Baseus Inspire XH1 vs Sony XM4

Budget pick

Baseus Inspire XH1

Most buyers: battery, calls and a new pair for about $100

Check price on AmazonTypical price: $100–$150

VS

Upgrade pick

Sony WH-1000XM4

Noise cancelling first: buy it renewed for about $170 or less

Check price on AmazonTypical price: $325–$399

I’d buy the Baseus Inspire XH1 new at about $100 over the Sony XM4, because it beats the XM4 on battery, calls and price. I’d buy an XM4 only renewed, at about $170 or less, and only if noise cancelling matters more to you than battery life and calls.

Baseus Inspire XH1 vs Sony XM4 pits a 2025 budget headphone against Sony’s 2020 flagship. The XH1 is the Baseus Inspire XH1 (model A02036, its first and only generation), launched in September 2025 at $149.99. The XM4 is the Sony WH-1000XM4, the fourth generation of Sony’s 1000X over-ears, launched in August 2020 at $349.99.

Sony’s side changed this fall. On October 9, 2026, Sony’s US store listed every WH-1000XM4 color out of stock, new units on Amazon US came only from third-party sellers at $325 to $399, and Sony was selling a separate refresh, the WH-1000XM4C, for $299.99. The XH1 sold for $99.99 on Amazon the same day. So the real choice is a new XH1 at about $100 or a used or renewed XM4 at roughly $150 to $230.

My full Baseus Inspire XH1 review covers the XH1 on its own, and my budget headphone picks cover everything else. You can also read how I judge headphones and how this site makes money.

Baseus Inspire XH1 vs Sony XM4: the quick answer

My pick for each kind of buyer, at October 2026 prices:

• Most people, with about $100 to spend: the XH1, new at $110 or less.
• Flights, trains and windy commutes: the XM4, renewed at about $170 or less. It has the lab-measured noise cancelling.
• Office calls and video meetings: the XH1. The XM4’s mic makes you sound thin and muffled.
• Fewest trips to the charger: the XH1, which reviewers ran for 48 to 55 hours with ANC on.
• Android with LDAC on two devices at once: the XH1. The XM4 drops to AAC or SBC in multipoint.
• iPhone: the XH1. Both fall back to AAC, so price, battery and calls decide it.
• Packing into a small bag: the XM4, which folds inward into a compact case.
• Sound first, price second: the XM4, by a small margin.

Specs side by side

Every Baseus figure above is a Baseus claim, including the “-48 dB” noise-cancelling depth on its Amazon listing. The 65-hour ANC-on battery figure comes from Amazon and Best Buy listings and launch copy; the baseus.com spec block lists only 100 hours with ANC off. The XH1 is also the heavier pair, 275 g against 254 g per both makers. Its measured-battery cell stays empty because no lab has run it down; two reviewers have, and their numbers are in the battery section.

Price and value: can you still buy a new WH-1000XM4?

Not at a sensible price. Sony’s US store lists the WH-1000XM4 at $349.99, but all three colors were out of stock on October 9, 2026, and Amazon.com itself sold no new unit. New XM4s on Amazon US came only from third-party sellers, two of the three as “International Version” listings. Best Buy had a new one only from a Marketplace seller, at $494.99. 9to5Google called buying a brand-new XM4 “borderline impossible” when the XM4C launched.

Sony calls the WH-1000XM4C the M4 2nd Gen. It keeps the XM4’s QN1 processor and four-mic noise cancelling, while Sony lists 40 mm drivers, Bluetooth 6.0, a 10-band EQ and a shorter battery claim of 27 hours with ANC on. None of its specs apply to the XM4 on this page, but its price sets a ceiling. A new original XM4 that costs more than Sony’s own new XM4C is a bad buy.

Used or renewed, check three things before you pay. A secondhand XM4 can carry years of charge cycles on its battery, and Amazon’s owner summary rates XM4 battery life as mixed. Make sure the listing includes the case. And read the seller’s return window and repair terms, because on the renewed Silver listing Amazon’s owner summary mentions some units breaking within three months.

