Sony WF-1000XM4: New leak points to LDAC support for upcoming premium earbuds
It has only been a day since the first sighting of the WF-1000XM4 appeared, but more details have emerged. Leaked on Reddit and Imgur, the WF-1000XM4 appears to have a radically different design from 2019's WF-1000XM3. Now, the same account has posted another photo that they claim is of the WF-1000XM4 packaging. While we can rule the image out as being that of the WF-1000XM3, we cannot verify its authenticity.
If it is legitimate, then we should expect the WF-1000XM4 to last up to six hours on a single charge, and eighteen hours before its case needs recharging. The WF-1000XM3 offers the same battery life estimates, which may seem strange. However, Sony made no battery life improvements from the WH-1000XM3 to the WH-1000XM4, so we would not be surprised if Sony repeated this with the WF-1000XM4.
Additionally, the earbuds will support active noise cancellation (ANC), although it will probably be a while before we know if Sony has made any upgrades in this regard. The box also contains the logo for Hi-res Audio Wireless certification, which is present on the WH-1000XM4's box.
The WF-1000XM3 supports the AAC and Bluetooth codecs, of which neither could be considered Hi-Res. Hence, it seems likely that the WF-1000XM4 will support LDAC or LHDC. This would be a big upgrade for the WF-1000X line, in our opinion. The WF-1000XM3 sounds good and they cope well without aptX or aptX HD support, but LDAC would probably be a draw for audiophiles if Sony included support for the codec in the WF-1000XM4.
