Customer Ratings & Reviews

My first pair have a residual ding/ring on the right earbud after it played a sound which seemed like a hardware problem. I checked and there was a reddit for the exact issue. I exchanged them because any sound other than the music playing is really unacceptable. Thought I just got a dud but the new pair had the exact issue which is pretty unacceptable quality control given this price point.

I just got the Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds, and I am impressed. To start with, they come in an eco-friendly recycled box. There is no plastic. It’s small and doesn’t generate a bunch of trash to deal with. The box includes a simple manual, earbuds, quick start QR code, recharge case, 3 sizes of ear gels, and a short USB-C cable. The earbuds themselves are slightly smaller than previous versions, but they are still bigger than my Samsung Galaxy buds. They are available in black and silver. I got the silver ones. (They say silver, I say beige. You be the judge.) You can expect them to have a very good battery life. Expect about 8 hours of continuous use with noise canceling on and probably over 12 hours with noise canceling turned off. The carrying case provides up to 2 full charges to the earbuds giving you a long time before you need to recharge the case. Recharging can be done via USB-C or wirelessly. The earbuds stay in the case magnetically, making it difficult for them to just fall out. Setting them up is pretty simple. They immediately paired to my Android phone, loaded the needed software, and were ready to go. Using the software, you will perform an “air tightness test” to ensure that the tips are properly sized and fitted in your ear. The Sony headphone app gives you a lot of functionality. It allows you to control the Adaptive Sound capabilities. (You can turn the active noise canceling on or off, and allow ambient sounds as well as control automatic wind noise reduction.) Using location-based learning, the app can control these settings, based on where you are as well as what you are doing. It also controls Speak-to-Chat. When you start talking, it will pause your playback until 15 seconds after you finish speaking, giving you the ability to have a conversation without having to manually pause playback. There is an audio equalizer allowing you to adjust your sound with 8 presets, 2 customizable presets, and manually. There are also settings to control Bluetooth connection quality and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio. The 360 Reality Audio needs to be set up using pictures of your ears to optimize sound, but the services that use it are subscription services that I don’t have. You can also control DSEE Extreme which uses AI technology to reproduce with high accuracy the frequency responses of the original sound source lost during compression. The app also allows you to control the use of Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa with the earbuds, modify the touch sensor functionality, control automatic power off, and notification & voice guide settings. Once you have everything set the way you want it, the app can back up your settings to the cloud for later retrieval or restoration. Finally, the app can be used to update the firmware on the earbuds as updates become available and has a tutorial on how to use the earbuds and all of their functions. The earbuds are IPX4 water and sweat-resistant so you can safely wear them while working out or out in the rain. (The case isn't, so keep it dry.) The fit is very comfortable. The ear gels are not silicone but are a kind of memory foam that form fits a person’s ears. The active noise canceling is the best I’ve ever used. They are as good as Sony’s premium over-the-ear headphones. The sound quality is crystal clear. Listening to any high-quality audio recording you can hear every instrument in the mix with total clarity. When used with an Android phone they are the world’s first true wireless earbuds to feature support for Hi-Res audio over the LDAC codec. LDAC transmits three times the amount of data compared to typical Bluetooth audio giving you real high-resolution audio. Overall, I can’t tell you how much I love these earbuds. They are the best I’ve ever used.

Went through two pairs. First pair wouldn't work if I try to turn them on after a call was being received. And they had a constant, would never stop beeping (like when you're playing or pausing a song) on the left earbud. Second pair would connect. The second pair would do it on the right bud only. Then tried sony's solution to fix it and the beep went to both buds. Return them right away. Waste of time and money. Went with the bose instead and they even feel better in my ear and won't fall out my ear. Like the this ones or the Samsung.

