Earbuds · Model guide · Maker specs
Sony WF-1000XM4
Pick up the WF-1000XM4 only if it's well below XM5's price: XM5 kept LDAC and the same music playtime and added LC3, Bluetooth 5.3 and longer calls.
Product images
Sony WF-1000XM4, from its Amazon listing.
Credit: Amazon.com (Associates Program). Amazon listing
Product image from the Amazon listing.
In short
Pick up the WF-1000XM4 only if it's well below XM5's price: XM5 kept LDAC and the same music playtime and added LC3, Bluetooth 5.3 and longer calls. Sony's 2021 flagship pairs Integrated Processor V1 with a 6 mm driver, foam tips and IPX4 buds. It plays up to 8 hours with noise cancelling on, 12 with it off. Skip it if you need multipoint: it wasn't there at launch.
Who it is for
- LDAC listeners on a budget who can live without LC3.
- Fans of foam tips. XM4 comes with polyurethane foam Noise Isolation tips.
- Owners weighing an upgrade. Sony hasn't raised music playtime since, so the battery rating alone isn't a reason to replace a pair that still holds its charge.
Who should skip it
- Anyone who wants LC3 or Bluetooth 5.3. XM4 has Bluetooth 5.2 with SBC, AAC and LDAC; XM5 added both.
- Heavy phone users. Talk time is 5.5 hours with noise cancelling on and 6.0 with it off, where XM5 manages 6 and 7.
- Buyers after Sony's newest noise cancelling. That's XM6, built around the QN3e chip with Adaptive NC Optimizer.
What sets it apart
- LDAC at 96 kHz and 990 kbps, next to SBC and AAC.
- A 6 mm driver Sony designed for XM4, with 20% more magnet volume and a high-compliance diaphragm.
- Two noise-sensing microphones in each bud, feed-forward and feed-back, plus Automatic Wind Noise Reduction.
Caveats
- Only the buds are rated IPX4. The case has no rating, so treat it as not water resistant.
- The tips in the box aren't spelled out. Sony's launch announcement names foam Noise Isolation tips, but the US box contents list only the USB-C cable.
- 360 Reality Audio isn't in Sony's US specs, though Sony's app has listed it for many 1000X models.
Key specs
In the same order on every earbuds page, so you can compare pairs.
| Spec | Value | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Form factor | Truly wireless, closed dynamic in-ear: the 1000X shape with Noise Isolation tips | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Fit / tips / wings | Polyurethane foam Noise Isolation tips (Sony's launch announcement); tip sizes not listed in the US box contents | Sony Electronics press release, 8 June 2021; Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Driver / acoustic architecture | 6 mm driver with high-power neodymium magnets; Sony says it has 20% more magnet volume and a high-compliance diaphragm | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US); Sony Electronics press release, 8 June 2021 |
| Chip / processor | Integrated Processor V1; Sony says it takes QN1e's noise cancelling further | Sony Electronics press release, 8 June 2021 (PR Newswire) |
| Active noise cancellation | Integrated Processor V1 with Dual Noise Sensor (feed-forward and feed-back microphones) and Automatic Wind Noise Reduction; Quick Attention | Sony Electronics press release, 8 June 2021; Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US)“Industry-leading” is Sony's word; there's no decibel figure. |
| Transparency / ambient | Ambient Sound; Quick Attention | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Spatial / 360 audio | No 360 Reality Audio in Sony's US specs; Sony's app has listed it for many 1000X models | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US); Sony Headphones Connect app |
| Hearing features | None listed | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Battery — buds | Music: up to 8 hours (noise cancelling on) or 12 (off). Talk: up to 5.5 hours (on) or 6.0 (off). Charging takes about 1.5 hours | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US)Actual battery life varies, Sony notes. |
| Battery — with case | No total in Sony's US specs (no “up to 24 hours” figure); launch marketing described 8 hours in the buds plus more from the case | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US); Sony launch marketing |
| Charging | USB-C through the case, about 1.5 hours; USB-A to USB-C cable in the box; some Sony product copy mentions a 5-minute quick charge, with no figure in the US specs | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Wireless charging | Qi, according to Sony's 2021 marketing and later product pages; the US specs mention only USB charging | Sony Electronics marketing, 2021; Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Water / dust — buds | IPX4 | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US)Not for swimming, and there's no dust rating. |
| Water / dust — case | No rating; treat the case as not water resistant | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP profiles; SCMS-T content protection | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US)No LC3; LDAC runs at up to 96 kHz and 990 kbps. |
| Microphones / calls | Two noise-sensing microphones per bud (feed-forward and feed-back); a beamforming microphone and bone-conduction sensor for calls | Sony Electronics press release, 8 June 2021 |
| On-bud controls | Touch controls; volume and touch functions are reassigned in Sony's app | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Multipoint / device switching | Not at launch; later firmware added multipoint to some 1000X models (see Sony's Help Guide) | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US); Sony Help Guide |
| Sensors | Bone-conduction sensor for calls; no other sensors named | Sony Electronics press release, 8 June 2021 |
| Weight — one bud | About 7.3 g × 2 (Sony Japan) | Sony Japan WF-1000XM4 specifications |
| Weight — case | About 1.45 oz (US) or 41 g (Hong Kong), given as a single weight | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US and Hong Kong) |
| Finishes | Black and Silver | Sony Electronics press release, 8 June 2021 |
| Phone / OS compatibility | Bluetooth devices (interoperability varies); Sony Headphones Connect app, now Sound Connect, on Google Play and the App Store | Sony Electronics press release, 8 June 2021; Sony support |
| Find / Fast Pair / UWB | No Find My or ultra-wideband listed | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Companion app / firmware | Sony Headphones Connect, now Sound Connect; firmware updates through the app | Sony Electronics press release; Sony support |
| US launch price | $279.99 (Sony Electronics, 8 June 2021) | Sony Electronics press release, 8 June 2021 |
| Price band | Flagship true-wireless at launch ($200–$300) | Based on the $279.99 launch price |
| Announced | 8 June 2021 | Sony Electronics press release (San Diego) |
| Availability | Two generations old: XM5 followed it, and XM6 is now the current 1000X pair (as of 19 September 2026) | Sony WF-1000XM5 and XM6 product line |
Sony WF-1000XM4 extras
Specs only this model has.
