Apple AirPods Pro 3 / Sony WH-1000XM4

Apple AirPods Pro 3: MagSafe charging case (USB-C) with speaker

Sony WH-1000XM4: WH-1000XM4 closed over-ear wireless headphones; Black, Platinum Silver and Blue. The WH-1000XM3 (previous) and WH-1000XM5 and XM6 (later) generations are separate models.

SpecificationApple AirPods Pro 3Sony WH-1000XM4
Release year20252020
Announcement and saleAnnounced 9 September 2025; in stores 19 September 2025 Apple—
ChipsApple H2 in the earbuds; second-generation Ultra Wideband (U2) chip in the charging case Apple—
Audio hardwareCustom high-excursion Apple driver; custom high dynamic range amplifier Apple—
Noise controlActive Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness

Apple says ANC is up to 2x more effective than AirPods Pro 2. Adaptive Audio blends ANC and Transparency to suit the surroundings and needs iOS 18 or later.

Apple		—
Spatial audioPersonalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking

Creating a personal profile requires an iPhone with a TrueDepth camera.

Apple		—
Ear tipsFoam-infused silicone tips; five sizes: XXS, XS, S, M, L

XXS is new in this generation.

Apple		—
Heart rate sensingOptical heart rate sensor (PPG) in the earbuds; infrared pulsed 256 times per second

Used during workouts in the Fitness app on iPhone and requires iOS 26. It is not a medical measuring device.

Apple		—
Microphones and sensorsDual beamforming microphones, inward-facing microphone; skin-detect sensor, motion- and speech-detecting accelerometers

The speech-detecting accelerometer senses the wearer talking through bone vibration; Voice Isolation suppresses background noise.

Apple		—
Hearing featuresHearing Test, Hearing Aid, Hearing Protection

The Hearing Aid feature is FDA-authorised for adults 18+ with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss; availability varies by country.

Apple		—
Live TranslationLive Translation (beta) with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone on iOS 26

Apple notes the feature is not available in every region or language.

Apple		—
ControlsStem press and swipe: play/pause, calls, mode switching, volume; “Siri” voice command

Press and hold switches listening modes; swiping up or down changes volume.

Apple		—
Battery (earbuds)Up to 8 hours with ANC at 50% volume; 7.5 hours with Spatial Audio and head tracking; 6.5 hours in workouts with heart rate; 10 hours in Hearing Aid mode

Apple measured these in July–August 2025 with pre-production units and software; results vary with settings and environment.

Apple		—
Battery (with case)Up to 24 hours total with ANC; 5 minutes in the case gives about 1 hour of listening Apple—
Charging caseUSB-C, MagSafe, Apple Watch charger or Qi-certified charger; speaker for Find My; lanyard loop

A USB-C cable is not included in the box.

Apple		—
DurabilityIP57 (IEC 60529); earbuds and charging case

Not for water sports. Resistance may decrease over time; do not charge when wet.

Apple		—
BluetoothBluetooth 5.3

Per SoundGuys testing, codecs are SBC and AAC; there is no lossless wireless streaming.

Apple		—
CompatibilityLatest iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, visionOS; basic Bluetooth headphones on other devices

On non-Apple devices adaptive modes, hearing features and firmware updates are unavailable.

Apple		—
Size and weightEarbud (each) 30.9 × 19.2 × 27.0 mm, 5.55 g; case 47.2 × 62.2 × 21.8 mm, 43.99 g Apple—
Noise cancelling—HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1; two noise-sensing microphones per cup; adaptive sound control

QN1 works with a new Bluetooth audio chip to sample ambient noise many times a second and cancel it with an inverse signal.

Sony
Driver and frequency—40 mm dome-type driver (CCAW voice coil, aluminium-coated LCP diaphragm); wired 4–40,000 Hz; Bluetooth 20–20,000 Hz (44.1 kHz), with LDAC 20–40,000 Hz (96 kHz, 990 kbps) Sony
Bluetooth and codecs—Bluetooth 5.0; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP; SBC, AAC, LDAC; about 10 m range

LDAC enables up to 990 kbps with compatible Android phones; iPhones use AAC.

Sony
Multipoint—Simultaneous connection to two Bluetooth devices with switching between them

For example, you can switch between a phone and a laptop without re-pairing.

Sony
Battery and charging—Up to 30 hours with NC on, 38 hours off; full charge in about 3 hours over USB-C; about 5 hours of playback from 10 minutes

The 5-hours-from-10-minutes figure is given with the optional AC adaptor.

Sony
Wired use—Detachable cable of about 1.2 m with OFC strands and gold-plated 3.5 mm plug Sony
Microphones—Five microphones for Precise Voice Pickup Sony
Smart features—Wear detection sensor; Speak-to-Chat; DSEE Extreme

The wear sensor pauses music when the headphones come off. Speak-to-Chat stops music and lets in ambient sound when you start talking. DSEE Extreme tries to upscale compressed files in real time with AI.

Sony
Design—Closed dynamic, circumaural; cups swivel inward to fold into the carry case Sony