I have many different kinds of headphones that I use depending on the situation. I have over-the-ear Bluetooth, on-the-ear Bluetooth, Wired headphones, AirPods, and many different wired earbuds. I listen to the same songs all the time. As an older man, I like the songs I grew up with and rarely listen to current music. I think I gave up listening to new music about 20 years ago. I have in my collection around 2400 record albums (that's those large black plastic discs you may have seen), around 3000 CDs (those are the small silver discs that few stores still sell), and loads of cassette tapes. I do not subscribe to any online music services because I rarely have time to listen to my own collection. When I put these Sony WF-1000XM4 headphones in my ears and listened to the sample files that show off the 360 Reality Audio I was blown away. I'm considering subscribing to a service that has 360 Reality Audio just to be immersed in the music. In addition to the great sound from the sample tracks, I listened to some of my favorite songs and heard things in them that I never heard before, it was incredible. Besides sounding great, I found them to be comfortable in my ears but I wasn't sure which ear tips I should use. I always have trouble deciding what size to use. Using Sony's Headphones app, I followed the prompts that had me photograph my ears and it analyzed my ears and then told me to put on the small tips, then the medium, and then the large tips, and when the analysis was over, it told me that the best tips to wear would be the large pair. I thought the small would be the one it would choose but the large worked great. The noise cancellation in the WF-1000XM4 is incredible. I turned it on and suddenly the sound of my air conditioner which is pretty loud suddenly dropped to a mild hum. When the music started playing, I couldn't even hear the hum. In a few days, it will be time to mow my lawn and I'm sure with the WF-1000XM4 I won't even hear it at all. The app has all the features you would expect such as a nine preset equalizer with 2 presets that you can customize to your liking and the ability to customize what happens when you tap each ear such as to activate Alexa or Google Assistant, or pause the music or go to the next track. There is also a setting called Speak-to-Chat which will pause what you are listening to the moment you start to talk to someone and you can adjust how long after you stop talking for it to resume playing. You can really customize everything. It's amazing. The charging case has an LED light that tells you when the buds are charging or fully charged (using USB-C). The case is fairly small to carry but my only complaint is that there is no loop on the case to attach to a chain or a belt. I hate to carry things in my pocket so I'll have to buy a small case with a belt loop so I don't lose the case. I had been using my original Apple AirPods when I go on a walk and since they are now about 3 or 4 years old, one AirPod dies after about an hour and a half and then I have to switch to wired ear pods just to finish my walk. From what the manual says, these WF-1000XM4 should give me 8+ hours before I have to put them back in the case and recharge them. I will never run out of battery power as I rarely walk for more than 3 hours. So far I am extremely happy with the Sony WF-1000XM4 and I can't wait to wear them when I travel.

Great buds except for battery life. 7 months of below average use battery issues. Under warranty so they are being replaced.

The battery in the right ear bud stopped working only after 13 months. Called SONY support and they give me repair shop contact info saying I have to pay for repair because out of warranty. I ask them whether the battery inside the earpiece can be replaced and they say YES. I contact the repair shop and they tell me the battery cannot be replaced and the new earpiece if $150. I went to forums online and this situation seems to happening to several people who bought these headphones.

There were too big and hurt my wife’s ears. Not made for people with small ears.

Absolutely awful product. Have numerous Bose and Samsung headphones/buds across the spectrum. The noise cancelling on these Sony is complete rubbish. And absolutely you cannot go running in them due to the massive amount of mass pushed all the way out to the outside of the ear canal. The app to manage them is rudimentary at best. Would not buy Sony again for years after this experience.

Uncomfortable, forced to take back due to left side unable to comfortably stay in in ear.. also really heavy.. Wanted to love but couldn’t. BUYERS BEWARE!

The Sony - WF-1000XM4 True Wireless Noise Cancelling In-Ear Headphones are the most recently released and most advanced Active Noise Cancelling earbuds I’ve owned to date. The primary earbuds I’ve been using since they were released months ago are the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro, so I’ll base some of my review on my experience with both earbuds. The Sony WF-1000XM4 came packaged in an environmentally friendly recyclable packaging. That includes the earbuds with the charging case that’s very compact and supports wireless charging. A short USB-A to USB-C charging cable is also included. The more unique feature is the ear tips that are made out of polyurethane foam, unlike all other earbuds I’ve owned that use the typical silicone tips. Three sizes are included - Small, Medium and Large. Once you find the best size fit for your ear, let the fun begin. The main housing is a bit bulkier and does not come with stabilizing fins to keep them more secure in your ear. Also depending on the size and shape of your ears, these earbuds may not be comfortable to wear all day. I feel some discomfort against the earlobe cartilage after a few hours of use. As about the sound quality, it is superior out of the box, with the bass emphasized a bit more than the trebles. You can use the Sony Headphones Connect app to fine tune the equalizer to your liking. The active noise cancelling is unbelievable, rivaling some full size over the ear headphones. The Sony only offers ANC on or off/all or nothing, unlike the Samsung Buds Pro or others where you can have a couple of different levels of ANC. That’s not a show stopper though, you can have the ambient sound pass-thru instead. The touch controls on both sides are intuitive and customizable through the App. One feature I found quite useful is the “Speak-to-Chat” feature that automatically pauses the music and turns on ambient sound, so you can have a conversation with someone. Both Alexa and Google voice assistants work well and are automatically activated just by saying the well known call words. I’m not going to attempt explaining the advanced technology that went into building these amazing earbuds, the multiple microphones and noise cancelling tech, as well as the bigger 6mm drivers and all the processing power for digital codec processing. Pair all that with the latest Bluetooth 5.2 and 8 hours of battery life plus twice as much stored in the charging case. Compared to the Galaxy Buds Pro, the Sony WF-1000XM4 battery lasts about 3 hours longer with ANC turned on. All in all if you can afford it, the Sony WF-1000XM4 are the ones to get, offering the latest advancements in technology, superior sound and active noise cancelling.

