TRUE WIRELESS

It seems nobody’s worried about dropping one in the street and seeing it get eaten by a dog any more, so here are the finest buds with no strings attached

SONY WF-1000XM4

The fact that you can’t move for true wireless in-ear headphones these days is, in large part, Sony’s fault. And with the WF-1000XM4S, the latest model in the company’s madly successful WF-1000 series of true wireless earbuds, the company has served up a contender that’s smaller, lighter, greener and more affordable than ever. Oh, and they manage to sound even more eloquent and direct than the (already very decent) XM3S that they replaced.

The more compact design means the WF-1000XM4S are more portable when they’re not in use and more comfortable when they are. And the control app – which is still about as good as it gets where stability and usability are concerned – has some useful ‘lifestyle’ features as well as the more common playback controls, adjustable EQ settings, active noise-cancellation (ANC) levels and so on. Add in nicely responsive touch controls and compatibility with voice assistants, and getting what you want from the XM4S couldn’t be any more straightforward.

What really seals the deal for these Sonys, though, is what a brilliant pair of all-rounders they are. It’s probably fair to say there’s no single area where these buds are streets ahead of their nominal opposition – in fact, when it comes to the biggest features taken individually, it’s possible to find alternatives that perform slightly better. But the key thing is, the XM4S are never far behind the finest options around in terms of sound quality,

ANC, battery life or comfort – and if you want to get the absolute best in each of those categories you’re going to end up buying four pairs of earbuds. Or you could just buy a pair of these and be absolutely certain that no rival is quite as accomplished in across-the-board terms.

All of which means it’s unlikely the WF-1000XM4S will be surpassed as our true wireless buds of choice until Sony decides it’s time to roll out the XM5S.

Price £199 / stuff.tv/wfxm4

STUFF SAYS The best all-round true wireless in-ear headphones available ★★★★★

Din too deep The XM4S are rated to IPX4 against water splashes – so while you shouldn’t wear them to swim, a bit of moisture won’t do any harm. A trick of the scale Reducing the size of the earbuds by over 10% compared to the XM3S makes the XM4S lighter, more comfortable and more portable. I know what I mic Three mics in each bud take care of phone calls, voice control and ANC… and they turn out to be very good at all of those things.