Winner on price and value: the XH1. It sold for $99.99 new on October 9, 2026, with Baseus’s 24-month warranty (per its manual). The cheapest XM4 worth considering cost at least $60 more renewed that day, with an aging battery.

Sound quality

Both pairs lean on bass. The XM4’s tuning has more lab data behind it, and the XH1’s changes with its noise-cancelling mode, which is why owners describe it so differently.

The XM4 is warm out of the box. RTINGS measured a heavy bass lift of about 5 dB with balanced treble. SoundGuys found a similar bass lift plus extra treble between roughly 3 and 10 kHz, and in a 2025 comparison heard boominess around 100 to 200 Hz and cymbals that turn shrill over long sessions (6:13). What Hi-Fi gave it five stars for sound.

The XH1 ships with a “Sound by Bose” preset, a tuning Baseus licenses from Bose. Bose’s part covers the sound only, not the noise cancelling (CEONTHEMAKING at 4:11). The XH1 sounds warm and lightly V-shaped, with strong bass and treble that lacks sparkle, and even the 8-band EQ can’t give the treble much extension. Switch noise cancelling on and the sound gets a noticeable boost over Normal and Transparency modes, with deeper, fuller bass (2:07 in the CEONTHEMAKING video below).

That mode shift explains why owners disagree. One owner of both pairs says the XM4’s bass is deeper and punchier and calls the XH1’s solid and balanced, even with bass boost on. An XM4 owner who switched says the XH1 sounds close, only a bit more bass-heavy, even with bass boost off. A third XH1 owner, who heard the XM4 and XM5 only on store display, rates the XH1’s sound below them. DHRME publishes an overlay of both measured frequency responses, and its label for the XH1 curve says ANC, the Sound by Bose preset and Bass Boost were all on.

Winner on sound: the XM4, narrowly. It has lab measurements behind it, and two of the three owners who heard both rank its sound or bass higher. The XH1 gets close for much less money, so I wouldn’t pay the difference for sound alone.

Noise cancelling

The XM4 is the stronger noise canceller, especially on low rumble. No lab has published ANC numbers for the XH1 (RTINGS hasn’t reviewed it and DHRME’s ANC lab doesn’t include it), so its side rests mostly on reviewers and owners.

The XM4’s noise isolation is outstanding, and it cuts engine rumble especially well. In RTINGS’ archived results from an older test bench, it cut airplane noise by 23.51 dB, office noise by 22.93 dB and street noise by 26.02 dB. In the 2025 video below on Sony’s last three flagships, the XM4 beat the newer WH-1000XM6 on bass-range isolation (3:09), scored 9.7 in the common-scenarios test behind the XM6’s 9.9, and was the only one of the three with a wind-noise reduction feature, which showed in its wind results (4:10). SoundGuys measured about 84% less perceived outside noise.

The XH1’s noise cancelling is fine on hum and weaker on voices, and reviewers split on how good it is overall. Digital Trends says it handles low drones but lets sirens and chatter through. WIRED found it almost as effective as the Sennheiser Accentum Plus and Sony ULT Wear, two pairs that list around $250. SlashGear wore it on two transatlantic flights and couldn’t cut engine noise enough to follow movie dialogue. CEONTHEMAKING calls the ANC middle of the pack for the price (from 4:11). Consumer Reports locks its scores, but its public notes call the noise reduction excellent, strongest in the lows, which is the generous end of the range.

Owners split too. The owner of both pairs who prefers the XM4’s bass rates the XH1’s ANC and transparency slightly better than the XM4’s. The XM4 owner who switched says the XH1 removed car and road noise, but voices still leak through in the office. An XH1 owner who came from the Sony WH-1000XM5 and Bose 700 scored its ANC a 5 or 6 out of 10, against 9 for Sony and Bose. On Amazon, 33 of 39 noise-cancellation mentions are positive.

Neither pair wins on transparency mode. The XH1’s switches off during calls, and three reviewers report hiss in it (2:06 in The Consumer’s Friend’s video), though WIRED calls it natural. The XM4 has a 20-step Ambient Sound mode plus Quick Attention, but Sony’s ambient sound comes across somewhat boxy (5:12 in the XM4/XM5/XM6 video below).

