Sony WF-1000XM4 vs AirPods Pro Comparison

It’s a battle between the two titans in the TWS space – one from the Android side of the world and the other from the Apple side. Cue the Sony WF-1000XM4 and the AirPods Pro – possibly two of the most sought-after truly wireless earphones since they launched back in 2019-2020. It’s a testament to the sheer quality of these earphones that they’re still the most revered earphones in the TWS space even a year or two post their launch. 

On one end, the Sony WF-1000XM4 boasts excellent app features and high-quality codec support, and on the other end, the AirPods Pro introduces novel features such as spatial audio with head tracking and handsfree Siri support (exclusive to Apple users). Both have overlapping features such as Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency Mode, and wireless charging – all of which are pretty commonplace amongst flagship truly wireless earphones in 2022. While both earphones look excellent on paper, there can be only one overarching winner in this comparison. So, let’s find out which TWS takes the crown.

AirPods Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM4: Build and design

The Sony WF-1000XM4 and the AirPods Pro are flagship TWS from their respective companies, so both buds are built meticulously with incredible attention to detail. The materials used are top-notch on both devices, however, the AirPods Pro has the sturdier case hinge due to metallic reinforcement. The magnets inside the charging case are stronger on the Sony WF-1000XM4. We dropped both cases a couple of times and the Sony earphones stayed put inside their case more often than the AirPods Pro earbuds.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 have a conventional, rounded earbud design with circular copper accents that look fantastic and premium. The AirPods Pro, on the other hand, are white, glossy, and come with angled stems. While the Sony WF-1000XM4 look more interesting, there’s a case to be made for the AirPods Pro’s clean and classic look. 

The Sony WF-1000XM4’s case is well-built and feels robust enough but the AirPods Pro’s case is far more pocketable. Both Sony’s earbuds and case look bulky when compared to the AirPods Pro which offers a far more sleek and streamlined look. However, we prefer Sony’s matte texture over the glossy texture of the AirPods Pro. The glossy texture looks more commonplace and is definitely a fingerprint magnet.

Moving on to controls, the Sony WF-1000XM4 features capacitive touch controls on the rear panel of the earbuds while the AirPods Pro features pressure-sensitive controls on the stem. We found the AirPods controls to be slightly more precise, but the Sonys touch controls are far improved in comparison to their predecessor and work without almost any hitches or misreadings. 

Build and design winner – Tie

AirPods Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM4: Comfort and fit

While which pair of earphones has the better design is up for debate, the AirPods Pro are unequivocally superior when it comes to comfort and fit. Now, the Sonys do redeem themselves a bit here due to the bundled foam ear tips. The polyurethane foam ear tips are available in three sizes – small, medium and large. You simply need to compress the foam tips before inserting them into your ears and the tips will expand to fit the contours of your ear canal.

While the foam tips do provide a far more superior fit than silicone ones would have on the Sony WF-1000XM4, there’s still no denying its bulky form factor that does hamper comfort, especially after long periods of usage. The AirPods Pro provide silicone ear tips, but the fit is still far more secure since the earbuds are lighter and sleeker. The AirPods just latch on to your ear and feel secure through moderate and intensive activities such as walking, jogging, and working out. Additionally, Sony’s bulky earbuds also start hurting your ears after longer listening sessions while the discomfort is minimal on the AirPods Pro for the same duration. 

Credit where it’s due though – Sony has considerably shrunk down the size of the WF-1000XM4 in comparison to its predecessor, the WF-1000XM3. The case is 40 per cent smaller while the earbuds are 10 per cent smaller, which is no small feat. However, we’re hoping that with the Mark 5s, Sony continues to shrink down the size of the earphones, especially the earbuds, to provide a more secure and comfortable fit. For now, though, the AirPods Pro definitely knock it out of the park for comfort and fit.

Comfort and fit winner – AirPods Pro

AirPods Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM4: Sound quality

So, the most important question of all – how do the Sony WF-1000XM4 and the AirPods Pro compare in the sound quality department? To understand this, let’s go into the hardware these earbuds sport. The Sony WF-1000XM4 pack 6mm drivers with support for SBC, AAC and LDAC codecs. With LDAC, you can listen to hi-res music up to 32-bit/96 kHz over Bluetooth at up to 990 kbps. The earphones are powered by Sony’s V1 chip which helps with Sony’s DSEE feature that upscales music to near-lossless quality.

Powering the AirPods Pro is Apple’s H1 chip that is also built into the second and third-gen AirPods. Apple also brings spatial audio technology with head tracking. The earphones support SBC and AAC codecs with AAC providing stable and reliable audio when the earphones are used with iPhones. If you were to use the Sony Mark 4s with an iPhone, the codec would default to AAC since Apple doesn’t support codecs such as LDAC and aptX.

