Reviews

1. 

   Ricardo Zavala – January 13, 2023

   In a sentence, if you’re looking to buy a good pair of TWS earbuds, these are awesome but if you don’t care about size, get the larger WH-1000XM3s or XM4s.Couple of things I like:1. They sound great for their size and are no doubt the best sounding TWS I’ve experienced yet2. They’re light3. They’re ultra portable4. They look good (weird, but good – subjective, I know)5. They charge up really fast6. Noise cancellation performance on these is stellar7. They do not pop out of your ears easy even if it looks like they might (and I’ve tried deliberately putting them in loose but they still stayed on)8. Extremely easy to switch from one device to the next (if already paired with those devices)Couple of things I don’t:1. Sound is great but it’s not even close to WH-1000XM3 or WH-1000XM4 level (not enough bass, not loud enough, even with equalizer tweaks and using apps like Sound ID) so if that’s a priority, don’t get these, get the larger headphones instead. These still sound great for their size, but if you’ve experienced sound from the larger Sony headphones, you may not enjoy these nearly as much2. The eco-friendly box as well as the finish on the charging case and earphones themselves doesn’t give you the impression that these are worth 20K. The finish feels like cheap plastic mixed with sandpaper. To my hands, they feel cheap (subjective – you may like the way they feel papery)3. Noise cancellation is not as-good as the larger Sony headphones. This is expected and I reiterate that if you want the best noise cancellation or rather best everything, get the larger Sony headphones. These are pretty good for the size, but they let a lot of sound in compared to the larger headphones (it probably helps that the larger headphones cover your entire ears)4. Battery life is great but on LDAC with ANC on, they die fast (~4-5 hours) and the case can charge them a maximum of 2 times so you’ll have to charge them frequently. They last longer on AAC/SBC with ANC on (~6-6.5 hours)5. Not the most comfortable pair of earbuds. If you pinch them and them stick them deep into your ear canal the way Sony recommends, they’ll hurt your ears in some time. Don’t do that and you get inferior ANC performance6. No multipoint connectivity so you can’t have them be connected to multiple devices at the same time. However, you can very quickly disconnect from the active device and connect to a different device if you’ve already paired with both devices.7. One bud may lose charge a bit faster (~5-10% difference) than the other but this seems to be an issue with almost all TWS earbuds8. ‘Speak to Chat’ is super sensitive and get triggered on yawns and groans on high sensitivity but takes a lot longer to trigger on low sensitivity. There’s currently no medium sensitivity option. Fun fact: Brushing with an electric toothbrush will trigger Speak to Chat9. Foam tips are great for ANC but they’re not very durable (you can’t get them wet, you must clean them with a dry cloth). 3 pairs of silicone tips along with the foam ones would’ve been nice10. Lastly, the touch control options on the buds are fairly limited. You can’t change volume without losing the ability to switch between ANC/Ambient mode. Also, you can’t turn on/off ‘Speak to Chat’ on any device but your phone (i.e. Windows laptop, TV, etc) because the Sony Headphones app only works on Android phones. You also can’t get a audio readout of the battery level at any time like you do on the larger Sony headphones by pressing the power button.Weird issues I’ve encountered:1. One earbud disconnects from the audio source and you can only hear audio from the other earbud. You can’t seem to fix this unless you put both earbuds back into the case for a few seconds, then pull them out and re-connect to the audio source2. Sometimes volume level of one earbud seems lower than the volume of the other earbud3. Intermittent Bluetooth stability issues where audio on both earbuds aren’t in sync for maybe half a second and then gets better automaticallyOverall conclusion:Sony still needs to refine them a bit more and iron out some issues. They’re not as great as their elder brothers (the WH-1000XM3 and WH-1000XM4) but they’re pretty good by TWS standards.

2. 

   Kinley C. – February 14, 2023

   These are the Airpods pro alternative for Android users … I was previously using airpods pro and I use an android phone… The noise cancelling is at the same level … I saw some reviews that say that the ANC is better on these but that does not seem to be the case in my experience , they are on the same level … Speak to chat is a unique feature that even the airpods pro do not have … The ambient sound mode (transperency) in this is also good …the airpods pro are slightly better in this department …maybe about 5% better … The call quality is decent I checked with 2 people in a slightly nosiy environment and they had no trouble hearing me …I found them comfortable to wear as well, overall good earphones… one thing I did not like is that you cannot be on call with ANC.. this goes into a partial ambient sound mode during phone calls … I heard that this is supposed to be a safety feature but i would prefer to use ANC during phone calls at times … Secondly the right earbud drains a little faster than the left one as it seems to be handling the assistant functions but I’m not sure … Sound quality is fine .., the different EQ settings do make a difference ..

