Need some well any news this Monday? Try this: you are probably watching the first images of the Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headset – Sony’s follow-up to the excellent What Hi-Fi? 2019 Sony WH-1000XM3 awarded.
It is fair to say that we have been waiting for the Sony WH-1000XM4 for quite some time. An FCC record seen in December had all prepared and ready for a big CES unveiling of wireless headphones, but Sony’s most recent failed to show up.
Thanks to these images (seen for the first time by a Twitter user Everton Favretto and shared by Anatel, the Brazilian version of the FCC), the wait may soon be over.
As reported by The edge, the Anatel folder also includes a user manual that hints at healthy updates in the new model, including Bluetooth 5.0 (versus 4.2) and 40 hours of wired playback with noise cancellation over the entire duration (up to at 36 hours), although it is important to note that the document is largely in draft form and as such, said specifications should be taken with a pinch of healthy salt.
That said, there is also a new enticing mention of a feature called “talk to chat”, which could mean being able to summon the voice assistant of your choice by saying a wake-up word. (Currently, you must press a button on the WH-1000XM3 to access your voice assistant.)
Note that Sony has not announced an official release date for the WH-1000XM4, nor even confirmed that these images are legitimate.
If the photos turn out to be authentic, however, the XM4s really look pretty similar to the XM3s in terms of design aesthetics, which may hint at a price of $ 349 / £ 300 / AU $ 499 at launch, in line with the two popular XM3 models and its older brother, the five-star WH-1000XM2.
As soon as Sony announces, you will be the first to know. In the meantime, it might make sense to keep an eye out for the WH-1000XM3 deals, if you’re interested in a pair of high-end wireless headphones …
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