Leak confirms Sony flagship headphone design, casts doubt on improved battery life

Image: u/Chez5160

The successor to the excellent WH-1000XM4 could be just around the corner, according to pictures of the apparent retail packaging for Sony's upcoming flagship headphones. The new headphones will have a thinner headband and a different design for the left and right earcups, according to the images.

The new leak calls into question a previous report that claimed that the headphones would see improved battery life when used with active noise cancellation. The current model of the headphones will have a battery life of 30 hours, 10 hours less than was previously reported, and the same as what the current model offers, according to the retail packaging.

The 40-hour figure could still be accurate, but represents battery life when the headphones are used with a more power efficient audio codec. The battery life of the XM4 could be extended up to 38 hours when listening using the SBC codec and most of its other features are turned off.

Other features on the packaging include support for Sony's virtual reality audio format, as well as built-in support for voice assistants.

It is not known when the headphones will be officially announced or what their price will be. Sony's WH-1000XM4 cost $349.99 when they were released in August 2020. The confidentiality date on FCC filings relating to the headphones will be up on August 8th, but given retail packaging is already appearing, we would expect the headphones to be released a lot sooner than that.