First look: Sony’s new noise-cancelling XM4 wireless earbuds
Sony says its fouth-gen earbuds are smaller, smarter and sound better than ever.
By David Flynn, June 9 2021
Following last year’s debut of the Sony WH-1000XM4 over-ear wireless noise cancelling headphones, the WF-1000XM4 earbud version is now on the way.
Sony's WF-1000XM4 wireless noise-cancelling earbuds.
Due to land mid-July at $450, and available in either black or ‘platinum silver’, these fourth-generation noise-cancelling earbuds bring some key features of their larger over-ear siblings into the tiny in-ear package.
Many new features of Sony's 2021 XM4 earbuds come from the 2020 XM4 headphone version.
Leading off is ‘Speak-to-Chat’, which launched on the WH-1000XM4 and lets you have short conversations without even touching the earbuds.
As soon as you begin to talk, Speak-to-Chat automatically pauses the music and opens up to ambient sound so you can talk freely. Once the conversation is over, the music resumes automatically.
A new shape for the fouth-gen XM4 earbuds.
There’s also ‘Quick Attention’ mode: if you want to hear the outside world, such as when the business class flight attendant asks which cocktail you’d like before dinner, just place your finger over the left earbud and the volume instantly drops.
The WF-1000XM4s boast a new ear-friendly shape.
An array of four microphones and sensors with advanced audio signal processing is behind what Sony calls ‘Adaptive Sound Control’, which senses where you are and what you’re doing based on the background noise, and automatically adjusts the noise-cancelling profile to match.
The XM4s automatically tailor their noise-cancelling profile based on your surroundings.
On a plane or on public transport, noise-cancelling is wound up to greater effect; when walking through a park or waiting at the cafe for a friend, noise-cancelling is less aggressive and more ambient sound comes through. There’s also automatic wind noise reduction while you’re out and about.
(You can also use Sony’s smartphone app to create presets for regular scenarios such as your office or the gym.)
The XM4 battery pack goes wireless, although USB-C charging remains available.
Sony says the XM4’s new custom-designed processor boosts noise cancellation, while support for high-resolution audio wireless sends approximately three times more data than conventional Bluetooth audio for higher-quality wireless sound.
The WF-1000XM4s boast a new ear-friendly shape.
The XM4s should sit even more snug in your ears: Sony claims to have “analysed huge amounts of data relating to ear shapes from around the world” and revamped these earbuds accordingly, “combining a shape that matches the ear cavity with a new ergonomic surface design for a more stable fit.”
Lose yourself in sound with Sony's wireless XM4s.
The earbuds themselves are 10% smaller than the XM3, while the Qi-compatible wireless charging case is 40% smaller.
Sony has downsized the XM4 earbuds and battery charging case from the XM3s shown here.
Sony rates battery life at eight hours on a full charge, with the case good for two full recharges.
Even if the XM4s are completely flat, you can get a solid 60 minutes of music from a quick five-minute charge.
Pairing with Android smartphones should be a doddle, as the XM4s work with Google’s new Fast Pair feature for one-tap pairing; they also work with Microsoft Swift Pair for connecting to Windows 10 laptops.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.