On hand Sony WF-1000XM4: Compact, battery-powered, noise-cancelling “peak”, priced at 6.49 million

Almost 2 years since the WF-1000XM3, Sony has just introduced a successor. The new WF-1000XM4 wireless noise-cancelling headset model changes almost completely in design, strongly upgrading the internal technology to provide a more quality experience, worthy of the high-end standards of 2021.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 headset has just been launched in Vietnam.

Neat design, smaller charging box, IPX4 splash-proof

One of the biggest weaknesses of the WF-1000XM3 is that the design and charging box are both too big, which has now been handled by Sony. The charging box of the WF-1000XM4 is 40% smaller than the old one and much lighter. The two earbuds still weigh up to 7.5g, but have been redesigned to fit comfortably on the ears, firmly and harder to fall.

The new design and significantly more compact size of the WF-1000XM4 (right) compared to the old model (left).

The headset is not too much to wear out, the feeling is more firmly attached than the previous life.

Another important change is the use of foam earplugs instead of rubber, which both increases grip when worn and improves passive noise cancellation.

The charging case is 40% more compact and very light.

The two ear buds of the WF-1000XM4 have also been equipped with IPX4 waterproof standard, which means it can be used well if it is sweaty or splashed with water, but it does not have to be completely immersed in water or used when it rains heavily.

Even the WF-1000XM4 box is a highlight because it uses completely recycled paper. This is also Sony’s first step to change, switch to using more environmentally friendly materials.

The box is made of completely recycled paper and is very beautiful.

Inside the box are also paper trays, there are no elastic bands, adhesive tapes or any plastic/rubber materials. Unfortunately, this year Sony only comes with 3 sets of earplugs instead of 6 like with the WF-1000XM3.

Active noise cancellation is more impressive

Once a leader in noise cancellation technology for portable headphones, it’s no wonder that Sony continues to impress the world with the WF-1000XM4.

The 3-microphone system placed around the earpiece is now of higher quality, plus the new V1 processor improves noise handling performance and the new 6mm driver delivers more accurate bass. Combined with the foam earplugs, it is not difficult to understand that the WF-1000XM4 is being evaluated as having the strongest noise cancellation in the current True Wireless headsets.

Still using the combined 3-microphone system to prevent noise, but the efficiency has increased significantly.

Besides noise cancellation, WF-1000XM4 also integrates other modes such as Ambient Sound, Automatic wind noise reduction, Speak to Chat …

Sponge-covered earplugs greatly improve passive noise cancellation.

The Adaptive Equalizer mode inherited from the WF-1000XM3 helps the headset to recognize whether you are walking, on the train or sitting still in the house to automatically adjust the appropriate sound/noise modes. This upgrade also learns the places you frequent and switches modes accordingly, or you can manually switch between modes right from the notification bar of Android phones.

Rare True Wireless headset with Hi-Res . standard

WF-1000XM4 not only has a new higher quality driver, but also has a new V1 processor to improve noise cancellation, upgrade sound quality to Hi-Res standard, reduce sound distortion and handle LDAC and DSEE Extreme codes.

To experience the LDAC codec standard, you need to go to the headset’s Bluetooth menu and turn it on. Otherwise, the device will default to using the AAC codec.

If using the LDAC codec, audio data can be transmitted via Bluetooth at up to 990kbps, about 3 times higher than other Bluetooth codecs. As a result, you can experience near-original music, like no other high-quality wired headphones.

DSEE Extreme is a mechanism to restore lost parts of music during compression and transmission. The new version on the WF-1000XM4 uses Edge-AI to improve music files in real time. It can recognize instruments, genres, and elements in a song to restore a more complete, accurate sound.

Customizable sound modes are available in the app.

The WF-1000XM3 was previously underestimated in terms of the microphone’s ability to pick up voice. With the XM4, Sony has significantly improved, both integrating micro beamforming, and adding a bone-conducting sensor for clearer voice recognition during voice or video calls…

“Terrible” battery life

The plus point for the design is still a bit “oversized” is that Sony has integrated a larger battery in each ear. As a result, they can play music continuously for up to 8 hours when noise canceling is on and 12 hours when turned off, about twice as high as other high-end TWS headphones on the market.

The WF-1000XM4 has nearly twice the battery life of AirPods Pro.

The charging box is so compact, but it can still charge 2 more times for the headset, bringing the total usage time to up to 24 hours when noise canceling is on or 36 hours when noise canceling is off. This charging case is also compatible with Qi wireless charging and fast charging, only needing 5 minutes to get 60 minutes of use.

Highly customizable control app

If you need to deeply customize the sound/noise cancellation modes… then you need to download the Sony Headphone Connect app. In addition, it also allows you to do more settings such as adjusting the Equalizer, changing the touch touch, viewing the battery level of the headset and charging case, choosing the best headset size…

Price and release date

The WF-1000XM4 has two color options: black and white.

Currently, the Sony WF-1000XM4 headset has officially been priced at VND 6,490,000 in Vietnam, VND 1 million higher than the WF-1000XM3 at the time of launch. Both Sony and many retailers nationwide have started allowing orders with attractive gift sets.