Sony WH-1000XM3 Successor Coming Soon, Suggests FCC Filings

Over the past year, Sony has easily become one of the most recognizable names in wireless noise cancelling headphones. Now, a new iteration of its flagship ANC-equipped offering, the Sony WH-1000XM4, may be on the way.

On Monday, The Verge spotted something quite interesting pop up from the Federal Communications Commissions – documentation that indicates a potential successor is on the way.

We don’t know much about the headphones other than Sony naming it the WH-1000XM4. Generic drawings appear to indicate that the XM4 will keep a similar shape to the year-old XM3.

It’s relevant to note that Sony did include a request for confidentiality along with its filing to the FCC. This means that the regulatory body may have chosen to keep some secrets until the official reveal.

Of course, this is all speculation.

Given that the previous products all share the WH-1000XM prefix (with generations 1, 2, and 3 appending the number to the end), it’s a pretty good indication of what’s coming down the pike.

The South Korean electronics maker has become one of the closest competitors to the Bose QC 35 II. If you’re considering picking either the Bose or WH-1000XM3, we might suggest holding out a little bit longer. However, if you’re in the market to buy this instant, the XM3 is perhaps one of the best choices on the market at around $275.

The original WH-1000XM3 was released in August 2018, about three months after Sony filed paperwork with the FCC. If the 1000XM4 is following the same timeframe, we could perhaps see the headphones as early as February 2020.

With CES 2020 just three weeks away, we expect to hear more in early January.