Sony WH-1000XM4 vs Sony WH-1000XM6

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.
• Outstanding noise isolation thanks to the ANC plus a comfortable, premium design — still worth checking out even after the XM5 replaced it.
• Adaptive Sound Control senses whether you're sitting, walking, running or in transit and adjusts ANC to the activity automatically.
• For an 8-10 hour office day the ANC reliably tunes out talking and loud noise — a standout for work environments.
• The AirPods Max slightly edge the XM4 on raw noise-cancelling, but the XM4 is lighter, has a far better case and is $200 cheaper.
• Long-term flaw: some units develop a loud, piercing feedback noise in one cup only in ANC mode (suspected sweat/moisture on the internal mics over years).

Sony WH-1000XM6

The XM6's headline strength: a QN3 processor seven times faster than the XM5's chip, 12 microphones and AI trained on 500 million voice samples. Reviewers near-unanimously call it the best, most natural ANC on the market, with measurements showing it edging Bose — though it remains a close fight with the AirPods Max 2.

• The XM6 packs 12 microphones (up from 8) and a far more powerful QN3 chip, and Sony trained the headphones on 500 million voice samples to better separate human voices from environmental noise.
• The new QN3 processor is seven times faster than the XM5's chip, and that unlocks a new level of noise cancellation.
• In measured testing the XM6 blocked up to 43.9 dB versus 41.4 dB on the Bose QC Ultra in a silent environment — a measurable real-world ANC win.
• The XM6 offers class-leading noise cancelling, and the adaptive two-stage ANC now activates in roughly 0.5 seconds versus about 3 seconds on the XM5.
• RTINGS rates the XM6's noise cancelling best-in-class, with a microphone system that separates speech from background noise more effectively than rivals.

Sony WH-1000XM4

The XM4 keeps the XM3's understated, lightweight design and superb comfort for long sessions, folds for travel and ships with an excellent hard case — the build holds up for years, with warm ears the only common gripe.

• Design tweaks make the XM4 look slightly more lux and even more comfortable to wear for long stretches than the XM3.
• Comfortable enough for full workdays — barely noticeable where other headphones bother the ears after 20 minutes.
• After a year of heavy use the wear-and-tear is essentially non-existent and they don't wear you out — superb value.
• Lighter than the AirPods Max with a much better hard carrying case; folds flat for travel (the XM5 does not).
• Like most over-ears in this class the faux-leather pads aren't very breathable — ears get warm after about 6 hours.
• At ~254g it weighs 1g less than the XM3, with the same two colourways and a build that stays creak- and rattle-free for years.

Sony WH-1000XM6

The big design news is the return of the folding hinge — earcups fold and swivel into a smaller, zipper-free case. At ~252g the XM6 is among the lightest flagships and most reviewers find it comfortable for long days, but the plasticky, scuff-prone build draws repeated criticism at $450 and a minority report lingering clamp pressure.

• The earcups fold up again, with a new significantly smaller case that fits cables and no longer uses a zipper — putting the XM6 back near the top of travel-ready noise-cancelling headphones.
• Sony heard the complaints and made the XM6 fold and swivel so it rests neatly on your head and packs down for travel — the case shaves roughly 30% off the previous model's bulk.
• Among flagship headphones the XM6 is one of the lightest tested at 252.8g, versus 262.2g for the Bose QC Ultra 2 and far lighter than the AirPods Max.
• The clamp force is light enough not to be fatiguing yet firm enough to keep the ANC seal intact — Bose still edges it slightly on comfort, but Sony is not far behind.
• For a flagship $450 headphone the materials and build quality feel on the cheaper side, with a lot of high-frequency creak from handling the plastic.

Sony WH-1000XM4

30 hours with ANC on (≈38 with it off), a 10-minute quick charge for ~5 hours, and ~3 hours for a full charge. Real-world tests confirm the rating; after ~3 years it settles to roughly 24 hours.

• Rated up to 30 hours with ANC on; a 10-minute quick charge gives up to 5 hours of playback.
• Real-time test averaged ~31 hours with ANC on — right in line with the 30-hour claim.
• Confirmed over 8-9 months of use: ~38 hours ANC off and a true ~30 hours ANC on.
• Full 0-100% charge takes roughly 3 hours; one tester filled them in ~20 minutes from dead on a high-watt charger.
• After 3 years, continuous-listening battery dropped from ~38 hours out of the box to ~24 hours — still plenty for most.
• In practice you rarely check the battery — a weekly 5-10 minute top-up keeps them going thanks to the long life and quick charge.

Sony WH-1000XM6

Rated 30 hours with ANC on and 40 with it off — RTINGS measured just over 31 hours ANC-on, so the rating holds. A 3-minute charge returns 3 hours of playback and a full charge takes about 3-3.5 hours. The catch: 30 hours is merely competitive when Sennheiser and JBL rivals push 50-60.

• Rated up to 30 hours of playback with ANC on and up to 40 hours with it off — unchanged from the XM5.
• RTINGS measured over 31 hours of continuous playback with ANC on — north of Sony's advertised 30 hours, so you're covered for long-haul flights.
• A 3-minute quick charge with a USB-PD charger returns about 3 hours of playback, and a full 0-100% charge takes roughly 2.5-3.5 hours depending on the charger.
• Unlike the XM5, you can now listen over USB-C while charging — and the 3.5mm jack remains for passive wired listening.
• Battery is starting to lag the competition — 30 hours ANC-on is far from the best result from over-ear cans, with the JBL Live 770NC claiming 50 hours and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 around 60.

