Leaked images of the highly anticipated Sony WF-1000XM4 earbuds reveal an all-new design that rivals the AirPods Pro and Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.

Reddit user Key_Attention4766 posted what appears to be a photo of the packaging box sleeve of a true wireless earphone, showing not only a major redesign of the current Sony WF-1000XM3, but also a six-hour battery life and It also shows the return of active noise cancellation (ANC).

A seemingly sleeker and much more compact design is the big news here. The Sony WF-1000XM3 remains one of the best wireless earbuds you can buy today, but this leak suggests that Sony has listened to complaints about its bud-heavy size.

As with any unverified leak, these photos should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism; as The Walkman Blog points out, the WF-1000XM4 branding in the main image does not match the typeface used on previous Sony headphone packaging.

However, the photo showing the battery level information uses the same battery graphics and typeface as the WF-1000XM3 packaging. Also, this picture shows the Hi-Res Audio badge on the side, which is not on the WF-1000XM3 box. So we can at least say that it is not just a cropped photo of an older model.

Thus, the design of the WF-1000XM3 earphones in the main image is worth a look, even if one is somewhat skeptical.

Like the WF-1000XM3, the XM4 earphones appear to use removable in-ear tips, but the similarities end there.

The main casing of the earphones is noticeably rounder and smaller than the WF-1000XM3, looking more like a flatter version of Samsung's Galaxy Buds Pro. There is no AirPods Pro-style stalk, so the flat circular area is almost certainly a touch sensor

The upper part of the device is a bit more flattened.

There is what appears to be a microphone grill at the top, and a mysterious golden cylinder protruding from the Buds buttons. This appears to be a little too small to be a control dial, so it could be a separate external microphone dedicated to active noise cancellation.

The eartips also look rather chunky, suggesting that they are made of foam; the WF-1000XM3 uses thin silicone tips.

Battery life is listed at 6 hours, and although this accessory is not pictured, it can be used for an additional 18 hours from the charging case. This is the same for both WF-1000XM3s, which raises the question of whether this is a copy/paste of existing packaging elements. It would be strange to use a completely different font for the product name just for the battery life information.

It is too early to say for sure what this will look like on Sony's WF-1000XM4, but a smaller design is definitely on Sony's wish list for the next True Wireless Bud. We hope to see supporting evidence by the end of this year.