Apple AirPods Pro 3 vs Sony WH-1000XM4

Apple AirPods Pro 3

Apple

8.8

Excellent

Sony WH-1000XM4

Sony

8.7

Still a noise-cancelling value champion

Apple AirPods Pro 3

What Reviewers Agree On

ANC is dramatically improved — best-in-class for earbuds, rivals some over-ears
Hearing health features are genuinely groundbreaking and FDA-approved
Sound quality improvement is noticeable with richer bass and clearer mids
Transparency mode remains the best in the industry
USB-C case with Find My speaker is a welcome upgrade

Deal Breakers

No lossless Bluetooth audio support (still AAC only)

Pros & Cons

Apple AirPods Pro 3

Pros

ANC is dramatically improved — best-in-class for earbuds, rivals some over-ears
Hearing health features are genuinely groundbreaking and FDA-approved
Sound quality improvement is noticeable with richer bass and clearer mids
Transparency mode remains the best in the industry
USB-C case with Find My speaker is a welcome upgrade

Cons

Detailed Comparison

Noise Cancellation

Apple AirPods Pro 3

The ANC improvement is the headline feature, and it delivers beyond expectations.

The noise cancellation is shockingly good for earbuds — it blocked out airplane cabin noise almost as effectively as my Sony WH-1000XM5 over-ears.
Apple claims 2x better ANC than AirPods Pro 2, and in my testing that's roughly accurate — office chatter and street noise disappear.
The adaptive transparency mode is incredibly natural — it's like not wearing earbuds at all until you want silence.

Sony WH-1000XM4

The XM4's headline strength: industry-leading ANC at launch via the QN1 chip and dual mics per cup, with smart adaptive behaviour. It still tunes out office and travel noise as well as almost anything in its price class.

Sony's QN1 processor with two mics on each earcup delivers what Sony billed as its best-ever noise-cancelling, automatically optimising for ambient conditions.

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Sony WH-1000XM4

What Reviewers Agree On

Class-leading active noise cancellation (QN1 processor + dual mics per cup), adaptive to your activity and location
Excellent, customisable sound with LDAC, DSEE Extreme upscaling and a capable app EQ
Exceptional all-day comfort and an understated, lightweight design carried over from the much-loved XM3
Strong 30-hour battery (ANC on) with a 10-minute quick charge giving ~5 hours of playback
Genuinely useful smart features — Speak-to-Chat auto-pause, wear detection, Quick Attention and multipoint pairing
Outstanding value now that prices have fallen well below the $349 launch — still a top recommendation years later

Deal Breakers

Mediocre microphone/call quality — barely better than the XM3 and frustrating for conference calls
Multipoint disables LDAC — you can't have two-device pairing and hi-res audio at once
No aptX and no IP water/sweat rating; not recommended for running or heavy gym use
Some long-term units develop a piercing feedback noise in one cup in ANC mode (moisture/sweat on the mics over years)
Sony doesn't sell official replacement ear cushions, a wear-and-tear item on a long-lived product

Sony WH-1000XM4

Pros

Class-leading active noise cancellation (QN1 processor + dual mics per cup), adaptive to your activity and location
Excellent, customisable sound with LDAC, DSEE Extreme upscaling and a capable app EQ
Exceptional all-day comfort and an understated, lightweight design carried over from the much-loved XM3
Strong 30-hour battery (ANC on) with a 10-minute quick charge giving ~5 hours of playback
Genuinely useful smart features — Speak-to-Chat auto-pause, wear detection, Quick Attention and multipoint pairing
Outstanding value now that prices have fallen well below the $349 launch — still a top recommendation years later

Cons

Mediocre microphone/call quality — barely better than the XM3 and frustrating for conference calls
Multipoint disables LDAC — you can't have two-device pairing and hi-res audio at once
No aptX and no IP water/sweat rating; not recommended for running or heavy gym use
Some long-term units develop a piercing feedback noise in one cup in ANC mode (moisture/sweat on the mics over years)
Sony doesn't sell official replacement ear cushions, a wear-and-tear item on a long-lived product

Sound Quality

Apple AirPods Pro 3

A genuine step up from AirPods Pro 2, though audiophiles may still prefer dedicated music earbuds.

Bass is noticeably richer and mids have more detail — Apple has finally made earbuds that sound genuinely good, not just convenient.
The lack of lossless codec support remains frustrating — you're not hearing the full potential of Apple Music Lossless through these.

Sony WH-1000XM4

A judicious, confident sound with LDAC hi-res, DSEE Extreme upscaling and 360 Reality Audio support — widely praised, with the main critique being a slightly bright top end that some EQ to taste.

As far as sound goes the XM4 needs very few excuses made for it — a confident top end and a judicious overall balance.
Updating the QN1 chip algorithm and improving digital sound processing elevates the XM4 from great to superb over the XM3.
40mm drivers deliver rich, not overly bass-heavy sound; bass lovers can add thump easily in the app EQ.
Supports LDAC and 360 Reality Audio; DSEE Extreme upscaling exists but the difference on/off can be hard to hear.
Reddit owners' take: not 'the best' at any one thing, but it does everything right and sounds more than good enough once EQ'd.
Versus the XM5: the XM4 is brighter with more vocal 'bite/sizzle', while the XM5 is warmer with more sustained bass — and the XM4 can get a touch boomy at 100-200Hz.