Sony WH-1000XM4 − What to expect from the wireless over-ears

It was speculated that the Sony WH-1000XM4 could launch in June, but that month has come and gone without an appearance for the new wireless over-ears.

It would seem that the leaks on several retailer website were more than likely just placeholder dates, but we’re still confident that the sequel to the WH-1000XM3 are on their way.

Rumours had floated about that Sony was waiting for Apple to show their hand with the Studio over-ears at WWDC 20 and steal their thunder, but Apple’s headphones also failed to materialise.

Up until June we had seen leaked images, a listing on the FCC, a draft instruction manual and those multiple retailer listings across US and European sites. There’s also a video online which compares the the XM3 with what appear to be the WH-1000XM4 and the new Headphones app.

So, without further ado, here’s what we learnt about the Sony WH-1000XM4.

Related: Best noise-cancelling headphones

When will the Sony WH-1000XM4 be released?

Online leaks in late May and early June pointed to a release date of June 23rd for the Sony WH-1000XM4. That date has proven to be a false dawn, with no announcement from Sony forthcoming.

Dell Canada website posted a shipping date of June 23rd, 2020, which led many to think that could be a concrete date for the release of the headphones. They’ve also appeared on Canadian website INSO, but no price or release date is mentioned.

We still expect the headphones to appear this year. The WH-1000XM3 would have been available for two years come August, and Sony tends to update its 1000X series every two years. We now expect the WH-1000XM4’s release to coincide with an announcement at IFA 2020 in September. Sony has announced previous versions at the Berlin-based event, so it would make sense to continue that tradition this year.

The long road to the XM4’s expected unveiling began all the way back in December 2019 with an FCC listing in under the XM4 name. There was speculation they could be unveiled at CES 2020, but much like the Dell Canada listing, the headphones were a no-show.

Official documents from Sony Belgium/Netherlands appeared to confirm this. The document, titled ‘SBNL AUDIO Trial Models Summer’, had the XM4 listed on it, but perhaps this is a reference to a feature not leaked, but this would underline our belief that at IFA 2020 announcement is in the works.

How much will the Sony WH-1000XM4 cost?

Previous versions in the MDR-1000X, WH-1000XM2 and WH-1000XM3 all had a £349 price. Nothing we’ve learnt so far suggests the new over-ears will be different.

That’s further corroborated by Best Buy US uploading a product listing with a $349.99 price (it’s been subsequently taken down). Dell Canada was the latest to jump the gun on the headphones, with an initial price of $449.99 CAD before raising it to $499.99 CAD. Converted into Pound Sterling, that would put the headphones closer to £300.

The headphones have also appeared on Walmart US, Polish retailer X-kom and Czech Republic online retailer elvia pro. All sites indicated the WH-1000XM4’s price is in in line with its predecessors.

Related: Best wireless headphones

What features will the Sony XM4 have?

From the various leaks, the WH-1000XM4’s design appears to be evolution rather revolution.

Everton Favretto spotted them on an Anatel listing, which is Brazil’s FCC. You could almost mistake them for being another pair of WH-1000XM3. The colour scheme is similar, so are the physical buttons and the profile is the same.

Se você não viu mais cedo: Sony homologou o WH-1000XM4 na Anatel. COM FOTOS! #PlantãoAnatel #wh1000xm4 #sony https://t.co/J171Rqd6v1

— Everton Favretto (@evefavretto) March 5, 2020

The Anatel listing came with an unfinished instruction manual. The manual indicates the headphones’ specification has been improved.

The headphones can connect to two devices at once with the Multipoint feature. You can switch from one device to another without disconnecting.

Edge AI is a new feature co-developed with Sony Music. It allows the DSEE Extreme engine to upscale digital tracks in real time, recognising the instrumentation, genre and aspects of the track and essentially filling in the data lost through compression.

There’s a new feature called Speak to Chat. From what we can tell it’s able to detect when you’re speaking and can focus in on voices while reducing ambient sounds for a specific amount of time for added clarity. The Walmart listing also mentioned a new Precise Voice Pickup feature, which uses the five built-in microphones to pick up your voice in a clear and precise manner for hands-free calls.

Sony WH-1000XM4 Info from Headphone Connect 7.0.1

Looks identical to the XM3.
It'll be able to change some (if not all) headphone settings based on your location (set locations or your own) and uses Google Maps API for it.

New DSSE Extreme (also on X1ii), probably AI Upscaling pic.twitter.com/7hpGMIE7Bb

— JustPlayingHard (@justplayinghard) May 21, 2020

There’s a new Custom button, presumably for setting ANC levels. And perhaps it’s just our eyes, but the ear cushions do appear to be bigger. From the looks of this video, the headband appears to be a bit bendier for improved comfort and fit.

Battery life is up to 30 hours. If used passively (i.e. with cables) with ANC at max levels, there’s a modest improvement from 36 hours to 40. A quick 10 minute charge offering up to five hours of playtime. Bluetooth will be 5.0, and power consumption will be less, down from 8W to 2W.

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