According to The Verge, Sony has revived the WH-1000XM4 as the new WH-1000XM4C, six years after the original launched and one year after discontinuation. The design remains unchanged: same foldable hinges, compact form factor, new lavender colorway, and minor firmware tweaks.
Product lines don't always move forward. Sony pushed newer flagships for years, but the XM4 kept its reputation because it solved a specific problem: comfort on long flights, portability in a bag, and sound that didn't force trade-offs. The replacements apparently did.
Premium noise-canceling headphones were a two-horse race between Sony and Bose. The XM4 became one of the few gadgets that stayed on best-of lists years after launch. That shelf life usually signals the replacement solved the wrong problem.
Sony is selling nostalgia, but it's also selling a correction. Tech companies frame every redesign as progress. Customers care whether the thing folds, feels good on a flight, and doesn't cost them trade-offs they never asked for. Bringing back the XM4 suggests the smartest move in consumer hardware right now may be less invention and more humility. A 2020 hit still has a clearer identity than half the premium headphone market in 2026.
Filed to the Technology desk · Sep 7