The last-gen Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones are now a staggering $220 off
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sales event begins tomorrow, but the best tech deal around may have already landed early. The Sony WH-1000XM4 noise-canceling headphones have dropped to a new all-time low of $129.99 ($220 off) at Target (be sure to click “shipping” on the latter for in-stock availability) — and unlike many of the upcoming Prime Day deals, you don’t have to be a Prime subscriber for this one. (The deal was also available at Amazon, but sold out right before publishing. We’ll update this post if it comes back in stock there.)
The XM4 headphones may have come out back in 2020 and been surpassed by the newer WH-1000XM5 model with a sleeker design, but the last-gen model is still a great set of cans worth owning in 2024. They have excellent noise cancellation and sound quality, along with multipoint Bluetooth connectivity for connecting to two devices at once — and unlike the newer XM5s they actually fold down for easier travel.
The biggest drawback of going with the older XM4 is their sub-par call quality, as the mics are their weakest point. But if you don’t frequently need to be on important or lengthy calls you get plenty of other niceties in return, like 30-hour battery life and higher-quality LDAC audio support on Android phones.
Frankly, you rarely see a deal this good on quality headphones without going the secondhand / refurbished route. The XM4s may be older, but they’ve been kept around as a lower-cost alternative that usually only gets as cheap as $228 on a good day.
I know this is going to be the deal I quickly recommend to family and friends wondering if any sales around Prime Day are worth it, because a good pair of headphones are always a people-pleaser.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sales event begins tomorrow, but the best tech deal around may have already landed early. The Sony WH-1000XM4 noise-canceling headphones have dropped to a new all-time low of $129.99 ($220 off) at Target (be sure to click “shipping” on the latter for in-stock availability) — and unlike many of the upcoming Prime Day deals, you don’t have to be a Prime subscriber for this one. (The deal was also available at Amazon, but sold out right before publishing. We’ll update this post if it comes back in stock there.)
The XM4 headphones may have come out back in 2020 and been surpassed by the newer WH-1000XM5 model with a sleeker design, but the last-gen model is still a great set of cans worth owning in 2024. They have excellent noise cancellation and sound quality, along with multipoint Bluetooth connectivity for connecting to two devices at once — and unlike the newer XM5s they actually fold down for easier travel.
The biggest drawback of going with the older XM4 is their sub-par call quality, as the mics are their weakest point. But if you don’t frequently need to be on important or lengthy calls you get plenty of other niceties in return, like 30-hour battery life and higher-quality LDAC audio support on Android phones.
Frankly, you rarely see a deal this good on quality headphones without going the secondhand / refurbished route. The XM4s may be older, but they’ve been kept around as a lower-cost alternative that usually only gets as cheap as $228 on a good day.
I know this is going to be the deal I quickly recommend to family and friends wondering if any sales around Prime Day are worth it, because a good pair of headphones are always a people-pleaser.