Sony WH-1000XM4

The XM4's enduring weak spot. Microphone/call quality barely improved over the XM3 and is the most consistent criticism — fine for casual calls, frustrating for conference calls.

• Mic-quality test: the XM4 didn't do much better than the XM3 — it doesn't justify an upgrade on microphone quality alone.
• Owner reports call quality is poor for conference calls — crackling and audio dropouts.
• Frequent complaint: the microphones are the one area people consistently call terrible on these otherwise excellent headphones.
• Speak-to-Chat / Quick Attention help during conversations, but many users just lift a cup or remove the headphones rather than rely on the mics.
• Despite the quirky mic issues, the balanced audio and strong ANC still make them worth getting if you mostly consume media rather than take calls.

Sony WH-1000XM6

Call quality is the area Sony worked hardest on — 12 microphones, bone-conduction sensing and AI voice training noticeably improve pickup over previous XM models. Reviewers find it clearly better than before, though a minority and long-time Reddit users still rate Apple's mics ahead for calls.

• The microphones are definitely better than before — call quality is impressive enough that the reviewer expects buyers to be 'floored' by it.
• Four additional microphones over the XM5 plus AI voice processing meaningfully enhance call quality in the XM6.
• The XM6 also uses bone conduction to help isolate your voice, and in a quiet environment the microphone performance is very good with minimal sound leakage.
• Despite Sony's bone-conduction system, one 30-day tester still felt the AirPods' microphones were better for phone calls.

Sony WH-1000XM4

Speak-to-Chat, wear detection, multipoint and a deep companion app are the XM4's smart-feature wins — the catches are that multipoint disables LDAC, aptX was dropped, and the app/firmware can occasionally annoy.

• New over the XM3: multipoint Bluetooth (two devices at once) and a proximity sensor for wear-detection auto-pause/resume.
• Multipoint works perfectly switching between iPhone, Mac and iPad — a genuinely seamless everyday convenience.
• Speak-to-Chat auto-pauses music when you talk, with a configurable 15/30/60-second resume — clever, though some find it triggers too easily and switch it off.
• Bluetooth 5.0 with SBC/AAC/LDAC; aptX was dropped versus the XM3, and a 3.5mm jack plus USB-C are included.
• Headphones still receive over-the-air updates that have improved the noise-cancelling tech over time.
• The app/firmware can occasionally annoy — failed firmware-update prompts and reconnection fiddling were reported.

Sony WH-1000XM6

The Sony Sound Connect app is deep — 10-band EQ, Speak-to-Chat, head-gesture controls, adaptive sound and a background-music ambient mode. Multipoint is reliable, and firmware updates have added Auracast/LE Audio, head tracking and Gemini Live. Two physical buttons stay, but the touch panel still handles playback and volume — a divisive choice.

• A background-music mode makes audio sound like it's coming from tinny speakers about 20 feet away, as if you're in a cafe — a distinctive ambient listening option.
• A firmware update added Bluetooth LE Audio / Auracast support, letting you share audio with another pair of headphones or broadcast to a group.
• Sony has rolled out a firmware update bringing Gemini Live AI assistance and audio sharing through Fast Pair to the XM6.
• A later firmware update added head tracking over a Bluetooth LE Audio connection, improving the headphones' behaviour with Samsung phones.
• Multipoint works well — the XM6 pairs with two Bluetooth devices at once and switches automatically when a call comes in or playback starts on either device.

Sony WH-1000XM4

Launched at $349 alongside the XM3's price, the XM4 is now routinely $198-260 — making it, years on, one of the best-value premium ANC headphones and a frequent pick over the pricier XM5.

• Launched at the same $349 price as the XM3 did — and is now frequently discounted well below that.
• Among the most popular and well-regarded wireless headphones you can buy; the XM5 is a premium upgrade at a more premium price.
• Even 5+ years on, with a ~$250 price gap to the XM6 and street prices under $200, the XM4 remains excellent value and many prefer it to the XM5.
• Now around $250 new / ~$200 used — more affordable than ever and a fantastic option, especially refurbished.
• The staple recommendation for the average buyer — still ~$50 cheaper than the XM5 and they fold, which the XM5 doesn't.
• If you just want a solid, great-sounding pair of ANC headphones and don't need the newest features, the 2-3-year-old XM4 is still brilliant today.

Sony WH-1000XM6

At a $450 launch price the XM6 is expensive, and the still-available XM5 (now ~$350) and discounted XM4 undercut it. But against the AirPods Max 2, Bose QC Ultra 2 and Sennheiser Momentum 4, most reviewers conclude the XM6's all-round polish — ANC, comfort, features, folding design — justifies the price, and Amazon discounts have already pulled it below the XM5's launch price.

• At $450 the XM6 is really expensive, but the whole premium ANC category is full of rivals that try to beat it and don't — which makes it still feel like the one to get if you want the flat-out best travel and work headphones.
• The WH-1000XM6 is an improvement over the XM5, but the older model is still sold and arguably offers more value for buyers who don't want to pay the higher price.
• Factoring in best-in-class ANC, the XM6 is priced fairly — the only headphone that clearly beats its noise cancelling, the AirPods Max 2, costs more.
• Against the Bose QC Ultra 2 the call is close, but for travellers, open-office workers and long commutes the XM6 wins on stronger ANC and longer battery, while Bose keeps the comfort edge.