Sony WH-1000XM4 may launch this week — watch out, Bose
Sony WH-1000XM4 look ready to launch August 7
The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones are reportedly due to launch this week, ushering in an evolution of the critically-acclaimed Sony WH-1000XM3 (that look to rival the Bose 700, too).
At least that’s what we can glean from a teaser page on Sony’s Japan website which has August 7 daubed upon it with the words “wait 4 something exciting.” It wouldn’t be hard to extrapolate that the number four in that text is likely to relate to the WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones, as Sony has no other fourth-generation tech rumored to be in the works.
- The best wireless headphones in 2020
- Best wireless earbuds for every budget and occasion
- Plus: PS5 Pro could crush Xbox Series X with this killer feature
The Sony WH-1000XM4 have been expected to arrive around this time for a while now. Their predecessors are nearly two years old, so an update is arguably due. And from the rumors we’ve heard so far, an update to the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones are about all we can really expect.
The design of the Sony WH-1000XM4 is not expected to change noticeably from the previous generation. And the feature set is largely expected to be the same.
However, the Sony WH-1000XM4 will have the ability to connect to two devices at the same time using Bluetooth and they'll be able to switch between them on-the-fly. That should make the occasionally tedious process or re-pairing the headphones with different devices less of a drag.
More improvements are expected under the hood of the Sony WH-1000XM4, with the headphones reportedly getting a new “Precise Voice Pickup” feature. It promises to use five built-in microphones to better detect the wearer’s voice when they are running a call through the headphones; this is an area that the Sony WH-1000XM3 didn’t always excel at.
Such a mic array should help facilitate the headphones’ "Smart Talking" feature, which will allow for the ambient sound mode of the headphones to trigger automatically when a person’s voice is detected. This means the wearer should be able to have a conversation with someone without removing their headphones.
Sign up now to get the best Black Friday deals!
Discover the hottest deals, best product picks and the latest tech news from our experts at Tom’s Guide.
These features could give the Sony WH-1000XM4 the edge needed to beat the Bose 700, which are a stellar pair of over-ear headphones with active noise cancellation. The Bose 700 comes with eight mics, which means they’re great for suing with voice calls. And a clever sound filtering mode lets in wanted audio while filtering out undesirable sounds.
Expected to cost around $350, the Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones will pretty much be a replacement for the Sony WH-1000XM3 - though expect to find those cans at discounted prices as retailers shed their stock - and could stand a chance at taking the top spot on our best noise cancelling headphones list.
Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at Tom’s Guide with a focus on news, features and opinion articles. He often writes about gaming, phones, laptops and other bits of hardware; he’s also got an interest in cars. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face.