Uncompensated frequency response graph – Sony WF-1000XM4 (Blue), AirPods Pro (Green), Neutral (Gray)

Now, both earphones are sonically brilliant with Sony adding some more meat to the bass department. The bass response is slightly more pronounced on the AirPods Pro but the Sony WF-1000XM4’s bass packs much more detail and character with excellent attack. The AirPods lack some of the clarity provided by the Sony earphones with LDAC active.

The mids are pristine on both earphones with close-to-neutral sonic signatures. As a result, vocals and lead instruments have almost unmatched clarity (in the TWS space), however, the Sony has a slightly wider soundstage which adds a layer of finesse to the audio. The imaging is also slightly better on the Sony WF-1000XM4 when compared to the AirPods Pro. But if you listen to tracks with spatial audio support on the AirPods, the tides turn in Apple’s favour, but there are only a handful of tracks that support this feature on Apple Music. 

The highs are slightly more sparkly on the AirPods Pro but the Sony is no slouch when it comes to reproducing highs as well. Cymbals and hi-hats sound clear and detailed on both earphones. Another point in Sony’s favour is the fact that you can customise the EQ via the app, so if you prefer a more neutral sound, you can tweak it within the app. The same is not true for the AirPods Pro. 

Spatial audio on the AirPods Pro is a magical and immersive experience though, especially when used with head tracking turned on. Apple Music has a bunch of playlists that support spatial audio that you can listen to. Overall though, the Sony WF-1000XM4 still provides a more detailed and refined sonic experience.

Sound quality winner – Sony WF-1000XM4

AirPods Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM4: Microphone

The Sony WF-1000XM4 features beamforming microphones and a bone conduction sensor to pick up your voice and relay it. The AirPods Pro also features beamforming microphones and an inward-facing microphone for noise cancellation, transparency mode and calls. While the microphones on both earbuds don’t come close to external boom mics or desktop microphones, they’re one of the best money can buy in the TWS form factor. Both earbuds come with their own form of wind-reduction technology as well.

In our experience, the AirPods Pro’s microphone is superior in more ways than one. The microphone picks up the speaker’s voice while eliminating most ambient noises. The sound picked up is clear and distortion-free as well. It also sounds extremely natural, preserving the tonality and intricacies of a speaker’s voice with more precision than the Sony WF-1000XM4 does. The Sony WF-1000XM4’s microphone also relays clear and loud voices on calls and during recordings. However, they don’t sound nearly as pristine as on the AirPods. Additionally, Sony picks up much more ambient sound in noisy environments compared to the AirPods Pro.

Microphone winner – AirPods Pro

AirPods Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM4: Active Noise Cancellation

At the heart of the Sony WF-1000XM4’s noise cancelling abilities is the company’s integrated V1 chip and the array of microphones. The AirPods Pro has two microphones on each bud; one on the outside to detect incoming ambient noise and one on the inside to detect noise that makes it through the seal. This sound detected by both earphones is then cancelled out using anti-noise which is bolstered by their respective AI algorithms. The AirPods Pro, in fact, adjusts noise cancelling 200 times per second, something that is only matched by the AirPods Max.

As a result, what you get on both the Sony WF-1000XM4 and the AirPods Pro is highly effective noise cancelling that easily dims out constant, low-frequency sounds such as an AC’s hum, an airplane’s drone, and more. However, where the Sony Mark 4s shine is in cancelling out human voices and more high-pitched sounds. While the AirPods Pro also do a decent job at cancelling out these difficult frequencies, the Mark 4s handle them with a sense of confidence that’s unparalleled in the TWS space. So, even in noisy office environments, you’re looking at a solid 60-70 per cent of perceived noise reduction in mid and high frequencies. In contrast, the AirPods Pro struggles a bit here – especially with human voices – which it lets through pretty easily. 

Both earphones also come with pressure-relieving air vents that help avoid the feeling of air being sucked out of your ears that some find uncomfortable.

Active Noise Cancellation winner – Sony WF-1000XM4

AirPods Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM4: Transparency Mode

We’ve said it for a while now – no one does Transparency Mode as well as Apple, period. While the Sony WF-1000XM4 are markedly improved in this department over their predecessors, they don’t come close to how natural the AirPods Pro’s Transparency Mode sounds. The H1 chip on the AirPods Pro works alongside the microphones to power this experience. This mode helps users be more aware of their surroundings in public areas to hear oncoming traffic or announcements in train stations or airports. Or, just to have a quick conversation with someone without having to take off your earphones entirely.

External sounds are amplified so you can hear them even though your music, still, the sounds never get into the territory of sounding jarring or unnatural. While Transparency Mode on the Sonys sounds pretty decent, it can get a bit jarring and unnatural because of how loud the playback is.

