Sony WF-1000XM4 edges Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro in audio and noise cancellation

Walk into any electronics store or scroll through a tech review site in mid-2021, and you'll find the same two names dominating conversations about premium wireless earbuds: Sony's WF-1000XM4 and Samsung's Galaxy Buds Pro. Both are flagship products, each representing the best their respective companies have to offer. The question isn't whether either is good—both are genuinely excellent. The question is which one deserves your money, and the answer depends entirely on what you value.

Sony has been building its reputation in the wireless earbud space for years, and the WF-1000XM4 represents the culmination of that work. The company made meaningful improvements to its previous generation, shrinking the charging case by roughly 40 percent and slimming down the earbuds themselves to address longtime complaints about fit and comfort. What Sony didn't compromise on is what it does best: active noise cancellation and audio quality. The WF-1000XM4 employ superior microphones on both sides of each earbud, allowing them to capture and filter background noise with a level of sophistication that Samsung's offering simply hasn't matched yet. They also support LDAC, a codec that preserves more audio data during wireless transmission, making them genuinely appealing to people who care about sound fidelity. The Sony Headphones Connect app includes a full equalizer, letting users fine-tune the sound to their preferences rather than choosing from preset options. All of this comes at a price: $278.

Samsung approached the Galaxy Buds Pro differently. Rather than building on a long lineage of earbud development, Samsung was essentially starting fresh in the premium segment, and it packed considerable technology into a smaller form factor than Sony managed. The Galaxy Buds Pro are more durable, with an IPX7 water resistance rating compared to Sony's IPX4—a meaningful advantage for anyone who plans to wear them during workouts or in wet conditions. The charging case is noticeably more compact, and the earbuds themselves offer more flexibility: you can use either the left or right bud alone, whereas Sony restricts single-bud mode to the right side only. Samsung's active noise cancellation is genuinely good, with two adjustable levels and a dynamic ambient mode that intelligently lets outside sound in when you're speaking. For $170, the Galaxy Buds Pro represent a significant value proposition.

Where the two diverge most sharply is in audio customization and ecosystem integration. Sony's audio prowess—the clarity of its soundstage, the precision of its noise cancellation—stems from years of refinement. Samsung is still playing catch-up in this arena, and it shows. The Galaxy Wearable app offers numerous features and customizations, but it stops short of offering manual equalization controls. You get six preset sound profiles and nothing more. For casual listeners, this is fine. For anyone who wants to shape their audio experience, it's a limitation. That said, if you live within Samsung's ecosystem—using Galaxy phones, tablets, and wearables—the Buds Pro offer seamless device switching and exclusive features that Sony simply cannot match.

Battery life is roughly equivalent between the two. Both earbuds deliver about eight hours of playback, and both cases support wireless charging. Samsung's case edges out Sony's by a few hours of total reserve capacity, but the difference is negligible in real-world use. Call quality improved significantly on the WF-1000XM4 compared to its predecessor, and both pairs now perform comparably in this regard. Neither has truly solved the problem of finicky touch controls—both require some getting used to, and both can be frustratingly inconsistent.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 wins on the metrics that matter most to audio enthusiasts: noise cancellation depth, sound clarity, and customization options. The Galaxy Buds Pro win on durability, portability, and value. Neither is a bad choice. The real decision comes down to whether you're willing to pay a premium for superior audio performance and industry-leading noise cancellation, or whether you'd rather save over $100 and accept some trade-offs in exchange for better water resistance and tighter integration with Samsung devices. For most people shopping in this category, either pair will deliver an excellent listening experience. But for those who prioritize sound quality above all else, Sony's pedigree in audio engineering remains difficult to beat.