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Sony's surprise WH-1000XM4 revival could be exactly what headphone fans wanted

Sony is giving the beloved WH-1000XM4 a new lease on life.

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Aug 10, 2026 — 2:57 AM ET

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The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones on a yellow couch.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 don't look too different from the originals except for a few slight tweaks.

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TL;DR

Sony is reportedly preparing to launch the WH-1000XM4C, a surprising new variant of its six-year-old WH-1000XM4 headphones.
The headphones are expected to retain most of the XM4’s original features and come in a new Lavender finish.
The WH-1000XM4C could launch for €249.99 (~$289) on September 7, but its slightly lower battery life and competition from discounted newer models could make its value questionable.

Sony may be about to do something we really did not see coming. According to a new report from Dealabs, the company is preparing to launch a new pair of headphones called the “WH-1000XM4C.” Yes, these are a version of the flagship WH-1000XM4 headphones that Sony launched way back in 2020.

The WH-1000XM4 were one of Sony’s best noise canceling headphones of their time. They offered excellent sound, great noise cancelation, long battery life, and a comfortable design. In hindsight, they were also Sony’s last 1000X model before the hinge durability complaints that followed with the WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6.

The WH-1000XM4 were Sony's last 1000X model before the hinge durability issues.

Dealabs says the WH-1000XM4C could retain much of the original XM4’s hardware and feature set. That reportedly includes Sony’s QN1 noise canceling processor, 40mm drivers, LDAC, DSEE Extreme, multipoint connectivity, Speak-to-Chat, touch controls, and support for Sony’s Sound Connect app.

Would you buy the Sony WH-1000XM4C?

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Battery life is expected to reach 34 hours with noise cancelation turned off, or 27 hours with ANC enabled. That’s actually a little worse than the original XM4, which were rated for up to 38 hours without ANC.

So these aren’t exactly new “Pro” variants of the original XM4. If anything, the WH-1000XM4C sound more like Sony is refreshing an old favorite to have a more pocket-friendly pair of cans on the market.

WH-1000XM4C: Design and availability

Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones next to magazines on a wood bench

The headphones have hinges so you can fold them to toss in your bag and the earcups can rotate 90 degrees.

The WH-1000XM4C are reportedly coming in Platinum Silver, Black, and Lavender colorways, with that last one being particularly interesting. The original XM4 was a fairly understated-looking headphone, so a more colorful finish could be Sony’s way of making this version appeal to a slightly different crowd.

That said, we don’t know if Sony has made any other meaningful changes to the design of the headphones.

According to the leak, Sony is considering a €249.99/£219.99 (~$289) price tag and a September 7 release date.

That’s considerably cheaper than what the WH-1000XM4 cost at launch and what the current XM6 cost. However, this price tag also puts the XM4C in an awkward position. The newer WH-1000XM5 have been heavily discounted in some markets, meaning the price gap may not be particularly large.

The bigger question is whether the XM4C actually bring any meaningful hardware changes. Right now, the leaked specifications make it seem more like a refresh than a genuine new model, and the slightly lower battery rating isn’t particularly appealing.

Still, Sony’s resurrection of the WH-1000XM4 in 2026 is unexpected enough to be interesting. And if nothing else, it’s a reminder that sometimes the old stuff really was pretty good.