The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones are reportedly scheduled to be released this week.

At the very least, the teaser page on Sony's Japanese website says August 7 and "wait 4 something exciting." Since Sony is not rumored to be developing any other fourth-generation technology, it is not hard to guess that the number "4" in this sentence is most likely related to the WH-1000XM4 over-ear headphones.

Sony's WH-1000XM4 has been expected to arrive around this time for some time now. Its predecessor is almost two years old, so it is definitely due for an update. From the rumors we've heard so far, an update to the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones is all we can really expect.

The design of the Sony WH-1000XM4 is not expected to change noticeably from the previous generation. The feature set is also expected to be largely the same.

However, the Sony WH-1000XM4 will have the ability to connect to two devices simultaneously using Bluetooth and switch between them on the fly. This should reduce the sometimes tedious task of re-pairing the headphones with another device.

More improvements are expected under the hood of the Sony WH-1000XM4, and the headphones will reportedly feature a new "Precise Voice Pickup" feature. This promises to use five built-in microphones to better detect the wearer's voice when taking a call through the headphones, an area in which the Sony WH-1000XM3 has not always excelled.

Such a microphone array should help facilitate the "smart talking" feature of the headphones. That is, the wearer should be able to talk to someone without having to remove the headphones.

These features should give Sony's WH-1000XM4 the edge it needs to beat the Bose 700, a classic over-ear headphone with active noise cancellation, perfect for voice calls. It also has a clever sound filtering mode that lets you capture the audio you need while filtering out unwanted sounds.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, which are expected to cost about $350, will replace the Sony WH-1000XM3, and retailers are expected to find these cans at discounted prices as they clear out inventory.