Today, we’re waking up to some exciting news: full details for the Sony WH-1000XM4 have been revealed. Sony’s upcoming noise-cancelling headphones have been the subject of rumours and anticipation for quite some time now, and for good reason—the Sony WH-1000XM3 is one of the best options for over-ear wireless headphones in the market, even in 2020.
We’ve already seen leaked images of the WH-1000XM4, along with rumours that Sony is adding multipoint support on the headphones. Now, an official listing of the Sony WH-1000XM4 has been spotted on the Walmart online store, although it appears to have been since deleted. According to The Walkman Blog, the new model is priced at US$348 (~RM1,483), which is roughly the same price that the XM3 was launched at (RM1,599).
Unfortunately, the listing did not have an accompanying photo, although previous leaks suggest that the WH-1000XM4 will look almost identical to the WH-1000XM3 (which didn’t look too dissimilar to the WH-1000XM2, for that matter). What’s more interesting here is the apparent confirmation of several specs and features.
And at the top of that list is multipoint connection, which basically means that users will be able to pair two devices to the XM4 simultaneously. For example, when you receive a call on your smartphone (one of two connected devices), the headphones will automatically connect to the ringing device. Additionally, there will be a button that will allow for easy switching between paired devices.
There will also be the addition of something called Precise Voice Pickup Technology, which is essentially Sony’s attempt to address complaints over the quality of the hands-free calling function on their previous generation of headphones. Five microphones and “advanced audio signal processing” help to deliver better voice quality during calls, although we’ll have to get our hands on a pair to test these claims out. Meanwhile, AI tech will also play a part in the Sony WH-1000XM4: Edge-AI and DSEE Extreme will help to upscale music files that have been compressed—all in realtime.
Meanwhile, The Verge and Tom’s Guide reports that a “new” feature to come with the Sony WH-1000XM4 is a smart function as part of Adaptive Sound Control. However, it’s unclear if this will be an upgrade on what’s already available on the current WH-1000XM3, since the Sony Headphones Connect app already has an automatic switching function based on location. Again, this is something that we can only judge when we try it in person, although Adaptive Sound Control has been fairly decent on the WH-1000XM3, if a little artificial-sounding.
On the battery side of things, the XM4 only promises up to 30 hours of usage on a single charge, which is the identical figure given for the previous generation. That isn’t a slight on Sony, but users were certainly hoping for an improvement on an already impressive figure, so this is sure to disappoint some.
Regardless, we do expect the Sony WH-1000XM4 to be released anytime now. The headphones have passed through product certification in various countries, including Malaysia, so you can be sure that SoyaCincau will keep you updated on the latest updates when they’re available.
Editor’s note: This article has been amended to include information on Adaptive Sound Control.
