A pair of true wireless earbuds — especially premium ones — need to have almost everything going for it to win over price-conscious consumers. Sony with its WF-1000XM3 was a favourite with many tech experts, they were even said to be better than the AirPods Pro — for many the benchmark, at least...

Great battery life, Impressive audio, Eco-friendly packaging

Sony WF-1000XM4 review: The wireless earphones offer noise cancellation, adaptive sound among a host of features. Here's how they perfo...

Get Sony WF-1000XM4 true wireless earbuds for a stonking price

Despite some niggles, when it comes to sound quality, the Sony WF-1000XM4 IEMs have all bases covered.

Very happy with these earbuds. Audio quality is very important to me and these earbuds did not disappoint. This alone already makes these worth the money, plus they have noise cancelling, long enough battery life, sit comfortably in ear canals.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds are the complete package, offering first-rate sound quality, effective ANC and numerous useful features

Excellent audio quality; Smart, effective noise cancellation; Useful quality-of-life features;

No multipoint pairing; Fit can be a bit fiddly;

I was afraid these would not fit my little ears. For a comparison I'm a 4ft 11 Asian girl with little ears. I previously owned the Jabra Elite 85t and they hurt my ears. I couldn't wear them for longer than 2hrs and because function button is a physical push, it kept pushing the buds it into my ear...

• Claimed battery life: 16 with the case or 8 without • Adaptive active noise cancellation: Yes Creators of the world’s first in-ear headphones, Sony has a reputation for making high-quality headphones and our tech expert couldn’t get enough of the rich sound these earbuds produced as well as the...

Alexa built-in, Touch controls, Quick charging and Qi compatible, IPX4 water-resistant

Expensive, Mic could be improved

The Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds are the complete package, offering first-rate sound quality, effective ANC and numerous useful features

Excellent audio quality; Smart, effective noise cancellation; Useful quality-of-life features;

No multipoint pairing; Fit can be a bit fiddly;

Pre-pandemic, the number of true wireless earbuds with noise canceling was just a trickle. Now they are entering the market in a steady stream, and just in time. Even with reduced travel demand, in-ear headphones with active noise-canceling (ANC) still have their uses—blocking out background conversations in busy households, muffling the cacophony of loud streets, and the like.

The Sony WF-1000XM4's improvements over previous generations keep them a strong contender against popular rivals like the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and Jabra 85t. With a slim, easily pocketable case, good battery life, and a pleasing default sound profile, most people looking for a portable set of true wireless earbuds with solid all-around performance won't be disappointed.

Well-balanced default sound profile; Detailed audio reproduction; Customizable EQ settings;

Sensitive touch controls; Good in-ear seal can be difficult; Ambient sound mode can be disorienting;