Apple AirPods Pro 2 vs Sony WF-1000XM4

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AirPods Pro 2 compared with WF-1000XM4

	AppleAirPods Pro 2	SonyWF-1000XM4
Overview
Released
Released	September 2023	June 2021
Sound
Type
Type	In-ear	In-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	–	6 mm
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	Yes	–
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC, AAC and LDAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	–
Chip
Chip	H2	Integrated Processor V1
Drivers
Drivers	Custom high-excursion Apple driver and custom high dynamic range amplifier	6 mm drivers with high-power neodymium magnets
Chip
Chip	H2 in each AirPod; U1 chip in the MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C)	–
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Up to 2x more Active Noise Cancellation than AirPods Pro (1st generation) and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation; Adaptive Audio, Transparency mode and Conversation Awareness	Feedforward and feedback noise-sensing microphones on each earbud; Ambient Sound Mode, Quick Attention, Adaptive Sound Control and automatic wind noise reduction
Audio features
Audio features	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Personalised Volume; Voice Isolation; Live Translation (with iOS 26 and an Apple Intelligence iPhone); lossless audio when paired with Apple Vision Pro	DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio with compatible services; Bluetooth frequency response of 20 Hz–20 kHz at 44.1 kHz sampling, or 20 Hz–40 kHz with LDAC at 96 kHz and 990 kbps
Hearing health
Hearing health	Hearing Test, Hearing Aid and Loud Sound Reduction in the UK; active Hearing Protection is available only in selected regions, not the UK	–
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 6 hours	Up to 8 hours
With the case
With the case	Up to 30 hours	Up to 24 hours
Wireless charging
Wireless charging	Yes	Yes
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 5.5 hours with Spatial Audio and head tracking on; up to 4 hours of Lossless Audio listening with Apple Vision Pro	With DSEE Extreme off, the manual lists AAC playback up to 8 hours with noise cancelling or 12 hours off; SBC up to 7.5 hours on or 11 hours off; LDAC up to 5 hours on or 6 hours off. LDAC with DSEE Extreme set to AUTO and noise cancelling on is up to 3.5 hours. The launch release claims 24 hours with the case with noise cancelling, or 36 hours off; talk time up to 5.5 hours with noise cancelling and 6 hours off.
Charging case
Charging case	MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker for Find My and lanyard loop; charges with MagSafe, Apple Watch or Qi-certified chargers or a USB-C cable	USB-C and Qi wireless charging; about 1.5 hours to charge the earbuds and 3 hours for the case
Fast charging
Fast charging	5 minutes in the case gives around 1 hour of listening	5 minutes of charging gives about 1 hour of playback
Design
Weight (each earbud)
Weight (each earbud)	5.3 g (better)	7.3 g
Water and sweat resistance
Water and sweat resistance	IP54	IPX4
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.3	5.2
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	–	Yes
Controls
Controls	Touch control on the stems (press to play, pause, answer calls and skip; press and hold to switch listening modes; swipe up or down for volume); “Hey Siri” or just “Siri”; Siri Interactions	Touch controls for playback, volume and sound modes; Quick Attention lowers music volume while a finger is held on the left earbud; Speak-to-Chat pauses music and admits outside sound when speech is detected; wear detection pauses playback when an earbud is removed
Microphones
Microphones	Dual beamforming microphones and an inward-facing microphone; speech-detecting accelerometer	Dual noise-sensing microphones per earbud; Precise Voice Pickup uses beamforming and a bone-conduction sensor for calls
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Silicone ear tips in four sizes (XS, S, M, L)	Polyurethane foam Noise Isolation Earbud Tips in S, M and L; an app test checks the seal
Case weight
Case weight	50.8 g	About 41 g; the UK support specifications put this under an unqualified weight heading, while the manual distinguishes the case from each 7.3 g earbud with M tips fitted
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	IP54 (IEC 60529) for the AirPods Pro and charging case	IPX4 for the earbuds only, excluding the sound outlets, ventilation holes and microphone holes; the charging case is not water resistant
Works with
Works with	Full features with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Apple Vision Pro on the latest software; works as Bluetooth headphones with other devices, with limited features	Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP; Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair; the current manual describes two-device multipoint, which Sony's firmware notes list as an added feature; LDAC needs a compatible source
Colours
Colours	White	Black, Silver; official press photo shows Silver
In the box
In the box	AirPods Pro 2, MagSafe Charging Case (USB-C) with speaker and lanyard loop, silicone ear tips (XS, S, M, L), USB-C Charge Cable, documentation	Earbuds, charging case, Noise Isolation Earbud Tips in S, M and L, USB-A to USB-C charging cable