headphones that pause your music each and every time you make one. It could be useful to some people, but many will probably just turn it off.

Along the same lines is the auto-pause feature, which stops playback when you remove the headphones. On the inside of the left earcup is a small sensor that detects when you’re wearing the headphones or not, and pauses music when you take the headphones off. Is it a must-have feature? Absolutely not, but it’s the kind of subtle touch that you’d expect from a $350 USD pair of headphones and Sony nails it here.

The ear cups are also slightly thicker than the previous pair, which results in better isolation even when noise cancelling is turned off. On the other hand, the headband itself is thinner with a little less padding, and I feel it. While the padding is definitely comfortable, there was an ever-present pressure at the crown of my head that only became more pronounced with longer listening sessions.

The arrival of a new pair of Sony wireless headphones is now one of the biggest product launches in the tech world, and the arrival of the Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless noise-cancelling headphones back in 2020 was no different.