Return of the folding flagship design

Sony announced the WH-1000XM4C on Monday, bringing back the chassis and folding hinge of its 2020 WH-1000XM4 headphones. The refreshed model arrives this fall with a retail price of $300, which is $50 lower than the original launch price of the WH-1000XM4 six years earlier. Sony positions the XM4C as a mid-range offering, sitting below the flagship WH-1000XM6 and the 1000X The Collexion tier. The company reported that the original XM4 sold just over 10 million pairs over its production run. The new version will be sold in black, a platinum silver finish, and a new lavender color option.

Updated internals and connectivity

The WH-1000XM4C retains the 40-millimeter audio drivers and the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 from the 2020 release, along with a four-microphone array for active noise cancellation. In comparison, the subsequent WH-1000XM5 used eight microphones, while the WH-1000XM6 incorporated twelve microphones paired with a newer QN3 chip. Sony adjusted the acoustic tuning on the XM4C to match contemporary music trends, targeting what the company described as richer, clearer vocals and tighter bass definition. Software upgrades inside the companion Sony Headphones app introduce a 10-band equalizer to replace the previous 5-band system, a dedicated gaming preset, and a Quick Access feature allowing users to launch Spotify or Apple Music directly from the ear cup. Wireless connectivity also moves to Bluetooth 6, up from Bluetooth 5 on the original unit.

WH-1000XM44

WH-1000XM4C4

WH-1000XM58

WH-1000XM612

WH-1000XM4

4

WH-1000XM4C

4

WH-1000XM5

8

WH-1000XM6

12

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European battery rules prompt redesign

The primary driver behind the rerelease stems from European Union regulations passed in 2023. That legislation requires consumer electronic products with integrated power cells to allow users to remove and replace batteries easily starting in February 2027. Because the original XM4 power compartment predated these guidelines, Sony redesigned the internal housing to facilitate replacement. Because the internal cavity required re-engineering to allow easier extraction, the physical battery capacity is slightly lower. The WH-1000XM4C delivers 27 hours of continuous playback with active noise cancellation enabled, representing a three-hour decrease compared to the 30-hour rating of the original 2020 model. With noise cancellation disabled, operating time is reduced by four hours relative to the predecessor. Fast charging allows three minutes of charging to yield one hour of playback time.

Lineup restructuring and budget models

The introduction of the XM4C triggers changes across Sony's broader headphone catalog. Sony will discontinue sales of the WH-1000XM5 once existing retail inventory clears from store shelves, where units have recently sold for around $200. Alongside the mid-tier revision, Sony introduced updated entry-level models, including the WH-CH730N over-ear headphones to replace the WH-CH720N, and the WH-CH530 on-ear model. Both entry-level models receive the same 10-band equalizer update and dedicated gaming audio preset found on the WH-1000XM4C. The launch arrives a decade after Sony originally entered the premium wireless noise-cancelling market with the MDR-1000X in 2016.