New Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones could have 40-hour battery life

By Georgina Torbet March 6, 2020

Sony’s WH-1000XM3 wireless noise-canceling headphones are a bestseller, but they’re due for an update. Now, we have some clues about what to expect from the next version of the headphones. A filing with the Brazilian telecommunications agency, Anatel, appears to show photos of the new XM4 headphones — which look extremely similar, if not identical, to the previous version, as well as giving some information about what new features could be expected in the highly anticipated XM4s.

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The filing was identified by Everton Favretto, a Brazilian tech enthusiast who first tweeted the information that Anatel had approved the headphones:

Se você não viu mais cedo: Sony homologou o WH-1000XM4 na Anatel. COM FOTOS! #PlantãoAnatel #wh1000xm4 #sony https://t.co/J171Rqd6v1

— Everton Favretto (@evefavretto) March 5, 2020

The filing includes a user manual, as identified by The Verge, which includes more information about what we could expect from the upcoming headphones. However, much of the information about the headphones such as their weight in grams and their power ratio is not available, instead replaced by “XXX” placeholders.

There is some information available, though. The most noteworthy piece of information is that the XM4 headphones are expected to have 40 hours of battery life, which is up from 30 hours for the XM3s. That’s likely due to the XM4’s use of Bluetooth version 5, an upgrade from the Bluetooth version 4.2 used in the XM3s. The rated power consumption has dropped too, from 8W down to 2W.

The XM3s are some of the most popular wireless noise-canceling headphones out there, even named the gadget of the decade by Digital Trends’ mobile tech writer Shubham Agarwal. The headphones already offer excellent noise cancellation, comfort, and substantial battery life. With the newest version apparently offering even longer battery life, it seems like they will only be getting better.

However, there probably aren’t enough new features to necessitate an upgrade if you already own the XM3s. From the looks of the filing, in addition to the power consumption and battery changes, there is just one new feature: A “speak to chat” option which could be a more convenient form of integration for voice assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, or Alexa.

Currently, the XM3s have two buttons, one for power and one which can either toggle noise cancellation modes or activate the voice assistant, but not both. The new version could address this by having the voice assistant activate automatically when speech is detected.

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Georgina Torbet

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Georgina is the Digital Trends space writer, covering human space exploration, planetary science, and cosmology. She…

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Sony's flagship noise-canceling headphones are perfect for those who want to block out background noises while they work or travel. They sound great, with clear and detailed mids and highs, and the bass is well balanced so it doesn't overwhelm the listening experience. If you have a preference for how your headphones should sound, you can adjust the EQ and noise-canceling options using the free Headphones app for iOS or Android. And the headphones come with a built-in microphone so you can use them to take calls or attend virtual meetings as well.

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Sony WH-1000XM4 vs. Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700: Battle of the best

The Sony WH-1000XM4.

Sony and Bose have been locked in a heated battle for wireless headphone supremacy for years. As each company comes out with a new model, the other is never far behind. It's the kind of competition we love, because no matter which of them ends up on top, it's folks like us who ultimately win.

In 2018, Sony's WH-1000XM3 appeared and immediately started to win accolades (and customers) for their impressive sound quality and active noise cancellation (ANC), stealing some of Bose's thunder from its flagship QuietComfort QC-35 II. In 2019, Bose released its Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 in an attempt to unseat the XM3, and, in some respects, it succeeded, with superb call quality and better comfort.