Sony is largely responsible for the rude health of the active noise-cancelling true wireless in-ear headphones market, and with the WF-1000XM4, the company has combined performance, ergonomics, and build quality more effectively than ever before. They’re not perfect, but as an overall package they’re hard to beat.

Rapid, full-bodied and eloquent sound; Impeccable ergonomics and some truly useful features; Impressive call quality; ;

Unremarkable battery life; ‘B+’ noise-cancelling; Can take a few moments to position comfortably

The Sony WF-1000XM4 are a punchy, detailed and well-balanced listen, more than capable of soothing just as easily as getting you ready for the dancefloor. They sound spacious, unified and convincingly musical. They’re an endlessly engaging listen, with a stack of sonic talents as long as your arm. On top of that, they cancel external sounds pretty effectively, have battery life that’s just the right side of ‘acceptable’ and are, frankly, streets ahead of any nominal rival where ergonomics are concerned.

Articulate, convincing sound; Great call quality; Ergonomically impeccable;

Battery life is just about acceptable; Noise-cancellation can be bettered;

You won’t find many true wireless earbuds that come close to matching the all-round brilliance of the Sony WF-1000XM4

Clear, detailed bass performance, Wonderful sense of musicality, Comfortable, Class-leading battery life

Missing Sony’s Multipoint feature, Lacking ear tip choices, No aptX HD

The Sony WF-1000XM4 are profoundly impressive across the board, and are arguably the best true wireless earbuds you can buy. Some rivals may outperform them in certain areas, but the all-round package is very hard to beat.

Coherent, expressive and engagingly musical sound, Exemplary control app, Splendid call quality

Battery life could be better, Noise-cancelling not quite the best out there

Astonishingly good sound; Excellent noise cancellation; Improved design; IPX4 rating; Smaller case ; Comprehensive feature set;

Is the noise cancelling the best? ; More expensive than before; Call quality suffers in noisy areas;

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;

Articulate, convincing sound; Great call quality; Ergonomically impeccable;

Battery life is just about acceptable; Noise-cancellation can be bettered;

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;

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;

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.