Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
An issue that has slowly reared its head over the lifespan of Sony’s otherwise excellent WF-1000XM4 earbuds is one centered around battery drain. As I mentioned in my review of the brand-new WF-1000XM5, a significant number of people who bought the company’s last flagship earbuds have encountered this problem — to the point that the Sony Headphones subreddit has done a painstaking job of documenting it.
Although there’s never been a recall or official replacement program, Sony seems well aware of the issue by now. And at least in the United States, customers often have a relatively easy time getting a replacement pair of 1000XM4 earbuds under warranty (or sometimes even out of warranty). Obtaining a new set in other countries can be…