Watch out AirPods, the Sony WF-1000XM4 are a long-awaited successor to one of the best wireless earbuds ever – and they could be coming with two major upgrades.
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 and should the codename really match up with the Sony WF-1000XM4, we could be in store for a number of big upgrades.
Chief among them is the usage of Bluetooth 5.2 will give the true wireless earbuds better battery life thanks to its lower power usage and a wider bandwidth to transmit data – potentially allowing for better-sounding audio, too.
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.
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.
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Better battery life, better sound – but no aptX
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.
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 themselves.
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 – like the usage of LDAC – but we hadn't heard if the earbuds would support aptX or not.
So far, things aren't looking good in that department.
Of course, Sony has yet to confirm any of the information from the leak and FCC filings, so for now it's best to treat it all with a grain of salt until we get official word.
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