Transparency Mode winner – AirPods Pro

AirPods Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM4: Features

The Sony Headphone Connect app is possibly one of the most utilitarian and versatile companion apps we’ve ever used with TWS earbuds. The app has nifty features such as a 5-band customisable EQ, sound presets, charging status, and customisable controls. Aside from that, the earbud’s app allows users to access features such as Adaptive Sound Control, DSEE Extreme, Earbud Fit test, and more. 

Adaptive Sound Control is a useful feature that uses AI smarts to determine your activity (staying, walking, running, or transport) and applies noise-cancellation settings accordingly. DSEE Extreme is a feature that uses AI to upscale compressed lossy files. The Earbud Fit test is convenient and it lets you know if the ear tips you’ve used are giving you a good seal. 

One of our favourite features of the Sony WF-1000XM4 is the Quick Attention mode feature. Simply pressing and holding the left earbud will activate Ambient Sound and turn down the media volume so you can have a quick conversation without having to pause your music. The earbuds are IPX4 water resistant and support Google’s Fast Pair and Microsoft’s Swift Pair as well.

The AirPods Pro is no slouch when it comes to features as well, but most of these are exclusive to users with Apple devices only, which is a huge limitation. The settings screen allows users to access features such as an Ear Tip Fit Test, and Spatial Audio with Head Tracking. The ear tip fit test allows you to find the best ear tips for your ears, like on the Sony Mark 4. The spatial audio feature is something we’ve already raved about above. 

One feature the AirPods sport that the Sonys don’t is handsfree assistant support, in this case, handsfree Siri. Simply saying ‘Hey Siri’ will invoke the voice assistant who you can give commands to for various actions. It’s an extremely nifty feature that takes out the physical element of having to manually trigger assistant every time you need to use it.

Despite this, the Sony WF-1000XM4 takes home the Features crown since not only does it have a considerably larger feature set in comparison to the AirPods Pro but it also isn’t platform exclusive. So, you can use most of the Mark 4s features on an iPhone as well by downloading the Headphones Connect app.

Features winner – Sony WF-1000XM4

AirPods Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM4: Battery life

On the face of it, both the AirPods Pro and the Sony WF-1000XM4 seem to have similar battery life with 24 hours of total playback time provided with the earbuds and charging case. What makes all the difference in Sony’s case is that it lasts a whopping 8 hours on a single charge (ANC turned on), while the AirPods Pro only lasts 5 hours on a single charge (ANC turned on). So, you will need to juice up the Sony Mark 4s far lesser than AirPods Pros, which is a crucial advantage. Additionally, with ANC turned off, the Sony WF-1000XM4 can provide 32 hours of battery life. In our tests, the Sony WF-1000XM4 lasted 7 hours and 52 minutes with ANC turned on while the AirPods Pro lasted 4 hours and 42 minutes with ANC on.

Both earbuds also come with fast charging support. Charge the Sony for just five minutes and you’ll get an hour’s worth of usage and charging the AirPods Pro for 10 minutes provides the same playback time, so the Sonys win here. Both earbuds also support Qi wireless charging for the case, which is convenient, but slower than wired charging. 

Battery life winner – Sony WF-1000XM4

AirPods Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM4: Value

The Sony WF-1000XM4 is priced at Rs 19,990 in India while the AirPods Pro, which launched at Rs 24,990, can now be purchased for around 20.5 – 21K on e-commerce sites. The price difference between the two is negligible enough at this point but not at the time of launch. Both also have a vast feature set and excellent performance to justify the asking price. While we would have given the win to the Sony WF-1000XM4 for value at launch, as it stands today, it ends up being a tie.

Value winner – Tie

AirPods Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM4: Verdict

Sony WF-1000XM4: 5 points

AirPods Pro: 4 points

So, there you have it! It was an incredibly close race with the Sony WF-1000XM4 scrapping with the win by earning 5 points as compared to the AirPods Pro’s 4 points. While the Sony WF-1000XM4 doesn’t quite run circles around the AirPods Pro, it does beat them in key areas such as sound quality, active noise cancellation, and battery life – all of which are integral to a user’s end experience. Sony also makes its feature set more accessible to the masses via the Headphones Connect app, something that the AirPods Pro lack. Nevertheless, if you an embedded into the Apple ecosystem, we’d still ask you to cast away the extra points Sony got and go for the AirPods Pro regardless due to the seamless connectivity, integration with Apple devices, and unique feature set.

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Dhriti Datta

Perpetually sporting a death stare, this one can be seen tinkering around with her smartphone which she holds more dear than life itself and stuffing her face with copious amounts of bacon. View Full Profile