Discontinued headphones almost never come back. Sony’s WH-1000XM4C, announced on September 7, 2026, is the rare exception — a revised version of the WH-1000XM4 that launched back in 2020 and stayed on sale for five years, the longest run of any model in Sony’s 1000X series.
The reason for the revival is as much regulatory as it is nostalgic. The original XM4 reached end of life because its battery does not comply with EU battery regulation (EU) 2023/1542, which requires portable batteries to be removable by the end user. That law comes into effect in February 2027, so a comeback meant a new cell — and the new one is physically smaller. The trade-off shows up on the spec sheet: battery life with ANC on drops from 30 hours on the original XM4 to 27 hours on the WH-1000XM4C.
Almost everything else is deliberately familiar. Sony says the design and finish are identical apart from a slight tweak to the Sony logo and the addition of an ‘L’ and ‘R’ marking inside each earcup. The software is the same, which means the 40mm driver, the DSEE Extreme processing engine and the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 all carry over intact. ANC performance should be virtually identical to the original.
What Sony has changed is the tuning. The XM4C has been retuned to sit closer to the more recent WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6, with the company claiming richer and clearer vocals, greater separation, a more immersive listen, more dynamics and punchier bass. It is a sensible move: the XM4’s warm, slightly soft signature was beloved but noticeably older-sounding next to its successors.
The app side gets a genuine upgrade too. Through Sony’s Headphones Connect app, owners now get a ten-band equaliser and a dedicated Gaming EQ setting — neither was available on the original. The headphones keep Multipoint Bluetooth and Sony’s Precise Voice Pickup technology for calls.
Colour options cover the standard black and silver — the silver is a slightly lighter shade than before — plus a new lavender finish. Sony’s US announcement lists Black and Platinum Silver widely, with Lavender sold only through Sony and Amazon. Whether a Midnight Blue option returns, as it did for the original, has not been confirmed.
Pricing lands at US$299.99 in Sony’s US press materials, quoted as $300 / £219 by What Hi-Fi?, with the headphones going on sale in September 2026.
There is a knock-on effect worth noting. The WH-1000XM5 remains on sale, but its battery does not conform to the EU regulation either, so it will go end of life before February 2027 — and the WH-1000XM4C will continue in its place. A six-year-old design outliving its own sequel is not how product roadmaps usually work, but when the sequel is a five-star, Hall of Fame favourite, few buyers will complain.
Earlier on GismoLand: Sony WH-1000XM4C. The comeback nobody asked for but everybody wanted.
