sony: Sony WF-1000XM4 review: A complete package

A pair of true wireless earbuds — especially premium ones — need to have almost everything going for it to win over price-conscious consumers. Sony with its WF-1000XM3 was a favourite with many tech experts, they were even said to be better than the AirPods Pro — for many the benchmark, at least consumers. Sony recently launched the WF-1000XM4 at Rs 19,999, which is on the higher side but still cheaper than AirPods Pro. We have been using the WF-1000XM4 for a while now and here’s what we think about them.

Sony WF-1000XM4 review:
The WF-1000XM4 are rather biggish in size but smaller than the previous generation. The fit is mostly comfortable but some people with smaller ears could find it problematic. They do feel slightly heavy after a few hours of usage. Sony hasn’t given any vents on these earbuds which makes your ears a bit stuffy after a while.

The earbuds look rather great and the unit we reviewed was the black and gold version. The gold touch adds a unique look to the earbuds. Sony has given touch controls on both the earbuds for playback and noise cancellation controls. Using the Sony Headphones Connect app, you can customise the touch controls.

You will also find sensors that can detect when the buds are removed and pause the music instantly. The earbuds get magnetically attached to the charging case and fit in quite easily.

The charging case has been improved drastically by Sony when compared to the previous generation. It’s still big but can easily fit inside your jeans’ pockets. You will find a USB-C port at the back of the charging case, which can also be charged wirelessly with a Qi-enabled charger.

The one thing that really stood out for us was the eco-friendly package in which the earbuds come. Kudos to Sony for doing an excellent job on it.

Sony WF-1000XM4 review:
The earbuds come with 6mm dynamic drivers and support a frequency response range of 20-40,000HZ. The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.2 and SBC, AAC and LDAC codes as well. You can pair these smartphones quickly with an Android phone using Google’s Fast Pair feature. On iPhones, the pairing takes a bit of a time but isn’t an issue as such.

The Headphones Connect app is your go-to place to get the best out of these earbuds. You can change the equaliser setting depending on your preference, check battery levels and do a host of other things.

Audio quality is pretty subjective but the game-changer here for Sony is the support for the LDAC Bluetooth codec. It is a feature not found in too many true wireless earbuds and makes a significant difference.

Sony’s wireless earbuds have always been a tad bass-heavy in our opinion but the WF-1000XM4 suffer from no such issues. The bass levels aren’t excess and hit the sweet spot almost every time. The signature sound of these earbuds will please most users but you can tinker with it in the companion app. The earbuds can handle almost every genre of music capably. From Dylan to Dosanjh, the audio experience is really good. Johnny Cash’s Man in Black is a prime example of how well the instrument separation is handled and vocals sound crystal clear. Pink Floyd’s High Hopes gave us a fair idea of the range that these earbuds can actually handle. The overall audio experience is rather crisp.

The ANC is rather good on these earbuds. Even at 50% volume levels, the earbuds do a fine job of blocking out external noise. But at this price point and Sony’s experience, we didn’t expect anything less. Sony has used a new VI processing chip to make noise cancellation more effective and shows. Having said that, we do feel that the AirPods Pro do a better job at noise cancellation. We had zero trouble while taking and making calls with these earbuds. No complaints of any ‘echo’ or voice not being clear on phone calls.

Sony claims that with ANC enabled these earbuds can give you eight hours of battery life. That claim is more or less accurate as we could get close to seven hours, which is really good and not something you will get from many true wireless earbuds.
Sony WF-1000XM4 review: Verdict
At Rs 19,990, the Sony WF-1000XM4 are a premium proposition. They make a strong case for being your next true wireless earbuds especially if you have an Android phone. The earbuds offer excellent battery life, a crisp audio experience and effective ANC. You can’t go wrong with these earbuds as they are a complete package albeit a costly one. If forking out cash isn’t a problem for you, then go for these earbuds as it could turn out to be money well spent.

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