Sony's WH-1000XM4 headphones became a benchmark in the noise-canceling market when they arrived in fall 2020. At that time, Sony and Bose were locked in an ongoing competition to build better noise-canceling models with each new release.

The XM4s earned their reputation through strong sound performance, competitive active noise cancellation, and a compact design that made them popular for travel and daily use. The headphones maintained a top position on best headphones lists for years after launch.