Tarun Verma
Apple knows the necessity of building the path of least resistance for its customers, thanks to a network of interconnected products. Many people are drawn to the Apple AirPods Pro because of the ease with which they may be used with an iPhone. Few truly wireless earbuds have been able to divert attention away from Apple’s AirPods, but the Sony WF-1000XM4 makes a compelling case for your money. Sony’s active noise cancellation (ANC) is superior to Apple’s, but is that reason enough to flee Apple’s fire?
Apple’s white, glossy earphones are easily identified by their angled stems, and their simplicity makes them culturally famous. Whether you like or dislike the appearance of sticks jutting out of your ear canals, they make it easier for people who have difficulty using their hands to remove and replace the earbuds. However, there are certain disadvantages to this design: the stems frequently become entangled in a mask or towel, sending the earphones plummeting to the floor. The location of the device’s touch and pressure-sensitive controls is indicated by a small oblong imprint on each stem. Apple includes three sets of silicone ear tips, however, memory foam ear tips can be purchased separately if you prefer a tighter fit.
Sony’s black/copper or white/copper color options, as well as the simpler stemless earphone design, keep things simple. This gives the earbuds a more modest footprint as well as a larger surface area to handle the touch controls. The earbuds provide a comfortable fit for the majority of ear types due to the curved curvature of their housings.
AirPods Pro 2 Vs Sony WF 1000xm4: Comparison Chart
| PARTICULARS | APPLE AIRPODS 2 PRO | Sony WF 1000xm4 |
| Audio Technology | Custom high-excursion Apple driver | SONY Integrated Audio Driver V1 |
| Active Noise Cancellation | YES | YES |
| Sensors | Dual beam-forming microphones, Dual optical sensors | High power neodymium magnets |
| Chip | H1 headphone chip | SONY Integrated V1 |
| Sweat and Water Resistant2 | Sweat and water-resistant (IPX4) | Sweat and Water Resistant IPX4 |
| Size and Weight (Each)3 | Height: 30.9 mm Width: 21.8 mm Weight: 5.4 grams | WEIGHT Approx. 41 g |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 | BLUETOOTH Specification Version5.2 |
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AirPods Pro 2 Vs Sony WF 1000xm4: Detailed Analysis
The Sony WF-1000XM4 includes three sets of memory foam ear tips (small, medium, and large), making it more pleasant and durable than the AirPods Pro. Both sets of true wireless noise-canceling earphones feature an IPX4 rating, allowing athletes to wear them comfortably while training. Because memory foam wears out faster than silicone, the Sony ear tips may need to be replaced before the AirPods Pro. Sony and Apple have built pressure relief vents into their earphones so you don’t get that uncomfortable suction sensation when noise cancelling is activated.
While your phone can be used to manage playback and field calls, both headsets have remappable touch controls and automatic ear detection for auto-pause/play. AirPods Pro are only compatible with iPhones.
1. iOS and Android
The Settings app on iOS or iPadOS devices may be used to tweak the gesture and touch controls on the AirPods Pro. Because the AirPods Pro cannot do this with Android devices, you must rely on the normal controls. This is a recurring issue with Apple hardware: it does not play well with non-Apple devices.
They can both stand horizontally and be wirelessly charged. The charging input differs: the AirPods Pro case requires a Lightning connection for wired charging, whereas the Sony WF-1000XM4 case requires a USB-C cable. Both cases are small enough to fit in a pocket and have no durability rating.
2. Unlike Apple, Sony makes its software available on all platforms
The Sony Headphones Connect app is free to download from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, ensuring a uniform experience regardless of your operating system. When you download Sony’s software onto your phone, you are greeted with a bewildering amount of personalization possibilities. You may use the multi-band equalization to customize the sound of the Sony WF-1000XM4, switch between Ambient Sound and noise-canceling modes, monitor battery status for each earbud and the case, remap controls, select your favorite voice assistant, and more.
Most importantly, you can use the ear tip fit test to ensure that you’ve used the appropriatly sized ear tips. This is critical for noise-canceling headphones because it improves passive isolation, which is required for optimum active noise cancellation. Amazon has something similar with its Echo Buds (2nd Gen); Apple has something similar as well, albeit it is not accessible on Android.
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3. Connectivity
You can pair the WF-1000XM4 with compatible Android devices, locate it with a loud ring, and check its most recent location all from your phone using Google Fast Connect. Google Fast Connect is also supported by Sony. Swift Pair can also be used on any Windows 10 device.
When you connect the Apple AirPods Pro to your iPhone, you gain access to a variety of features such as Find My AirPods, hands-free Siri requests, battery optimization, Adaptive EQ, and Spatial Audio (Apple’s take on object-based surround sound). Automatic device switching is a welcome feature for anyone who owns multiple Apple-sourced devices (requires a unified iCloud account). A custom EQ module, which Sony and others are willing to give, is a basic component that Apple has yet to add in its armory.
4. Noise Cancellation
The Sony WF-1000XM4 offers superior noise cancellation to the Apple AirPods Pro, decreasing noises beyond 50Hz to a decibel level comparable to what would be heard with open ears. This is great for a pair of ANC true wireless earbuds and easily outperforms the AirPods Pro, which has a volume attenuation of one-sixth the size.
The memory foam ear tips, which work hard to passively block out frequencies above 1kHz, account for a significant portion of Sony’s attenuation effectiveness. In general, active noise cancellation technology is incapable of significantly reducing unwanted noise (1kHz and above). The most basic approach of isolating yourself from extraneous noises is to use ear tips that seal to your ear canals.
This is not to say that Apple’s noise cancellation is insufficient; it is really effective; it simply cannot compete with the Sony WF-1000XM4. Nonetheless, both headsets may lessen your chances of developing noise-induced hearing loss, as ANC reduces the possibility of listeners turning up the volume to dangerous levels to compensate for background noise.
AirPods Pro 2 Vs Sony WF 1000xm4: Final Veridct
We haven’t yet discussed the price of both the audio devices. The Sony WF-1000XM4 costs a bit less expensive than Apple’s AirPods Pro, which is frequently available for less. The AirPods Pro retail is around 22000 INR, making them a far better price than the Sony WF-1000XM4. If money isn’t an issue or you’re a great saver, the Sony WF-1000XM4 is unquestionably the best set of noise-canceling earbuds.
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