Sony’s latest true wireless headphones are available and, spoiler alert, the WF-1000XM4 is the best yet.
But the WF-1000XM3s are still available and much cheaper, so there’s still a case to be made in choosing one or the other, depending on your budget and needs.
So which of the Sony WF-1000XM4 vs WF-1000XM3 should you buy?
Pricing and availability
The WF-1000XM3 were released in 2019 for £ 220. The price has dropped since mid-2020 to its current level of £ 170, but if you look around you can find them even cheaper.
The WF-1000XM4 are, of course, much newer and therefore have a higher price tag. The XM4 is more expensive than the XM3 at launch – priced at £ 250.
Arguably the price increase is fair considering the extra features and performance offered by the XM4 over the previous model. If you wanted one of the best noise canceling headphones without paying over £ 200, the WF-1000XM3 is certainly worth considering if you have a budget to play.
What is the difference between the design of the Sony WF-1000XM4 and that of the WF-1000XM3?
The WF-1000XM4 adopts a more traditional headphone look than previous headphones compared to the more angular, protruding look of the XM3.
The shape is more ergonomic, they are less rounded than the XM3 and they are 10% more compact. 10% may not seem like a lot, but the new Sony headphones fit better in the ear than the older models.
They are also more comfortable to wear, although we will say that comfort is likely to be a special case for each individual. Comparatively, the WF-1000XM4 held better in our ears than the XM3 (which still required a few pushes to hold them in place) and didn’t produce the oily feel that the WF-1000XM3 could do on occasion.
This is in part due to the new polyurethane tips that mold to your ear canal for a tighter fit. Although the XM4 supports other ear tips, these new ear tips are specially designed to help with the sound insulation of the XM4. The other improvement is in the shape, which is smaller and better conforms to the contours of an ear.
The charging case has been reduced in size, making it much more portable than before without sacrificing battery life (which we’ll get to later).
And in terms of looks, the WF-1000XM4 are quite sleek with their gold accents. They are not as distinctive as the previous models, but what they lose in this regard they gain a lot more in terms of fit and comfort.
What’s the difference with the features?
The basic feature set remains the same between the two headphones, but Sony has added a number of new features that only work with the latest model.
This includes the ear tip sizing test. Available in the Sony Headphones companion app, it emits a sound to measure the degree of tightness between the headphones and your ear. If it is airtight, you will see two check marks and you can be sure that the noise cancellation will work optimally.
Other new tips include the ability to configure the headphones to cycle through noise cancellation, ambient mode and mute (which you couldn’t customize before), LDAC support (for better streaming over Bluetooth ) if you have an Android phone that supports voice assistant using a wake word (the XM4 natively supports Google Assistant and Alexa).
Other new features include Speak to Chat, which pauses music when you start speaking; and IPX4 resistance, which means XM4 can withstand water or rain (WF-1000XM3 did not have water resistance).
Noise cancellation is improved thanks to the new noise isolating end caps, but also the more precise performance of the V1 processor chip, which suppresses more sound in a more assertive way (although the XM3s are still quite good).
The battery life has been improved over the old model from 6 hours to 8. While the battery life with noise cancellation remains equal to 24 hours, the WF-1000XM4 is stretching its legs. in terms of overall battery (noise cancellation), with 36 hours compared to the 32 in the XM3.
Considering that he hits that number from a 40% smaller case, that’s a pretty impressive number. You don’t lose any battery life compared to the previous model and you also save a few extra hours.
Other features of the WF-1000XM4 over the old model include Android Fast Pair and the Find My feature, so if you lose the headphones, you can know where you last left them.
Just like the design aspect of these two headphones, the WF-1000XM4 are clear winners. There’s an abundance of new features, improved noise cancellation, and better battery life.
Is there a difference in the sound?
In terms of sound quality, these aren’t huge improvements – the WF-1000XM3 has a fantastic foundation, but the new model offers more refinement, nuance and engagement with the music.
The tone and character of the two headphones are similar – you can tell they belong to the same family – and like the WF-1000XM3, the new headphones are versatile in terms of relaying any musical genre you love. From old classics to folk music to drum and bass, the XM4 headphones speak wonderfully.
The XM4 gives off more dynamism, both in broader terms and with vocals, where the XM3 comes across as a bit heavy. They also have a more secure sense of bass management, more focus and better organization.
Detail is also captured better, and while both have a natural sense of vocal and instrument sound, the WF-1000XM4 takes it to another level. The sound is a finer, more subtle and overall brighter performance.
The improvement is made easier by support for LDAC, which helps the WF-1000XM4 handle higher quality streams in a better way than its predecessor. There is also the presence of the DSEE Extreme function (on the DSEE HX of the XM3) which can convert tracks to near high resolution quality, as well as the new V1 processor which offers clearer sound over a wider frequency. and the new drive unit that boosts sound across the entire frequency range.
While the two headphones share similar characteristics, the audio performance of the Sony WF-1000XM4 is a case of small improvements on top of larger gains and much more impressive sound.
Verdict
The Sony WF-1000XM4 are not only one of the best headphones available today, but one of the best headphones the headphone market has ever seen (and heard). It feels like these headphones fulfill the promise of wireless convenience, combining that with great sound and a wide range of features.
Sure, they’re more expensive than the WF-1000XM3, but if you can afford it, we definitely recommend going with the XM4. There are more features to be gained with an Android smartphone over an iPhone, but they sound great on iOS devices as well.
The Sony WF-1000XM3 are not left out, however, and are still better than the majority of true wireless headphones. We can’t see past the WF-1000XM4 as our new favorite pair, and if you can’t afford it, it might be worth the wait for the price to drop. They are so good.