3. 

   Not your average reviewer – February 15, 2023

   No introduction, no paragraph to explain credibility.Let’s just dive into the product review.This product falls under high end catagory of Tws so I won’t spend time comparing it budget segment because no product comes closer to this.Let’s divide the review in 5 parts.1. Sound Quality2. ANC3. Practicality4. Build Quality5. Mic Quality1. Sound Quality: 5/5No doubt this is the best sounding TWS in class, better than airpods pro, everything you expect from a 20k TWS this will do.Highs mids lows, sound stage bla bla for an average consumer let me tell you in a normal language, with LDAC on, this TWS will make other TWS sound like FM radio. LDAC supports upto 990 kbps, high fidelity audio, HI-Res (lossless), 360° Audio you name it, this thing is loaded with stuff that you need to make your music sound better2. ANC: 4.9/5It was better ANC than airpods pro, I think bose quite comfort have better ANC but BOSE is costly and the difference is not much but this product blocks a lot of noise even when the ANC is off. What makes ANC in this product better is, FOAM EARTIPS, it’s the memory foam, it fits all type of ears perfectly to get the best out of ANC, As shown in the video I have uploaded some might have to twist it, some might not have to, but it fits most of the ears, just be careful with eartips they are a bit fragile, don’t squeeze them with nails or keep them away from sharp objects and clean your ears everyday, poor hygiene can make those eartips dirty and as it’s a memory foam it will ruin the foam tips. If you have sony service nearby you can replace the eartips for free under warranty.3. Practicality: 4/5All the features to make a practical TWS a product should have, sony has got them all.It has a good transparency mode, speak to chat works perfectly (it switches to transperency mode and pauses music), touch and hold left earbud to listen to outside enviornment works like a charm, adaptive sound works great, it adapts what are you doing and does a good job and tuning the device for example, if you start walking outside it will put a little ambient sound inside so that you can aware of traffic, if you are staying and sitting it will turn off ambient sound turn on ANC, it is extremely smart it knows what to do when to do and where to do to so you don’t need to fiddle with it. The app is very friendly and buttons are customisable, it has in built google assistant, the difference between phone’s google assistant and inbuilt google assistant is significant, this is a really good implementation of assistant, you press and hold and talk to assistant and you touch and hold for 2 seconds, the assistant tells you time and reads your notification, it even reads your notifications if you don’t ask it just set the priority and tweak it according to your preferences. It can connect to two devices but you need to update it’s firmware and sony connect app. But remember it’s not like samsung ecosystem, you can connect one device for media and one device for calls that’s it. if you pause music on one device and played on other and it won’t automatically connect to the second device. That’s why 4/5 to convenience and practicality. Also wireless charging works great.4. Build Quality: 5/5No doubt this is the best material I have ever seen in a pair of headphones, the plastics are so great you will get a premium feel like you get in the samsung UltrasBoth colours are great, I have silver because my phone is white. Design and material is so good even if you sit on it accidentally or drop it won’t break. The case material is also premium and the case is a little bit bigger than airpods it cannot be fitted in the pocket watch pocket in jeans but you can buy a case that has hooks so it’s easiar (photos attached). But if you have bigger pockets so size of the case is not a deal breaker to me the case just feels a little bit bigger than it should be.Mic Quality: 3/5It’s great when you are in a quiet roomIt’s good when you are riding a bike in no wind and in room with less noiseIt’s worse when you are on a bike and wind speed is highIt’s even worse in when you are in traffic, sometimes you have to yell and the other people will be irritated because of this but if compared to other TWS this is functional enough. Except for some scenarios. Like if you are riding in high-speed, slow down when you get a call or for safety I will recommend pull the bike overand take the call it will work great. (I am not suggesting or promoting using phone or tws while riding a bike)It cancells a little noise but if the surroundings are too loud the caller will hear it so it’s not that great for calls outside as it is good in the sound quality department.So this is it. I hope you guys find this review useful.Please give a thumbs up it will motivate me to write more reviews.Reasons to buy: If you are an audiophile, love to own high end tech and you can afford it then go for it.Reasons to avoid: if you are buying this to take calls in traffic and outside crowd then get dedicated calling headsets or whatever floats your boat.I think it’s a pretty good deal around 11k to 14kIf you guys have any questions you can reach me out on Instagram: ig_aeronplaysYT: aer0nfps.Thank you, peace.Edit: Right earbud battery drops a little bit faster, not that significantly fast, but it will be 1-3 percent lower than the left. The battery drain is because of google assistant (Hey google and tap hold assitant) I guess this is because product has dedicated assitant.