| Spec | Value | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| DSEE Extreme | Yes | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Quick Attention | Yes | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Speak-to-Chat | Lowers the volume automatically during conversations, Sony says | Sony Electronics press release, 8 June 2021 |
| LDAC / Hi-Res Wireless | Yes; frequency response 20 Hz–40,000 Hz over LDAC (96 kHz sampling, 990 kbps) | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) |
| Model | WF-1000XM4 (also written WF1000XM4) | Sony support; Sony US store |
| In the box | US box: USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C); Sony's launch announcement adds Noise Isolation tips | Sony WF-1000XM4 specifications (US); Sony Electronics press release, 8 June 2021 |
What WF-1000XM5 changed
XM5 kept LDAC and XM4’s music playtime and changed what sits around them. Sony’s figures for both:
| Spec | WF-1000XM4 | WF-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|
| Noise-cancelling chip | Integrated Processor V1 | QN2e |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | 5.3 |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, LDAC | SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 |
| Music, noise cancelling on | Up to 8 hours | Up to 8 hours |
| Music, noise cancelling off | Up to 12 hours | Up to 12 hours |
| Talk, noise cancelling on | Up to 5.5 hours | Up to 6 hours |
| Talk, noise cancelling off | Up to 6.0 hours | Up to 7 hours |
LC3 and Bluetooth 5.3 only pay off if your phone supports them. Calls are the clearer gain: half an hour longer with noise cancelling on and an hour longer with it off, by Sony’s numbers.
Should you upgrade to XM6?
XM6 is Sony’s current pair, sold on the QN3e chip and Adaptive NC Optimizer, and Sony still lists the same 8 hours of music with noise cancelling on and 12 off that XM4 has. It’s an upgrade in noise cancelling, not in battery. If Sony’s newest noise cancelling is what you want, XM6 is the one to get; if LC3 and longer calls matter more, XM5 has both. If your XM4 still holds its charge and you’ve never missed multipoint, there’s little reason to move.
Noise cancelling and sound
Sony introduced Integrated Processor V1 in 2021 as the step beyond its QN1e noise-cancelling processor, and the same chip handles Bluetooth. Ambient Sound and Quick Attention bring outside sound in, and DSEE Extreme is built in.
Over LDAC, Sony quotes a frequency response of 20 Hz to 40,000 Hz. There’s no LC3, so LDAC, AAC and SBC are your choices.
Battery and charging
The buds charge in the case over USB-C in about 1.5 hours, and a USB-A to USB-C cable is in the box. Sony’s US specs give no total with the case; at launch, Sony described 8 hours in the buds plus more from the case. Some Sony product copy mentions a 5-minute quick charge without saying what it buys.
Fit and weight
XM4 seals your ear with polyurethane foam Noise Isolation tips. Each bud weighs about 7.3 g by Sony Japan’s figure; Sony’s US and Hong Kong specs give one weight, 1.45 oz or 41 g, without separating the buds from the case. Sony gives no dimensions for either.
Calls and connections
For calls, Sony pairs a beamforming microphone with a bone-conduction sensor. Bluetooth 5.2 carries A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP. Touch-control changes and firmware updates go through Headphones Connect, the app Sony has since renamed Sound Connect, and Sony lists neither Find My nor ultra-wideband.
Price
Sony launched WF-1000XM4 in the US at $279.99 on 8 June 2021, in Black and Silver. Store prices today differ from that launch price, so check them against XM5’s before you buy.
Sources
- Amazon product listing — accessed 2026-09-20
- Sony — WF-1000XM4 specifications (US) — accessed 2026-09-19
- Sony — WF-1000XM4 specifications (Hong Kong) — accessed 2026-09-19
- Sony Electronics — WF-1000XM4 press release, 8 June 2021 (PR Newswire) — accessed 2026-09-19
- Sony Japan — WF-1000XM4 specifications — accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently asked questions
Is XM6 worth it for a WF-1000XM4 owner?
Only if Sony's newest noise cancelling is what you're missing. XM6 doesn't add music playtime; Sony still lists 8 hours with noise cancelling on and 12 off.
Does WF-1000XM4 support multipoint?
Not at launch. Later firmware added multipoint to some 1000X models, so check Sony's Help Guide for this pair before you count on it.
Does the WF-1000XM4 case charge wirelessly?
Yes, according to Sony's 2021 marketing and later product pages, which describe a Qi-charging case. Sony's US specs mention only USB-C charging, which takes about 1.5 hours.
What does Speak-to-Chat do?
It turns the volume down automatically while you're in a conversation, Sony says. You set it up in Sony's Headphones Connect app, now called Sound Connect.
Official product page: Sony WF-1000XM4. Tech specs: Sony WF-1000XM4 specs.