If you believe the latest rumours, Sony is preparing to revive a classic pair of noise-cancelling headphones.
According to a leak from French retail publication Dealabs, the tech giant is set to unveil the WH-1000XM4C, a new version of its five-star WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones, which originally launched back in 2020.
The rumours point to a new Lavender finish (to add to the Platinum Silver, Black and Midnight Blue options that Sony used to offer for the originals) and a reduction in battery life from 38 hours to 34 hours, presumably with noise-cancelling turned off.
That’s right, a reduction in battery life. Now the obvious question to me is why would this happen? Is Sony using a new, smaller-capacity battery, or – and I’d like to think this was more likely – is it because the ‘C’ version offers something that the older model doesn’t?
If battery life takes a hit with ANC off, it follows that it will also be reduced with ANC turned on. Which leads me to wonder: has Sony added more power-hungry features? If it has, what could they be? A new processor? New usability features?
Both the original WH-1000XM4 and its successor, the WH-1000XM5, use Sony's HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 and Integrated Processor V1.
The more recent WH-1000XM6 flagship uses the QN3 processor – so could there be room for a QN2 processor in the XM4C? I may well be barking up the wrong tree, but it would be interesting to see, should these headphones arrive on the scene.
The original XM4 also had Sony’s Adaptive Sound Control tech; XM5 introduced a more advanced version which could automatically adjust the sound output depending on your listening environment. Could the more advanced version migrate over to a potential new model?
When it comes to call quality, the WH-1000XM5 has Sony’s Precise Voice Pickup technology, with four beam-forming mics and AI-powered noise-reduction, plus wind-noise reduction. Would the lower number of mics on the XM4 (five against eight) make this impossible?
If Sony is preparing a new WH1000 model, probably the biggest question is how much would they cost?
The Sony WH-1000XM5 currently sit at around £229/$200 – which makes a new version of the XM4 even more intriguing. Assuming a new model comes in under the XM5 (the XM4 dropped to around £177/£199 towards the end of their life), how much breathing space will there be between them? Would a new model too close in price kill sales of the WH-1000XM5?
Dealabs is reporting the retail price will be around £219.99, which, if true, would leave a major question mark hanging over the future of the WH-1000XM5.
What appealed so much about the original WH-1000XM4 and gave them cult status was the premium build and feel and the fact that they folded properly for extra portability. We felt the WH-1000XM5 felt less premium, and they only folded flat, so I can see why Sony fans would be excited about a potential revival.
And it’s why I have everything crossed that the rumoured WH-1000XM4C aren’t simply a relaunch with a new colour and shorter battery life. I have no doubt people will be pleased to see them back, but I’m hoping for a bit more. Don't let me down, Sony.
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