Just ahead of the festive season, Sony has announced its fourth generation noise cancellation headphones, the WH-1000XM4 in India. The headphone was unveiled globally last month.
The newest high-end headphones from Sony brings several improvements from its predecessor. The pricing is also pretty good compared to global pricing.
Sony WH-1000XM4 features and specs
For starters, the noise cancellation is now better with up to 20% performance improvement. DSEE Extreme upscales low-quality content to near Hi-Res, Speak-to-chat, wearing detection LDAC support and Multi-point connectivity has been newly introduced.
For noise cancellation, each side comes with two microphones to capture, analyze and cut out external noise in real-time. On the inside, there is Sony’s QN1 processor that constantly samples ambient audio and creating accurate anti-noise for the same. In terms of design, there aren’t many changes to it. You get the same overhead design with a plastic frame and leather padding for a comfortable fit.
For audio, you get powerful 40mm drivers with Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP) diaphragms that can handle frequencies up to 40 kHz. The headphones support Hi-Res audio both in wired and wireless modes and it also supports LDAC codec. For customization, the companion Sony headphone app will get the job done.
vs the WH-1000XM3
Improved noise cancellation
DSEE Extreme upscaling
Speak-to-chat
Wear detection
LDAC support
Multi-point connectivity
Slightly smaller
You can place your hand over the right cup to let ambient sound to pass through, useful to quickly follow a conversation or an announcement. Another new feature is wearing detection, where the Sony WH-1000XM4 can recognise if it is worn or holstered by using proximity sensors and accelerometers. The battery life is quoted to be around 30 hours on a single charge. A quick 10-minute charge will offer 5 hours of playback.
One of much-requested feature also makes its way with the new WH-1000XM4 headphones. The headphones can now be paired with two Bluetooth devices at the same time. So when a call comes in, your headphones know which device is ringing and connect to the right one automatically. With this, you’ll be able to quickly switch between devices.
For wireless connection, you get Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC for faster pairing. There’s also a 3.5mm jack for wired connections as well as a USB Type-C port for charging. With all this, the headphone misses out on water resistance. For faster voice recognition, there is a new Precise Voice Pickup technology.
Before the launch, we spoke with Mani B., Product Manager of Audio Business at Sony India about the WH-1000XM4. When asked about why they were brought to India just days after the global launch, he explained “this time around, the global launch and India launch are just few days apart. There is huge buzz in the media since the global launch and we believe this will help us to make the India launch a big success. Launching them right before Diwali festive season, we hope that it will serve as a great festival purchase and gifting option”
Price and availability
The Sony WH-1000XM4 is priced at 29,990 and will go on sale at Amazon.in starting September 18, 2 pm. It will also go on sale via Sony stores and offline stores. As a part of introductory offer, the headphones will be available for Rs 28,490 till September 30, 2020.