4. 

   Tech Reviews – February 22, 2023

   Sony is always leading the way for electronics.. that may be my personal opinion but I’ve also had Sony products since 1995 and I am the type of person that when I see a brand that works, I do not stray away.Regardless.. these are the flagship TWS earbuds around.. I am being unbiased when I say mehh… I will keep this review short.Sound quality/Call quality.. extensively great.. having the adjustable EQ, makes it so much better to enjoy music that you love. I listen a broad spectrum of music and they do not disappoint by any means. They can provide clean and clear bass when you want them to, or be bass heavy. Just slide that “Clear Bass” to the right and you’ll not be disappointed, as they still provide clean sound that’s totally not overpowered with the bass all the way up. Even at flat, the highs, mids and bass tones are natural and warm.. they are rich. Though these don’t provide a soundstage like over the ear headphones do which may be a downfall to some people. The call quality though, is to me, better than the top of the line Jabra 85T.. I have had those before myself, and was let down. People can hear me very clearly, rarely do I have to repeat myself if not at all. Voices are clear, they’re not muffled or sound far away by any means, which me being a trucker, having the cleanliness and clarity is a must have when on the road. It is very weird though, when you do receive a call, the sound changes I’ll explain that below.Sound modes.. the ANC, I hardly ever use because they seal in your ear well enough that ANC, in my case, is almost obsolete. I wear them in off mode every day.. they provide enough seal and passive noise reduction being “in ear” more than let’s say Apple AirPods Pro, that you won’t need ANC. Transparency mode is really nice to use. If I’m out and about running errands, I leave the transparency mode on so I can hear what’s around me at all times. Sometimes though, with certain sounds, or wind it can sound like you have a solo cup over your ear so not everything is going to sound clear. I usually take one out when I am talking to someone to be courteous, because they do give you a sense that you’re talking too loud when in reality you’re not talking loud enough which can make people have to ask you to repeat yourself. Overall, the ANC is great, it’s not something I use or care to truly use unless needed but it’s a great feature to have if you like to use it. Li Ike I mentioned above, it does have this sound mode that turns on when you receive a call. It’s not transparency mode, but it’s like a hear your own voice mode. For some reason the volume every time I connect these earbuds the ringer is on the lowest volume setting. The only way I know I’m receiving a call is when the sound mode changes from off, to the “hear your own voice” sound mode. It goes from hearing barely anything to like a 50% transparency mode that makes it sound like you’re in a tunnel.Battery life… This is the flagship of any earbuds… I’ve worn these for 10-12 hours some days, and with the sound mode in Off, they did not die or reach “low battery”.. I had them at 60% battery life one day, and 8 hours later the voice prompt finally said “low battery” and that was at 20% battery left in both earbuds. They do last a very long time. Mind you I have mixed usage.. music, movies, phone calls/etc, and they still have outlasted any other pair I’ve had. I cannot speak for battery length in ANC/transparency mode, but I can say that they do outlast anything.Tap control… be weary, that while they are functional, you have to tap the earbuds just right for them to recognize the functions you wish to have them perform. They seem to be proprietary to the center of the earbud, as I’ve tried tapping just outside the center and nothing happened. This may be cumbersome to a lot of people who like having tap controls.. I barely use them except to change sound modes, and play/pause whatever I’m listening to or watching at the time.Comfort… this is a let down… I’ve been wearing AirPods Pro’s since they came out. To me, they are the most comfortable earbuds I’ve had. And I declare that to Apples design of the tips and earbuds to your ears rather than having an eartip contour or expand your ear canal to fit.. while these do have comfort, the foam tips, they aren’t gonna last long and while they provide comfort, it’s just not enough. I ordered a pair of Eartune U-Ellipitical eartips that changed everything. To anyone looking for better eartips, the Eartunes are what you need, as they are designed with a more oval shape to contour to the ear canal a lot better. With the ear tip change, they will however, these earbuds still provide discomfort elsewhere.. where they sit in your ear overtime will cause a burning sensation.. the first few days wearing them I had to take them out after a few hours because my ear canal, and the area where these sit were making my ears burn pretty bad.. I still have some days where I feel some burning, it’s not as bad but it’s still enough where I find myself taking them out for a while to give my ears some relief, and that’s where a lot of other earbuds may prevail in comfort compared to these.Overall, if you’re a sound guy, you want top of the line ANC, and a superior battery life and can live with small discomforts.. I highly recommend these for you and they will not disappoint. For those who are looking for an alternative in comfort and comfort being a priority, compared to the Apple AirPods Pro’s, or equally comfortable earbuds, these are not for you.. while the pros may trump the downfall in regards to the small issues in comfort, the comfort may trump the pros for others. Please understand I changed eartips to one’s more similar to the Airpods, but still experienced discomfort. If you’re looking for a balance of everything a TWS can offer/may have to offer, these are definitely a great pair, I just think that maybe the price should be a tad bit lower and I would wait for the next time they go on sale.Update – 12/5/22After doing some research I found a set of eartips that I recommend for these, Eartune Fidelity U-Ellipse. I highly recommend these to a seriously great extent because they have changed the game for me, and I can comfortably wear the WF-1000XM4s over 10 hours without any issues of burning, itchy or etc. If you purchase these earbuds and the eartips above, you will not be looking for another pair of earbuds for quite some time.

