The Sony WF-1000XM4 are a long-awaited successor to one of the best wireless earbuds ever. A new spotting potentially reveals some of the major upgrades coming to Sony’s next flagship TWS.
Unveiled in July 2019, the Sony WF-1000XM3 were acclaimed for their sound profile and effective noise cancellation. Understandably, fans have been waiting to see how Sony would one-up them. We heard about the WF-1000XM4 for the first time in February, where a purported retail box revealed a new design and some key specifications. Today, we possibly learn more about them.
A prototype of an upcoming pair of wireless noise-cancelling earphones from Sony with the model number YY2948 has been certified by the FCC and Bluetooth SIG. Speculated to be the Sony WF-1000XM4, the listings suggest what to expect from them.
The Bluetooth Launch Studio page confirms that these earphones will harness the latest Bluetooth 5.2 technology, an upgrade over the predecessor’s Bluetooth 5.0. This means the Sony WF-1000XM4 could have significantly improved throughput bandwidth, lower power consumption and lower transmission latency, as well as support for isochronous connectivity.
The FCC filing of the same Sony earbuds reveals a new MediaTek MT2822S chip inside, which is said to bring an improved digital signal processor (DSP), hardware ANC, feedforward mics, voice prompts and a smaller overall footprint. For consumers, this should equate to stronger noise cancellation and better battery life.
The choice of going with MediaTek and not Qualcomm for the processor could mean that the Sony WF-1000XM4 will once again skip AptX and AptX HD support. However, The Walkman Blog believes that the higher power consumption ratings could be an indication of LDAC support — which was a notable omission on the XM3.
The FCC documents also include a render of the case of the buds. While it doesn’t reveal much, it seems to be a little more round in shape, as seen on Sony’s other recent offerings such as the Sony WF-SP800N.
It needs to be noted that this information remains unconfirmed and unverifiable.
