Sony XM4C leak delivers new images and details how it could differ from the original

The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones opt for a slighty thinner headband.

It’s been six years since Sony released the WH-1000XM4, yet despite the following launches of the XM5 and XM6, the XM4 still remains the favorite headphones of many. Knowing that, it’s not much of a surprise that Sony is reportedly going back to the well with plans to release a new variant. It’s believed that the WH-1000XM4C will cost less than the original version. To make them more affordable, it appears Sony could take a couple of cost-cutting measures. However, the headphones could also gain a notable upgrade.

A report from WinFuture provides new images of the WH-1000XM4C. In these images, we see the cans in three colorways: Violet, Black, and White. Along with these images are some interesting details about the headphones.

As we learned in the previous leak, Sony may price these headphones at €249.99/£219.99 (~$289), which is much cheaper than what the original launched at. To achieve this price point, it appears Sony could reduce the battery life. The report mentions 27 hours with ANC on and 34 hours with ANC off. If true, that would be a drop of three and four hours, respectively, when compared to the original.

The leak also claims that the NFC logo is missing on these headphones. That could suggest that Sony removed the feature to save a little money.

As for the upgrade, it looks like we can expect better Bluetooth connectivity. It’s reported that the XM4C could have Bluetooth 6.0, up from Bluetooth 5.0. Other than those changes, it sounds like the XM4C will largely be the same as the XM4.