5. 

   Ricardo Zavala – February 26, 2023

   I won’t faff about and get straight to the point. That’s what you’re here for:• Packaging – Minimalist and environmentally friendly packaging. Everything is well put together and secure inside a very sturdy box made of recycled materials. Inside the box you have the charging case with the earphones, manuals, USB-C cable and two extra sets of ear tips (small and large. medium is on the earphones).• Setup – I have used previous iterations of the WF and WH series, so I had the app already installed on my phone. I put the earphones on and opened the app and it connected INSTANTLY on Android. The case and earphones are not fully charged, so make sure to charge them first. Once you’re all connected, there will be an update downloaded which took me about an hour.• App – I won’t say too much and let you explore it yourself. Through the app you will be able to customize the equalizer, sound quality, noise cancelling, touch functions, speak to chat, and see a bunch other features like testing fit and seal. It’s a robust app that’s easy to navigate and has never failed me.• Fit – This is subjective but I have a few tips that might help you. Take the tips and place them in your ear. Don’t worry, they won’t get stuck or fall in. The one that you feel fits best is the one you should go with. The better the fit and seal the better the noise cancelling and bass will be. You can also test how good the fit and seal is through the app. Attach the preferred tips to the earphones and lead the speaker into your ear canal. You should feel it going into your ear canal. Next, twist it in an anti-clockwise direction to lock it in place. That’s it! Shake your head to confirm that it’s in place.• Feel – The earphones themselves are very light with a beautiful smooth matte finish. Same goes for the case, which is also ridiculously compact. It’s all high quality finishes and once they’re in the ear, you won’t really notice them. They also look very appealing and stylish. The ear tips are made of a soft malleable material. Imagine squishing a small marshmallow in between your fingers and you’ll get an idea of the texture and feel. A small gripe is that you might feel a little benign irritation over long periods of wearing them. This went away once I changed my tips from small to medium, so try that first.• Sound Quality – This is what you’re really here for, and these earphones do not disappoint. I listen to everything from traditional classical to the heaviest of metal and all sorts of avant-garde stuff. I have a few staple albums that I use to test any new set of earphones/headphones because they’re immaculately recorded with tons of tiny details. They also run the gamut of popular genres and should give anyone a good idea of what to expect:1) The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land: The bass on these earphones is superb. It’s not overbearing or gimmicky. It’s balanced and complements the listening experience. It’s on full display on songs like Diesel Power and Smack My B**** Up where it really shines without losing any details. Elsewhere, the acid tinged synthesizers really buzz. You can almost tell exactly when Liam is hitting the keys as they reverberate and sustain in your head. It feels like you’re in the room listening as he composes the song.2) Tool – Fear Inoculum: This is an album with a lot of layers and intricate musicianship. Adam Jones’s guitar comes alive in your head as you close your eyes and imagine him plucking the guitar strings. It really is that detailed. It’s like you’re sitting in a concert hall watching the band perform for you. Where the earphones really shine is how well they bring out the intricate details of Danny Carey’s drumming. I could hear all sorts of faint cymbals and drums in the background and it just brought a smile across my face. If you like rock/metal music then these earphones won’t disappoint.3) Hans Zimmer – Blue Planet 2: Hans Zimmer is so prolific and talented that he is constantly finding ways to add new elements to his music. Violins, oboes, trumpets, pianos are all faithfully realized through the earphones, especially on tacks like Albatross Flight. It’s so stunning, detailed and clear that it will ignite your imagination. It’s honestly better than actually going to the orchestra.• Connection/Battery – No issues with any dropped Bluetooth connection. I keep noise cancelling and LDAC sound quality on all the time and I get a comfortable 6-8 hours out of one charge. If you use DSEE (only if you have low quality music), then expect half that range. I also didn’t experience any bugs or glitches related to the earphones or software.• Noise Cancelling – I’ve had at least 3 other headphones and earphones from the WH and WF range. The noise cancelling on these earphones is slightly behind it’s over the head cousins. But only slightly. I’ve had them on with no music and had my partner talk to me (standing directly in front of me) and I heard nothing. You will be perfectly fine walking on the streets and won’t hear anything, unless a big truck goes right by you. I also tested them while using an electric toothbrush, and I really only heard the vibrations of the motor in my head. Overall, top class industry leading stuff here that leaves rivals in the dust.There you have it. These earphones really impressed me. For me, a new pair of earphones or headphones should make me fall in love with my music collection again. It should bring a smile to my face when I hear details I didn’t before. These do exactly that. Yes they are expensive, but they also offer a lot in terms of specs and features. If you want the best, then these are it. I actually sold my Sony headphones because we finally have nearly 20 hours of battery life in a super compact and portable package without any loss of sound quality. That alone is worth the price for me.Best sound setting recommendations:• Noise cancelling on• Bright equalizer preset• Customize the preset with 2 or 3 points of clear bass• Switch to focus on quality over connection• Switch to LDAC codec on Android.

6. 

