Sony's stunning noise cancelling cans are my pick for the best headphones deal of Prime Day

Sony WH-1000XM4 gets a HUGE saving over the newer but not very improved XM5

Sony WH-1000XM4
(Image credit: Sony)
Duncan Bell
By Duncan Bell
last updated

Sony WH-1000XM4 were long acclaimed as the best noise cancelling headphones you can buy. For Amazon Prime Day, you can pick up a pair for just £209 or $228 – almost their lowest ever price on Amazon in both the UK and USA. We don't normally suggest you buy an older model of anything at T3, but their replacement, the WH-1000XM5 costs way more at Amazon, sounds only a little better, and arguably looks worse, with styling that is more 'futuristic', in the mode of Apple AirPods Max/Bose NC700.

WH-1000XM4 are undoubtedly still among the best noise-cancelling headphones you can buy, and at this price they are a steal. In fact the only reason not to buy them is that the aforementioned Bose NC700 are currently in the Amazon Prime Day sale at an even better price. However, having tried both, and having tried every major pair of noise-cancelling headphones put out in the last 10 years, I'd pick the Sony cans, as they have a much bigger and more involving sound than the more 'audiophile' Bose headphones. The noise cancelling performance is like voodoo or something as well – planes, trains and people are all quelled by its wizard's sleeve aural trickery.

Sony WH-1000XM4: £209, was £349 at Amazon UK

Sony WH-1000XM4: £209, was £349 at Amazon UK
A saving of £140 on a pair of the best headphones ever made is not a bad deal, we think you'll agree. Everything about these headphones screams 'premium', from the understated design to the pillowy comfort of the earcups to, of course, the exceptional sound quality and active noise cancelling. You'd be nuts to pay an extra £170 to get the newer model when you can still get your hands on this deal.

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Sony WH-1000XM4: $228, was $350 at Amazon.com

Sony WH-1000XM4: $228, was $350 at Amazon.com
Over in the USA, get a darn tootin' 122 of your American dollars off this exceptional pair of noise cancelling headphones, ya'll. You can share a coffee 'to go', grits and perhaps a pork loin or two, as you enjoy their fine audio. Sorry, our American writers have all gone home, so I am forced to improvise here.

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Why you should buy Sony WH-1000XM4

Sony's flagship WH-1000X active noise cancelling (ANC), over-ear headphones have always been excellent, but the WH-1000XM4 really takes it to the next level. As well as class-leading ANC that was noticeably better than Bose's, these 2020 headphones added multipoint pairing, DSEE Extreme upscaling, conversational awareness and auto-play/pause using a built-in sensor that kicks in when you pull an earcup away from your head.

The touch controls on the headphone casing work well, and there's also app control and voice control via Alexa or Google Assistant. The battery life is up to an insane 30 hours, with just a 10-minute charge giving a further 5 hours of playback.

When it comes to headphones, there is simply nothing to beat Sony WH-1000XM4 at this temptingly low price. 

Read our Sony WH-1000XM4 review to find out more about why we love them so much. Check out our Bose NCH 700 review and you'll find we are pretty enthusiastic about them as well. For me personally though, the big upfront sound of the Sonys crushes the more transparent, less bassy sound of Bose's cans, excellent though they are. The only thing I've heard in this field that's (slightly) better is Bowers & Wilkins PX line of headphones.

Want more? You can read Mike Lowe's pick of the best headphone deals for Prime day and Yasmin Crossland on the best Prime Day deals on T3 5-star products.

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Duncan Bell
Duncan Bell

Duncan is the former lifestyle editor of T3 and has been writing about tech for almost 15 years. He has covered everything from smartphones to headphones, TV to AC and air fryers to the movies of James Bond and obscure anime. His current brief is everything to do with the home and kitchen, which is good because he is an excellent cook, if he says so himself. He also covers cycling and ebikes – like over-using italics, this is another passion of his. In his long and varied lifestyle-tech career he is one of the few people to have been a fitness editor despite being unfit and a cars editor for not one but two websites, despite being unable to drive. He also has about 400 vacuum cleaners, and is possibly the UK's leading expert on cordless vacuum cleaners, despite being decidedly messy. A cricket fan for over 30 years, he also recently become T3's cricket editor, writing about how to stream obscure T20 tournaments, and turning out some typically no-nonsense opinions on the world's top teams and players.

Before T3, Duncan was a music and film reviewer, worked for a magazine about gambling that employed a surprisingly large number of convicted criminals, and then a magazine called Bizarre that was essentially like a cross between Reddit and DeviantArt, before the invention of the internet. There was also a lengthy period where he essentially wrote all of T3 magazine every month for about 3 years. 

A broadcaster, raconteur and public speaker, Duncan used to be on telly loads, but an unfortunate incident put a stop to that, so he now largely contents himself with telling people, "I used to be on the TV, you know."


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