Sony WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds tipped for next-gen Bluetooth 5.2

Back in February we brought you what appeared to be the first leaked images of the Sony WF-1000XM4, the highly anticipated next-generation versions of the multi-Award-winning WF-1000XM3 true wireless earbuds. Now, a new leak has revealed that Sony's next noise-cancelling buds will boast Bluetooth 5.2.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) and the FCC have both certified the "YY2948" buds (thought to be a codename for the WF-1000XM4) and confirmed Bluetooth 5.2 support, as reported by NotebookCheck.

For the uninitiated, the latest version of Bluetooth is more energy efficient and the speed at which it transmits data is faster compared to Bluetooth 5.1, theoretically meaning the WF-1000XM4 wireless earbuds should deliver higher-quality audio.

Given that the Award-winning Sony WF-1000XM3 are some of our favourite wireless headphones, today's development certainly bodes well for the upcoming XM4. On the downside, the leak claims there will be "no aptX or aptX HD support" but that LDAC (Sony's own high-quality Bluetooth codec) could make the XM4 spec sheet.

If the rumour checks out, Bluetooth 5.2 should also give the XM4 "multiple synchronous connections" – i.e. lightening-fast pairing across a string of smart devices – and better battery life.

What will be Sony's next answer to the AirPods Pro, the XM4 are also tipped for active noise-cancelling, support for the Sony 360 Reality Audio format, and the same DSEE Extreme audio chip found in Sony's five-star WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones.

Sony has yet to confirm the existence of the XM4 buds, let alone their release date. But since FCC certification is typically the final stage of the development process, they could break cover sooner rather than later...

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