   HJeffK – February 28, 2023

   Back in 2019, Sony shook up the ear bud market by offering the oddly shaped but highly effective WF-1000XM3’s. They offered great sound with, at the time, effective Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), decent phone call quality, and so much more. If you need evidence of how good these are, Google “best wireless ear buds” and you will still find them on most lists some two years later. I used them for about a year before gifting them to my sister. They were ahead of their time in 2019, on par with the best in 2020, but now find themselves with some serious competition in the premium ear bud space. Since 2019 Apple, Bose, Master&Dynamic, Klipsch, Sennheiser, Samsung, Bowers&Wilkins, and so many more are all offering premium buds with serious tech packed inside of them. Sony had their work cut out if they wanted to regain the title. If you want to skip a long review, Sony has accomplished a great deal here. The buds are outstanding. Sound, ANC, battery, and form factor are all significantly improved and this is coming from the aforementioned great foundation of the 1000XM3’s. They aren’t perfect but they are really good. I usually do bullet points of my pros and cons but there aren’t many cons and I think you guys will likely get the most benefit from comparing these to other premium buds in the market. So here we go.-Sound: Sony is featuring a single very well tuned 6mm driver here. They are really good. Natural is what come to mind here. For buds, they have a nice wide sound stage, rich lows, present mids, and nice crisp highs. Sony has their proprietary 360 surround here again which is really cool when it works. Only certain high quality streaming music apps like Deezer, Tidal, QoBuz, Amazon HD, etc can take advantage of it and then only certain tracks are engineered to work with it. Apple and Samsung’s Spatial Audio options are better but it sounds very cool when you experience it. Speaking of premium streaming apps, I need to stop and say this now: Sony is only offering one premium Codec with these and that is their very own LDAC. There is no AptX HD/Adaptive here. It is LDAC, AAC, and SBC. In order to really get the most out of these, you need to upgrade to a service like Tidal, for example, that will put out LDAC audio. It is a noticeable improvement even to my old ears. Apple users are stuck with AAC which is okay and certainly an improvement over the SBC default option. Comparing these to the other premium buds available gets tricky. To me, the new Dual Driver Bowers&Wilkins PI7 are in their own class and at $400, they should be. These compare very nicely to the M&D MW08s and the Klipsch Mclarens. In regard to sound, these nudge out the Bose QuietComforts, the latest Sennheisers, and the UE Fits for me but it is close.  Sony bests the Airpod Pros, Samsung Buds Pro, and the Jabra 85ts more easily. Overall, most folks should be happy with sound here.-ANC: It is good here. Very good for buds. In my experience, ear buds are hindered by their lack of physical size and the need for a seal in your ear. Over ears are always better for this reason. To me the Bose QuietComfort buds are the kings of ANC and Sony hasn’t done enough to dethrone them. Man it is close though! All of the other premium buds I have mentioned fall in line behind Sony here. It pretty much wipes out everything around you only allowing the most jarring sudden noises in. Music, televisions, conversations, fans, presumably airplane engines are nearly 100% erased. The buds can adjust based on the noise around you. It is all just very well done. It feels right to me to have Sony and Bose lead the ear bud category in ANC quality. After all, they own the over ear category. Well done here.-Calls: This was an area the 1000XM3’s showed their age to me. The 1000XM4’s fix all of that. To me, these are among the very best in the business on call quality. Apple still owns the crown but, after that, no other bud I have used sound as good on either end of a call. I need more time here to be sure but after handling a handful of calls today, I feel comfortable giving high marks here. I always test calls outside to see how bad wind interference is. Sony really nailed it here. I think. More to come, I promise.