As headphone prices keep climbing, Sony's answer is apparently to turn back the clock six years. According to reliable leaker billbil-kun on Dealabs (via 9to5Google), Sony is preparing to re-release its 2020 flagship, the WH-1000XM4, under a new name — WH-1000XM4C — priced around $250.
This isn't a redesign. It's a straight-up rerelease. The leak claims the XM4C is virtually identical to the discontinued XM4, keeping the same foldable design, 40mm drivers, and noise-canceling processor. The only changes come down to battery life and colorways. Rumored battery life sits at 34 hours with ANC off and 27 hours with it on — a slight dip from the original XM4's 38 and 30 hours. On the color front, a new lavender option joins the existing black and platinum silver.
This same leaker previously nailed the 2024 PS5 Pro announcement, and this time he's pegging the XM4C's launch for September 7, with a €250 price tag in Europe and £220 in the UK. Compared to the current flagship WH-1000XM6, which retails for $460 in the US and €470 in Europe, the XM4C's US pricing could land somewhere between $240 and $250.
Here's the catch: that price point puts it right up against Sony's own previous-gen XM5, which frequently gets discounted down to around $250. Given the choice between six-year-old tech and an actual previous-gen model at the same budget, it's not exactly a hard call.
All of the above is unconfirmed leak info — actual specs, pricing, and release date are still pending official word from Sony.
