Sony just brought back the WH-1000XM4 with useful updates and a lower price tag

After we spent nearly all of August being bombarded with leaks about a new edition of Sony’s WH-1000XM4 headphones, they’re finally here. The company has launched the new (old?) WH-1000XM4C headphones as a 2nd-gen refresh of one of the best pairs of headphones the company has ever made.

The headphones look largely the same as the original XM4, with the same over-ear, swivel-fold design. However, they are also available in a new color. The WH-1000XM4C comes in Black, Lavender, and Silver.

Most of the hardware remains the same, but Sony has updated certain aspects of the headphones to bring them up to 2026 standards. The WH-1000XM4C now comes with a 10-band equalizer, compared with the 5-band EQ on the original XM4. There’s also an updated sound profile that Sony claims is tuned to meet “modern listening tastes.”

The 1000XM4C still features the same 4-mic setup and QN1 chip for active noise cancellation (ANC) as the original XM4 from 2020. Since the original headphones were highly appreciated for their exceptional noise cancellation, Sony is clearly banking on that same acclaim for the new 1000XM4C as well.

The only area where the new XM4C is worse than its predecessor is battery life. Sony claims the headphones will last up to 27 hours with ANC on, and up to 34 hours without noise cancelation. That’s three to four hours less than the 1000XM4 headphones. However, this may have been a trade-off to keep the new WH-1000XM4C more affordable.

The new Sony WH-1000XM4C is priced at $299.99, which is considerably less than the $349.99 starting price of the 1000XM4 back in 2020. The headphones will be available starting in fall 2026 from Sony, Amazon, and other retailers. However, the new “Lavender” color will be available only through Sony and Amazon.