On the surface of things, if I’m honest, the Sonys are the clear winner if I’m looking for the earphones that give me the most. It’s truly about sheer dominance if you look at the number of boxes checked. It’s also the smartest choice because of their battery protection mode that ensures me long years of use and bang for my money. It also doesn’t lock me down to a specific phone brand. Even as I write this article, I’m shaking my head at all the advantages the Sonys give. They have no fail points for me personally. I never have to feel like I might need something more when I wear them.
So many choices in the world of audio, but in 2026, only two make sense and are establishing themselves as the pack leaders: the Sony XM6s and the Buds 4 Pro. These two earphones are truly rivals for me. I have both and switch between them every other day. The Sonys provide the most realistic sound, best battery life, multipoint connectivity, best ANC on the market, great phone call quality, voice controls, and Google Assistant voice activation (Buds 4 Pro do this too), read your text messages (Buds 4 Pro do this too), a battery protection mode, and even good hear-through abilities. The Buds 4 Pro provide the most dynamic sound on the market, decent battery life, one of the best fits on the market, and the absolute best voice controls in the history of all Bluetooth.
However, with the Buds 4 Pro, when I’m in very noisy conditions, I always think about the Sonys and wonder if I should put them on. Or when I have my laptop out, I think about connecting the Buds 4 Pro to it, but then I remember I have to disconnect my phone first, which I don’t have to do with the Sonys. And of course, during those really long sessions, I consider battery life and even longevity. Samsung Buds, for me in the past, have always lost their charge efficiency after about a year. All of a sudden, the battery drops from 100-97% in 2 minutes of a song, or quicker as time degrades the battery.
I guess it’s time for the truth and to be honest as I write this article. The Buds 4 Pro’s voice control command system (without command words) and the convenience of the comfort are honestly the ONLY reasons that keep me coming back to the Buds Pro. Other than that, I wouldn’t even think about using the Buds 4 Pro over the Sonys. I actually respect the Sonys more because they didn’t just lazily copy Apple; they created a more universal design for all phones. They also fit my ears just fine. I don’t even suggest the Buds 4 Pro over the Sonys to others unless the Sonys don’t fit you AND you have a Samsung phone. I’m always telling others that the Sonys are the best “checked the box” earphone on the market today. And while the Samsung Buds 4 Pro are really convenient, have really nice dynamics in sound, and have the gimmick feature with the voice commands, they don’t match the Sonys in all other areas. Sonys sound more realistic, and their timbre is more true to life. The ANC is flat-out next level, along with amazing battery life and battery protection options. It just makes them more desirable for most people, but once again, as long as they fit your ears, of course.
At the end of the day, I have both the Samsung Buds 4 Pro and XM6s, and I think there is worth found in both. However, there is nothing I can say about them that doesn’t quantify that the Sonys are easily better if you’re counting scores. Only when things like the fit, voice commands, or just flat-out preferences come into play do other choices make sense. If you like matching your Samsung-branded items, nobody can tell you to buy Sonys. If you love L-shaped earphones, the Sonys can do backflips and fix you a sandwich at the same time, and it will mean nothing to you. So ultimately, it’s always up to you. But for me, it’s just overwhelming, and no matter what I do and how much I find the voice controls useful, the Sonys just do more.
Tech-N-Things 