Winner on noise cancelling: the XM4. It has the lab numbers, the best wind result of Sony’s last three flagships and the strongest evidence on engine rumble. If you fly often, let this category decide it.

Comfort, fit and build

The XM4 weighs 254 g and the XH1 275 g. The XM4 folds inward into its case. The XH1’s cups swivel flat and its arms fold, but its case takes the headphones only unfolded (1:03), which one owner also points out.

Of Sony’s XM4, XM5 and XM6, the XM4 is the most comfortable, with a secure fit that puts little pressure on your ears (7:47). SoundGuys’ own five-year-old pair still had plush pads (1:35), but the earcups are smaller and shallower than the XM5’s or Bose’s (5:13). The XM4 also traps heat and can slip with moderate movement.

The XH1 is comfortable, and 46 of 50 Amazon comfort mentions say so. Fit draws the complaints. Of 40 fit mentions, 24 are negative, mostly about a light clamp that lets it slide when you tilt your head, lie down or exercise, and other owners report the same slipping. The cups get warm, and one reviewer noticed the heat after about an hour. Even so, the XM4 owner who switched says the XH1 left no sweat on the pads where the XM4 always did. That’s one owner, but it fits with the XM4’s habit of trapping heat. Owners also split on the XH1’s cup size. Two call the cups a little small for big ears, and two others with large ears say they fit fine.

Neither pair has an IP rating from its maker. Sony says the XM4 isn’t waterproof, and Baseus lists no rating for the XH1. Two reviews quote IP66 for the XH1, but that’s the rating Baseus gives its Inspire XC1 earbuds.

Winner on comfort and fit: the XM4, narrowly. It’s lighter, it’s the most comfortable of Sony’s last three flagships, and it packs smaller. If your ears run hot, the XH1 may suit you better, but expect to push it back into place now and then.

Calls and microphones

The XH1 has the better mic. Baseus claims five mics with AI noise reduction, and owners back it up. The owner of both pairs who prefers the XM4’s bass says the XH1’s call quality beats the XM4’s, and another XH1 owner kept it over Sony’s XM series for online meetings because of the mic, though that owner compared them only in a store. In quieter settings the XH1 carries your voice more steadily than the Soundcore Space One Pro, though it fades in very loud noise. In DHRME’s Baseus-sponsored test, the mic stayed clear at about 70 dB of background noise (14:32) but cut out in wind (15:03).

The XM4’s mic is disappointing. It makes your voice sound thin and muffled, and while it’s adequate in quiet rooms, it struggles against busy backgrounds. A four-year owner lists the weak mic among their complaints.

Winner on calls: the XH1. If you take meetings on your headphones, the mic is the XM4’s weakest point and one of the XH1’s best.

Battery: claims vs measured

Battery is the XH1’s biggest win. Baseus claims 100 hours with ANC off (at 50% volume, Bass Boost and Dolby off) and, on its Amazon and Best Buy listings, 65 hours with ANC on. Its launch release claims 10 minutes of charging gives about 12 hours.

No lab has timed the XH1, but two reviewers ran it down. CNET got about 48 hours with ANC on, and Galaxus got about 55 hours with ANC on and about 70 with it off. Owners line up with that. The XM4 owner who switched still had 70% left after two five-hour road trips and three office days, mostly with ANC on, and 33 of 36 Amazon battery mentions are positive.

Sony claims 30 hours with ANC on and 38 with it off over AAC or SBC. With ANC on, that drops to 24 hours with LDAC and 16 with LDAC plus DSEE Extreme (Sony Help Guide). Ten minutes of charging gives about five hours with a 1.5 A adapter (Sony). The labs disagree on the XM4. RTINGS measured 37.7 hours on its older bench (its current page says over 37), while SoundGuys measured 19 hours 59 minutes. Test settings may explain the gap, but nobody has confirmed the cause, so I’d plan around Sony’s 30. A used or renewed XM4 also carries years of charge cycles; Amazon’s owner summary rates its battery life as mixed, and one long-term owner reports losing a few hours of runtime. Neither headphone plays while charging (Sony for the XM4, 12:58 in DHRME’s Baseus-sponsored video for the XH1).