-Form Factor:  Okay so, for me, this is where the pure glow of the review fades a bit. If there is an area that Sony missed here, it is in pure physical design. They definitely stick out of your ear and they aren’t the lightest buds around so they don’t feel great in ear for me. For the record, ear buds that hang out of your ears like pegs are a pet peeve of mine. These are not as bad as the Melomania buds (the kings of peg design) in that regard but they are noticeable. Quite noticeable. These aren’t as big as the Bose QCs but the Bose have a slimmer profile opting for more of an elongated look that is actually more in line with the last gen Sonys. They come with sort of a hybrid finished foam tips. I don’t love them. I will have my own silicone tips on here by the weekend. The touch pad  buttons work flawlessly, almost never failing to register a tap. Sony finally gave these an waterproof rating. IPX4 is here so they are sweat and dust resistant. Not best in class but I am glad to see them fix the omission of the last gen on these new $279 set of buds. Lastly, I don’t know about the gold accents. Totally subjective I know and I get what Sony is trying to do. I think they are trying to add a little bit of class while breaking up the montony of all black or all white buds. It just feels a little too ostentatious to me. Not a deal breaker but it does make me a bit self conscious.-The App:  Sonys app is highly customizable. It allows you to control so much including ANC levels, ambient sound levels (by the way ambient sound here is really good), EQ, and more. You can also mange your personal assistant. If you are an Alexa fan, she is built in and works really well. Google and Siri play well here to. Just depends what you prefer. However, in spite of all of this and in spite of using this app for now two years, I still find it to be one of the least intuitive apps out there. I bring this up because to get the most out of these, you need to use this app especially initially. You will want to use the sound app to start here and you will likely have a little more of a learning curve than many other apps you have used. It’s all here it is just a little convoluted.- Battery: Sony’s eight hours on bud claim shouldn’t really be a win but it is. That is with ANC on. Here are some of the competitors battery life roughly with ANC active and mixed use (my experience not the spec):Airpods Pro: Around 4 hours.Bose QC: 5.5 hours.M&D MW08’S: 9 hours (the best)Wilkins PI7’S:  4.5 hours.Samsung Buds Pro: 4.5 hours.Jabra 85t’s: 6 hours.Sennheiser Momentum TW 2: 4.5 hours.I have only ran these down once but in mixed use (an hour of video and calls / lots of music) I managed just over 7 hours. Now wait, you are probably wondering why only 7 hours? I know I was. Then I realized that I was streaming LDAC for quite some time. No doubt the higher audio quality stream was to blame. Regardless, when you see how these stack up, battery here is close to class leading. The Case gives you another 2 charges before you need to plug in. Very good stuff here.- The Case: I hated the last gen Sony case. Frankly, I think that case design is very important to a good set of ear buds as that is what we really interact with most. Fortunately, Sony took the case design seriously here. You get charging via USBC or Qi wireless. It is made of a soft matte plastic that feels good in your hand. The magnets are strong in the case and on the hinge. I haven’t recharged yet and will update times when I do but, for now, suffice to say that Sony has a good case here.I will update as I get more time with these but, for the moment, I am very pleased with what Sony has done here. They have upgraded these in almost every possible way. Sound, connectivity, battery, ANC, and more. All better. Of all of the premium buds we have discussed, I think these are the ones I would pick for most people. The Wilkins sound better but the ANC isn’t