Watch out for AirPods, the Sony WF-1000XM4 is the long-awaited successor to one of the best wireless headphones ever – and could come with two major upgrades.
A prototype of a future pair of wireless noise canceling headphones from Sony with model number YY2948 has been certified by the FCC and Bluetooth SIG and if the code name really matches the Sony WF-1000XM4, we could prepare a number of major upgrades.
Chief among them is the use of Bluetooth 5.2, which will give true wireless headphones a better battery life thanks to lower power consumption and wide bandwidth for data transfer – which potentially enables better sound.
The FCC application of the same Sony headphones reveals a new MediaTek MT2822S chip inside, which is said to bring an improved digital signal processor (DSP), hardware ANC, forwarding microphones, voice instructions and a smaller overall footprint.
FCC documents include a case report of the buds. While it doesn’t reveal much, it appears to be a bit more rounded in shape, as seen in other recent Sony offerings like the Sony WF-SP800N.
Better battery life, better sound – but without aptX
Choosing to use MediaTek for the processor, rather than Qualcomm, could mean that the Sony WF-1000XM4 will again skip aptX and aptX HD support. However, Walkman’s blog believes that higher energy consumption estimates could be an indicator of LDAC support – which was a significant omission on the XM3.
Introduced in July 2019, the Sony WF-1000XM3 has been praised for its sound profile and efficient noise cancellation. Understandably, fans were waiting to see how Sony would perform.
We first heard about the WF-1000XM4 in February, where the alleged retail box revealed a new design and some key specs – like the use of LDAC – but we didn’t hear whether the headphones would support aptX or not.
For now, things are not looking good in that department.
Of course, Sony has not yet confirmed any information from leaks and FCC reports, so for now it is best to treat it all with a grain of salt until we get an official word.
By checking the notebook