Superb audio ; Impressive noise cancellation ; Lightweight and comfortable ; Useful smarts

No IP resistance

An improvement on their predecessors, the WH-1000XM4 have been replaced by the WH-1000XM5 as the best performing noise cancellers. However, the cheaper, more affordable price ensures these headphones are a great pair for those who can’t afford the...

Powerful custom ANC ; Immersive sound with punchy bass ; Automatic pausing when you speak ; Multi-device connectivity

Pricey ; 360 Reality Audio is still limited ; Adaptive Sound Control requires location sharing

Very comfortable ; Excellent sound quality ; Excellent noise canceling ; Very good call quality ; Very good battery life ; Bluetooth multi-device pairing ; Handy, customizable features

No aptX or aptX HD

Dynamic, detail-rich sound ; Sensational sense of timing ; Lightweight, comfy and clever

No IP rating ; No aptX support ; Now superseded by the XM5

The Sony XM4 headphones are still some of the finest noise-cancelling headphones on the market, despite the arrival of their successors

Improved noise-cancellation ; DSEE Extreme audio upscaling ; Multipoint pairing ; Auto-play/pause and conversation awareness

Imperceptible design changes ; Not water-resistant ; Call quality still isn’t perfect ; Singing can pause the music

Lively, balanced and detailed sound ; Insane noise-cancelling ; A full suite of cutting-edge extra features

Can get trebly under the wrong circumstances ; No aptX or aptX HD support – seriously Sony?

Sony WH-1000XM4 are the best noise cancelling headphones you can buy. By keeping the sound as good as it always was to satisfy music lovers and adding some extra features tech heads wanted, Sony manages to keep its nose just in front of Bose, Bowers &...

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Superb music playback with noise-cancelling on or off ; Great battery life and fast-charge capabilities ; Packed full of useful features ; Very comfortable to wear

Not worth upgrading if you already have the XM3 ; No aptX or aptX HD support

The 1000X series of headphones win awards year-on-year and that trend is likely to continue. The WH-1000XM4 wireless ANC over-ear headphones bring one word to mind - superb. With an enhanced feature set that makes many rivals look stone age, these...

Excellent audio quality ; Powerful active noise cancelling ; Light, comfortable frame ; 30 hours of battery life ; Plethora of sound customization options

Finicky touch controls

The Sony WH-1000xM4 headphones offer excellent audio, powerful ANC and tons of audio customization options in a comfortable frame.