Sony WF-1000XM4: Design changes appear in more leaks; Why Apple Music users should look forward to the wireless earbuds

Sony WF-1000XM4 has appeared in more official-looking renders recently, and they have all provided tech fans the potential first look at the upcoming wireless earbuds. With this much information getting out in the wild, it would not be surprising if its official launch is also right around the corner.

Sony WF-1000XM4 design

Music-loving people who are always on the go can now have a very good idea of how the Sony WF-1000XM4 may look once it launches in the coming months. Over the past few weeks, renders that look like part of the promotional images for the rumored wireless earbuds have appeared online, thanks to reliable leakers Roland Quandt and Evan Blass.

While they shared the Sony WF-1000XM4 renders a week apart, the tipped images from Quandt and Blass appear to be the same. The leaked photos correspond with previous reports that Sony’s next true wireless earbuds would have a new form factor with a more compact design compared to the Sony WF-1000XM3.

The charging case also looks different and smaller, while its cover is curved rather than flat, which is a little similar to the WF-SP800N case. The Sony WF-1000XM4 renders from both sources also suggest the wireless earbuds would be offered in two colorways -- black and white.

Sony WF-1000XM4 features, release date

Aside from the design, Sony is also rumored to upgrade the features available in Sony WF-1000XM4. One of the most notable functions that appeared in previous leaks suggests it would support high-resolution audio, according to supposed box packaging images shared by Reddit user Key_Attention4766. It means the upcoming earbuds would be able to play songs with lossless audio formats like FLAC and ALAC without the need for a digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

Apple Music is the latest music streaming service to support lossless audio streaming. Apple will soon add new options allowing subscribers to play songs in CD quality (16-bit/44.1kHz) and High-Resolution Lossless (up to 24-bit/192kHz), as announced earlier this week. The problem for Apple fans, though, is even the pricey AirPods Max cannot natively play songs using in High-Resolution Lossless because they will require a DAC.

It means, if the rumors were true, Sony WF-1000XM4 could be one of the alternative devices Apple Music subscribers might want to consider to get the best out of the free update. Apple Music’s free lossless audio upgrade goes live in June and, interestingly, there are reports that Sony’s wireless earbuds might also be announced in the same month.

Photo by Khoa Nguyen on Unsplash