Winner on battery: the XH1, by a wide margin. Even the lower reviewer figure, about 48 hours with ANC on, beats Sony’s 30-hour claim for a new XM4, and the XH1’s battery comes new.

App, features and codecs

iPhone or Android?

Both pairs support SBC, AAC and LDAC, and neither has aptX (Sony’s codec list; Baseus). The XH1 uses Bluetooth 6.1 and the XM4 Bluetooth 5.0. Both include a 3.5 mm cable and play passively with the power off, though the XH1 sounds thin that way. Neither does USB-C audio.

Multipoint and gaming

Both connect to two devices at once, but only the XH1 keeps LDAC while it does. The XM4 turns LDAC off in multipoint and falls back to AAC or SBC (Sony Help Guide; video at 4:25). The XH1 kept LDAC on with a Samsung phone and an iPhone connected in DHRME’s Baseus-sponsored video (17:06), and a January 2026 owner reports the same. XM4 owners have complained about multipoint switching for years (one 2023 complaint drew 89 upvotes), and Sony’s firmware notes list a fix for repeated reconnects with two devices.

Neither is a gaming headset. Baseus lists an 80 ms Low Latency Mode, but it can’t run at the same time as LDAC (12:28), and one owner calls the lag slightly noticeable in a slow game. The XM4’s latency is likely too high for wireless gaming.

Wear sensor, controls and auto-off

The XM4 has a proximity sensor that pauses music when you take it off, a touch panel on the right earcup, Quick Attention and Speak-to-Chat (Sony Help Guide). Speak-to-Chat is touchy enough that it can pause a podcast when you chuckle (3:53), but you can switch it off. The XH1 uses physical buttons only and has no wear sensor, and the XM4 owner who switched misses auto-pause at the office.

Don’t count on the XH1 switching itself off. Digital Trends says it powers off after inactivity, but that switching owner couldn’t find a setting and found the XH1 still on in its case, and Baseus’s manual and quick start guide don’t mention it. The app does have a sleep timer (CEONTHEMAKING at 3:40).

Spatial audio, EQ and the apps

The XH1’s Dolby Audio isn’t worth switching on. It has Music and Cinema modes and no head tracking, both modes sound bad, and turning Dolby on replaces your custom EQ and Bass Boost. The XM4 supports Sony’s 360 Reality Audio and DSEE Extreme upscaling, and its app has a 5-band EQ plus Clear Bass against the XH1’s 8 bands. The Baseus app works in guest mode for most features, but Find My (17:38) and SoundFit (6:45) both need a sign-in, per two Baseus-sponsored videos. Sony’s app is now Sony Sound Connect, so ignore guides that still call it Headphones Connect.

Winner on app and features: the XH1. Newer Bluetooth, LDAC that survives multipoint and the finer EQ beat the XM4’s extras for most people. The XM4 takes this category only if auto-pause matters more to you than codecs.

Durability and what owners report

Hinges are the weak point on both pairs. Two owners who have used both compared them directly. The first (October 2025) prefers the XM4’s bass but rates the XH1 better on design, battery, comfort and Bluetooth, “especially if you get them on sale”. The second gave up on a four-year-old XM4 over creaking earcup hinges and hot ears, paid $110 for the XH1 on Amazon, and reports loose hinges and slightly small cups on the new pair.

The XH1 holds 4.4 stars from 475 Amazon ratings. Owners praise its comfort and battery and aim their complaints at the fit. Two reviewers and that switching owner all describe loose hinges, and one owner’s inner hinge loosened (Baseus refunded them). Owners report no other failure pattern, though the XH1 has been on sale only since September 2025. Buzzing in some ANC modes, Windows hands-free mic trouble and a wind setting that resets after power-off are single reports so far.

