Sony makes some of the best headphones money can buy but with the continued surge of wireless earbuds, where are the firm’s next flagship pair? We investigate the WF-1000XM4 release date rumours and more.
While Sony does have a relatively new pair of over-ear headphones out, the WH-1000XM4, it’s understandable if you’re waiting for wireless earbuds. Well, the good news is that we think it might not be too much longer to wait.
Sony WF-1000XM4 release date
Let’s look back a bit as the WH-1000XM4 launched last year in August 2020 and the WF-1000XM3 (yes, Sony could do with better model names) arrived in August 2019.
Prior to that, the WH-1000XM3 were launched in August 2018.
Sony clearly likes a summer release and based on that release cycle, we can expect the WF-1000XM4 this year – possibly August 2021. We’re just estimating on Sony’s track record but an for the buds does suggest that they are on the way.
now points out that the end date for short-term confidentiality on the FCC listing has been moved to 9 June, so we could see Sony announce the headphones on 8 June or at least early June according to the site.
Sony WF-1000XM4 price
We’re also projecting on price and while prices in the wireless earbud market vary drastically, these new flagship buds from Sony will almost certainly have a flagship price tag to match. After all, Sony has cheaper WF models if they’re too expensive for you.
With the WF-1000XM3 launching at £220, we don’t think Sony will stray too far from this figure for the WF-1000XM4.
Sony could even go a little higher with the price and still be cheaper than the £249 AirPods Pro. Going under £200 would help compete with other rivals, though.
Sony WF-1000XM4 specs
While there are no leaks or rumours on the release date or price, there are for specs, which are a little harder to guess anyway.
For starters, a leaked image (above) seems to show the new XM4 earbud design, which looks very different to the XM3 buds. It looks a lot smaller (and presumably lighter) with a rounded shape. They will have touch controls on the round outer surface.
Newer leaked images from The Walkman Blog show the XM4 earbuds from all angles. There’s not much to glean unless you’re fussed about the positioning of things like the charging pins and proximity sensor.
More importantly, the site has noticed the headphones have a charging rate of 5V = 140mA compared to 5V = 120mA of the XM3. With Sony saying those can get 90 minutes from a 10-minute charge, we might be looking at closer to 120 minutes for the XM4.
The Walkman Blog also has shots of the charging case and believes it will offer wireless charging.
A leaked photo of the WF-1000XM4 box also gives some specs away including 6-hour battery life from the earbuds and 18 hours from the case. That wouldn’t be a big upgrade.
It also mentions noise cancelling which we would assume is a given as the XM3 already offer this.
The FCC listing mentioned earlier suggests they will get Bluetooth 5.2. The latest version of the wireless standard is faster than 5.1 so Sony may be able to offer higher quality audio as well as quicker pairing.
It also confirms the buds will still not offer aptX or aptX HD codecs but they may use Sony’s own LDAC for high quality streaming.
It’s also reasonable to expect the WF-1000XM4 earbuds to get technology from the WH-1000XM4 such as the DSEE Extreme audio processor for better sound quality. This would also enable AI features like Speak to Chat and Adaptive Sound Control.
We’ve also taken a look at when the Sony WH-1000XM5 might arrive and what they might bring in the way of upgrades.