Sound great - if and when you can get them both to connect at the same time - which is not often. Hate them. Would not buy again.

Really wanted to give these 5 stars, but I had them for barely a year and already the left earbud can no longer hold it's charge. I tried all the soft and hard resets, but still it drains like crazy. So now I'm stuck with only 1 earbud that works. Sigh, I feel like I just wasted money.

The Sony WF-1000XM4's are better than any other earbuds I have used. I've exhausted alot of effort in trying find something majorly wrong, but have only come up with minor scraps. Here's what I found. Look/Feel: The product itself looks and feels very premium. In the hands, the earbuds feel solid and firm rather than lightweight or very plastic to the touch. I love the rose gold finish on the outside which provides a stylish and sleek look. It would be nice if it came in other colors, but the design execution makes it easy to overlook. Inside the ear, these were a nice fit. I wasn't an initial fan of the foam eartips, but they're slowly growing on me although I do have concerns about the longevity. Sound: People typically throw around the buzz words of clarity and dynamic when describing these type of products. However, I totally agree that the sound is amazing. Keep in mind that these are not wired-in professional studio quality headphones. Yet, Sony has created a great sounding products. What's even better is the customization options that come through the app to adjust sound elements to your liking. I didn't feel the need to adjust any options out the box as the levels for bass, treble, and other characteristics were just right for me. Additionally, I was impressed by the call quality as a sender and receiver. Noise Canceling/Ambient Mode: The Sony WF-1000XM4 really shine with these features. When using noise-cancellation I was able shut out a great amount of undesired noise with extreme accuracy. This allowed me to focus comfortably on the music and media I was enjoying at the time. My favorite mode was more-so the ambient mode. I'm a multi-tasker so sometimes I like to peek up at the television every once in a while doing other things. I was able to play a PC game while listening to my wife and the television without any issue at all. Fortunately, these things did not take a great toll on my battery life. Pros: - Awesome/Fantastic Sound - Above average mic quality - Excellent Noise Cancelling and Ambient Mode Functionality - Looks Beautiful - Feels Sturdy - Long battery life Cons/Minor Scraps: - A few dropped connections for right earbud when using PC, but they'll be fixed with a firmware update - It would be nice to connect to multiple devices, but it's not necessary - I wished the IPX rating was higher, but I would avoid any situation where my earbuds might get immersed purposefully or accidentally in water. Overall, these are really really REALLY nice earbuds. The average consumer and audiophiles will love the Sony WF-1000XM4.

Super disappointing. I bought these for a trip specifically for the noise cancelation. The whole time on the plane the "ambiance sound/noise cancelation" just constantly stitched on and off the WHOLE time. There was no manual way of taking it off. You can only connect one device at a time so I can't connect to my laptop to use for work. Also, nobody could hear me on phone calls. they told me I sound far away and muffled. Im super disappointed. Ill be taking these back!!

While these probably have the best sound and ANC of any current earbuds in the market, the terrible fitment cannot be overlooked. The intial in ear fitment felt forced and after trying all 3 earfoam sizes i was unable to ever find that perfect fit. I settled with the M default option and 48hrs into use had too many close calls with almost dropping the earbuds, simply put they will not stay in your ear comfotably. Also, heads up to Sony, the app is a nightmare of options and toggles its so overwhelming with non essential settings.

Its a big step up from my jabra elite 65t but sometimes I miss the buttons as I know it works better in some instances. The bass is really good but did not wow me like I was expecting, probably because of all the hype people had about it. What stood out to me was the clarity of passive sound and ease of alexa or Google assistant. Battery life is good. Its a bit expensive for my taste but if it goes on sale for 160 then probably a good buy. I might sound critical and thats because I think they might not be practical if you dont have hifi music and video.

They dont fit so am unable to use them. Though there are 3 different size buds it doesnt help.

So far these things are rather annoying and horrible to even set up. Already ready to return them. The Alexa feature is a total lie. It is connected and added to the app, yet it still can’t do anything and just says it is having trouble try later. That is NOT what I spent nearly $300 for.

The Sony WF-1000XM4s are a lot like the Fruit Stripe, aka Zebra Stripe gum. 1.Left ear bud cannot take nor hold a charge. It took approximately six months for the earbud to begin completely fail. 2.Do not purchase these unless you have also purchase some type of insurance. 3. Other than having only slightly better than a dollar store's rechargeable batteries life span, they're fantastic!

The Ear Buds were not comfortable and after about 30 minutes my ears hurt. I tried multiple tips and nothing worked.