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Sony WH-1000XM4 upgrades detailed in early Walmart product page

Multi-device support and better call quality may be on deck.

Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

Sony’s WH-1000XM3 headphones are due for an upgrade, and there are hints it might be worth waiting. Walmart has prematurely listed the WH-1000XM4 (via Laptop Mag) with multiple major feature additions. To start, it would finally support multiple devices with easy switching — you’d only have two devices, but that might be fine if you just want to jump between your phone and PC. Bluetooth makes the leap from 4.2 to 5.0 as well. Precise Voice Pickup, meanwhile, would address the XM3’s lackluster voice quality using five microphones and “advanced audio signal processing” to improve sound for your call recipients.

It’s not certain how much audio quality would improve (if at all) over the XM3. You’d still have 40mm drivers and a frequency response range up to 40kHz. The listing does refer to “Edge-AI” that aims to restore sound details lost in compression, however. You could expect the same 30 hours of claimed battery life, including fast USB-C charging that provides five hours of playback after 10 minutes of plugging in.

There’s no mention of a release date, although the $348 price is about what you’d expect given that this would replace the similarly-priced XM3. If that’s accurate (we’ve asked for comment), Sony wouldn’t mess with its existing formula — it would still compete directly with Bose, Beats and others with noise cancelling wireless headphones in the $300 to $400 range.

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