Apex ANC earbuds
They aren’t the prettiest, but it’s what’s inside that makes them superstars.
My time with Sony’s latest made it abundantly clear to me that the model name “WF-1000…” should stand for “Works For 1000 different uses,” so I highly recommend the Sony WF-1000XM6 if you’re in the market for a pair of “do-it-all” buds with nearly non-existent compromises.
Pros
- Clarity, nuanced sound
- LDAC hi-res audio
- Beautiful bass
- Smart geo-location features
- Excellent offline voice controls
- Superior isolation and ANC
Cons
- Price
- IPX4 rated
- Eartip selection
Samsung
Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
Samsung’s best got better!
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro produced noteworthy sonics, but this time it’s even better, leaving me nodding my head to the beat, a gesture that can now answer your incoming calls. They have better ANC, and have fixed a potential charging flaw, making the new Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro the best buds on the market for those in the Samsung ecosystem.
Pros
- Great sound with SSC UHQ codec
- Great clarity and detail retrieval
- Cost vs market leaders
- Onboard voice/gesture controls
Cons
- Limited ear tips sizes
- No true multipoint
- A newer Samsung device is needed for full functionality
Samsung’s latest Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are, without a doubt, the best flagship earbuds they’ve put out to date. They tick so many boxes that I said they’re the best active noise-canceling earbuds you can buy if you’re a newer Samsung Galaxy phone owner. Even if you aren’t, given their price, great sound quality, and smart features like offline voice controls, they may be worth the purchase if you have an older or non-Samsung phone.
Then, I got my hands on the Sony WF-1000XM6, and whoa! Like Samsung’s Buds 4 Pro, Sony’s XM6s are the best flagship earbuds they’ve put out, to date! They listened to customer feedback, improved on what was already arguably market-leading ANC, and made their earbuds even smarter than before! All of that comes at a cost, though. You’d spend $80 more than the Buds 4 Pro, but would it be worth it?
Let’s flesh out the differences and help you make the choice that makes the most sense for you!
Sony WF-1000XM6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Beauty and the beats
Right out of the box, Samsung’s offering is more visually appealing, and though both give you only two color options in big chain stores, Samsung.com and Samsung Experience Stores have a gorgeous, exclusive Pink Rose colorway you can buy!
The industrial design of the Buds 4 Pro, with their stem-style design featuring metal-accented stems and polymer buds, looks more stylish than the bulbous, jellybean-shaped WF-1000XM6. Even the Buds 4 Pro’s case is a more visually interesting piece of hardware.
Sony eventually released a Smoky Pink color for the WF-1000XM5, and they have multiple color options for other earbuds, so it’s a safe bet that if you aren’t in a rush, you may eventually be able to get your XM6 in something other than black or platinum silver.
Today, though, I’ll give the edge to Samsung for the buds’ and case’s style appeal.
Suffering for one’s fashion only applies to clothes and footwear. Earbuds are a different beast. They may look amazing, but if they aren’t comfortable, you’re less likely to wear them regularly.
That wasn’t the case for me. I prefer the foam ear tips on Sony’s offering more because the oval silicone tips on the Buds 4 Pro, as comfortable as they were, weren’t as comfortable in my ears. The foam ear tips also have better passive noise cancellation.
That said, I’ve been browsing the web for user posts, and it appears the XM6’s fit and size can be polarizing compared to the Buds 4 Pro. This is despite Sony offering an additional set of ear tips to help you get the right fit.
Some users said the XM6 looked huge in their ears, even though they didn’t have small ears. Personally, I don’t care how large they look in my ears as long as they don’t feel huge and have a big sound.
|
Categories |
Sony WF-1000XM6 |
Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro |
|---|---|---|
|
Conectivity |
Bluetooth® 5.3, Multipoint support |
Bluetooth® 6.1, Auto Switch |
|
Drive units |
8.4mm “Unique” driver |
Enhanced 2-way (11mm Super Wide Woofer + 5.5mm Planar Tweeter) |
|
Codec support |
SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3 w/Auracast |
SSC (Samsung Seamless Codec) HiFi, SSC UHQ (Samsung Proprietary), AAC, SBC, LC3 w/Auracast |
|
Waterproofing |
IPX4 |
IP57 |
|
Battery life |
Up to 8 hours / Total up to 22 hours (ANC on) Up to 12 hours / Total up to 30 hours (ANC off) |
Up to 6 hours / Total up to 26 hours (ANC on) Up to 7 hours / Total up to 30 hours (ANC off) |
|
Charging |
USB-C, wireless charging; Fast charging 5min = 60min playback |
USB-C, wireless charging; Fast charging 5min = 60min playback |
|
App support |
Android, iOS |
Android |
|
Audio tuning |
10-band EQ (app), Sony DSEE Extreme |
9-band EQ (app) |
|
Microphone |
8 mics total |
6 mics total |
|
Colors |
Black, Platinum Silver |
Black, White, Pink Gold (Online, Samsung Experience Stores only) |
Sony WF-1000XM6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Which is the better “daily driver?”