quite as good, the battery isn’t close, and they cost an astounding $400. The Bose have better ANC but don’t sound as good. The price is a push there. The M&Ds are maybe the most well rounded competition for these. They sound a little better maybe. They have even better battery life as well but the ANC is very much inferior to these. I have some nitpicks. I wish AptX was here. I wish they could have slimmed these down. They could have gone with silver accents instead of gold. However, when you add everything Sony has put together here up, I just don’t think there is a more well rounded option on the market. I will tweak and update this review as I go but you should buy the WF-1000XM4′ s with complete confidence. Well done here Sony!***Update***Okay, so there are a number of additional things. First off, my S21 Ultra will not connect LDAC with these. Working on it. I have been through every step concievable. The irony is that my LDAC capable Soundcore buds, whom license the codec from Sony work fine. Hmm. Not ready to ding a star yet but close. I do allow Sony location access. The buds are capable of remembering how you like your ANC in a particular environment. Say gym versus office. Love that! Speaking of gym, I threw these on for a 30 minute HOT beach run today. Waterproofing is solid so far!! There is more to unpack here for sure. Stay tuned.Also, I think Sony really nailed the voice to pause tech here. Their over ears has this as does the Samsung Buds Pro. Sony’s is so much better than the Samsung version. With Samsung’s, a cough would often pause my content. Here, only my voice. Say hello to someone and it pauses. Very well done. The sensitivity is adjustable as well of you find it to be to much. So good Sony!***One month update*** So it has been a month. In the last few months I received the afformentioned Master & Dynamic buds, the latest Amazon buds, and the Bowers & Wilkins buds. As someone that has way too many buds, one of my favorite ways to rate my enjoyment of a set of buds is how often I reach for them. I have used these almost every single day since receiving them. I have grabbed the others occasionally but these have been my primary daily drivers. Sony has just nailed so much here. The ANC, sound, and overall functionality is just so well rounded. These are clearly the best all around buds on the market today. There are others that serve different specific purposes better but none that do everything as well as these. Sony has built something pretty special here. The LDAC connectivity is still spotty for me with my phone but, other than that, there is no area these struggle with. I have even grown to appreciate the look. Mostly anyways. Unlike any other set I own, I don’t think it matters what phone you use. Folks on iOS should get these over the Airpod Pros because they sound better and the ANC is better. The Pro’s still connect and work better with your iPhone but really, who cares? These just perform better in almost every meaningful way. Folks on Android should get these because there isn’t a better all around bud that plays as nice in this ecosystem. We don’t have Airpods to fall back on. These are the ones! Buy with complete confidence!July 28th Update: So, a couple more things here. First, I received my second software update for these. Considering that they have been out less than two months and were pretty polished out of the box, that is an impressive level of support from Sony. No other buds I own have been this aggressive with updates. Just so good. Lastly, this thought occurred to me a few days ago and I wanted to share it with you guys: In the last six or so weeks, I have been almost exclusively using these buds. I never do that even when I get something new. A few weeks maybe but I don’t think I have ever used one set of buds this exclusively. When I get up in the morning to work out I use my Klipsch Mclarens because they have an IPX7 waterproof rating. When I leave to the office, the Sonys are the ones in my pocket. If these aren’t the perfect pair of daily drivers, they are very close. Just so good. Buy them.