Next-gen Sony wireless earbuds to take on AirPods Pro with Bluetooth 5.2 support

It's been too long since we saw (or heard) some new noise-cancellers from Sony – the company has dominated our list of the best noise-cancelling headphones for a long time, and anything new from it is exciting. And it looks like our wait will be over soon – new Sony WF-1000XM4 true wireless headphones have been spotted, and look set to have next-gen Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity.

The Sony WF-1000XM3 were truly excellent headphones (earning the full five stars from us), but with a slightly clunky design, they were a bit overshadowed by the juggernaut of Apple's AirPods Pro. But a new version could make them the wireless earbuds of choice, especially as people start to travel more again.

Noted by NotebookCheck (via What Hi-Fi), a mysterious product under a codename thought to be the Sony WF-1000XM4 has just received certification from the group that controls Bluetooth, as well as from the FCC, putting this product as likely close to launch. Even better is that the device in question is down as supporting Bluetooth 5.2, the newest version of the venerable wireless standard.

Bluetooth 5.2 takes advantage of all the latest things that Bluetooth can do – including higher bitrate audio and direction-based location of devices – but also adds new audio protocols that are lower power while maintaining quality, and that are designed to better work with true wireless headphones, as well as multiple audio devices.

That could mean the potential for better battery life at the same levels of audio quality, and much easier switching between devices you've paired the headphones with.

Of course, whether any given Bluetooth 5.2 device will actually support all of these options is another matter. It's up to the maker whether they enable the location-based tracking of a device or not, or which audio protocols they want to support.

What Hi-Fi notes that leaks about the WF-1000XM4 say that it wouldn't include any form of aptX Bluetooth audio, for example, but would support Sony's own LDAC high-quality equivalent, which wouldn't be a surprise.

We expect to see best-in-class active noise cancellation, though, and hopefully a version of the impressive audio upscaling chip used in the Sony WH-1000XM4.