Both earbuds’ companion apps are very robust, making daily use intuitive and easy. That said, their onboard controls are different, which will be an important consideration for some. The Buds 4 Pro feature touch and pressure-sensitive stems, while Sony offers only touch-based controls.
That said, I found both sets of controls worked almost effortlessly during use, and the only advantage I’d give to Samsung is for gym-goers. You’ll never have to worry about wet hands with pressure controls.
It’s a bit of a wash, though, because while both earbuds offer excellent offline voice controls, Sony gives you a more extensive set of things you can control via offline commands, so your need to touch them is greatly diminished.
One last note on moisture affecting your earbuds’ operation: You’ll also have less to worry about with the Samsung earbuds getting wet, because they provide a submersible IP57 water and dust ingress protection, while Sony offers lesser protection with a splash-resistant IPX4 rating.
I’m somewhat of a big dude (6’, 225lbs), so both earbuds’ cases fit well in the coin pockets of my jeans. For smaller folk, I can see the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro being a better fit for less spacious pockets.
With Samsung, you’re going to need to pull that case out of your pocket more frequently for charging. In my testing, I was getting roughly six hours of use, while Sony was getting around eight.
Both pairs of earbuds offer fast charging, so you can top up quickly if you need to hit the gym after a long day of battery-draining usage. If you need enough power to get you through long days, Sony is the clear winner here.
Sony WF-1000XM6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Which one sounds better, though?
Sound quality should be the most important feature of a pair of earbuds, but when I talk to people, it seems to take a backseat to the features I’ve explored above. Both pairs of earbuds deliver solid sound signatures, with each offering the best sound reproduction in its line to date. That said, Sony gets the win for its default sound profile.
With the default settings, Sony handles dynamics better than Samsung. If you play with Samsung’s excellent presets (Dynamic, for instance) or the robust EQ, you get much closer to Sony. When listening to the Charles Mingus track, “Moanin’,” the Buds 4 Pro muddle the sounds together during the most frenetic parts of the song, as I said in my full review. Sony handles the load more deftly, providing solid instrument separation despite the melee of brass bombarding your auditory senses.
The other issue here is the choice of device. Sony includes the hi-res LDAC codec, in addition to SBC and AAC, while Samsung offers its proprietary Samsung Seamless Codec (SSC and SSC UHQ), which only works with more recent Samsung phones. Both earbuds support LE Audio with Auracast. That means Android users get broader support for the best possible audio quality from Sony. In addition, Sony has true multipoint, which Samsung lacks.
Sony’s handling dynamics are better than Samsung’s, also extending to ANC quality. They’re both strong, but the WF-1000XM6 cancels more sound at the low and high ends of the frequency spectrum. Part of the reason is that Sony has eight microphones to Samsung’s six, so it captures more ambient sound data. This disparity in microphones also shows up in call quality. Though both have bone conduction sensors, Sony handles call quality better in more dynamic conditions, such as on a windy day.
Sony WF-1000XM6 vs. Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: Which should you buy?
For $80 less, and despite the fact that the WF-1000XM6 is better at many things than the Buds 4 Pro, when you add in the ecosystem tie-in to Samsung devices, it’s the all-around better choice for those invested in the Samsung ecosystem.
For everyone else, Sony has better ANC, voice controls, sound, and battery life. Without Samsung’s ecosystem to contend with, Sony wins.
Apex ANC earbuds
My time with Sony’s latest made it abundantly clear to me that the model name “WF-1000…” should stand for “Works For 1000 different uses,” so I highly recommend the Sony WF-1000XM6 if you’re in the market for a pair of “do-it-all” buds with nearly non-existent compromises.
Samsung
Galaxy Buds 4 Pro
Samsung’s best got better!
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 3 Pro produced noteworthy sonics, but this time it’s even better, leaving me nodding my head to the beat, a gesture that can now answer your incoming calls. They have better ANC and a Buds 3 Pro charging-flaw fix, making the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro the best buy for those in the Samsung ecosystem.