The XM4’s Black listing holds 4.6 stars from 42,864 Amazon ratings; owners praise sound and noise cancelling and split on Bluetooth connectivity, battery life, comfort and value. Long-term owners report creaking hinges, pads that peel or flatten after a few years, and a high-pitched squeal from one earcup with ANC on, which at least four owners describe. Sony US offers a flat $99.99 (plus tax) headband repair for the XM4 and XM5. The XH1’s cushions are replaceable, but Baseus doesn’t list spare pads for sale.

Winner on durability: the XH1. It’s new, it carries a 24-month warranty, and owners haven’t reported a failure pattern yet. A used XM4 arrives with its known squeal, hinge and pad issues already a few years along.

Value receipts, pros and cons

Each receipt sums up the evidence above and names the price where I’d buy.

Baseus Inspire XH1

The XH1 earns a buy stamp at $110 or less.

Sony WH-1000XM4

The XM4 is worth buying only renewed, and only at about $170 or less.

Two videos worth your time

The first video below measures the XM4’s noise cancelling against the XM5 and XM6 but doesn’t test the XH1. The second, CEONTHEMAKING’s review, covers the XH1, including how its sound shifts with ANC on, and compares it with the Bose QC Ultra rather than the XM4. I skipped the one clip that pairs these two, because it plays music samples and gives no verdict.

Video review

Video review

Alternatives if neither fits

All prices in this section are from October 9, 2026.

Sony WH-1000XM4C (M4 2nd Gen), $299.99 new. It keeps the XM4’s design and QN1 noise cancelling, adds Bluetooth 6.0 and a 10-band EQ, and sells new from Sony, which claims less battery for it (27 hours with ANC on). Above it sits the WH-1000XM6 ($459.99 list), Sony’s strongest canceller, though it’s only marginally ahead of the XM4 on overall isolation.

Soundcore Space One Pro, $139.99 (list $199.99). Its isolation is excellent and RTINGS measured 36.1 hours of battery, but the mic muffles your voice in moderate noise. My XH1 vs Soundcore Space One Pro comparison has the details.

Sony ULT Wear, $129.95 to $148. Its ANC is excellent, it lasted 44 hours with ANC on in RTINGS’ test, and it’s one of the best ANC headphones under $200 for calls. Owners report cracked hinges, and Sony repairs early serial numbers free until January 2027.

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2023), $169 on a Bose sale ending October 11, 2026 (list $359). Its noise isolation is amazing, but it supports only SBC and AAC and its mic is mediocre. See the XH1 vs Bose QuietComfort Headphones comparison.

Sony WH-CH720N, $72 to $88. Sony replaced it with the WH-CH730N in September 2026, but it still sells new. On the same RTINGS bench it cut airplane noise by 10.9 dB against 23.5 dB for the XM4. Read more about the cheaper Sony WH-CH720N.

Soundcore Space Q45, renewed only at $99.99 to $129.99. It’s still one of the best budget noise cancellers. See my Soundcore Space Q45 review and XH1 vs Space Q45.

Bigger budgets. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen) cost $369 on a sale ending October 11 ($449 regular); see XH1 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra (2nd Gen). The Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless runs $199.99 to $229.95, and RTINGS measured 62 hours of battery; see XH1 vs Sennheiser Momentum 4.

Which should you buy?

The price decides more than the specs (October 2026 prices throughout). At $130 to $150 the XH1 loses its edge, because the Space One Pro ($139.99) and ULT Wear ($129.95) bring excellent noise cancelling for similar money. Above about $200 for a used XM4, a new ULT Wear or Space One Pro is the better buy, and so is the Bose QuietComfort Headphones while its $169 sale runs. If you want a new Sony flagship-style pair, buy the WH-1000XM4C at $299.99, never a new original XM4 at $325 to $399. Skip both pairs for the gym or competitive gaming. Neither has an IP rating, the XH1 slips, the XM4 traps heat, and neither has low enough wireless latency.

Written by Marius

Audio enthusiast. I've worn a lot of headphones, and I tell you which pair is worth your money and which one isn't.

I check every verdict against lab measurements and long-term owner feedback, and I update pages when prices or models change. How I judge headphones.