This leak shows that Sony’s noise-canceling earbuds could fit in your ears better

Sony’s upcoming WF-1000XM4 earbuds may have been shown off in a leak, with a slimmed-down design. The leak from MyDrivers (via MySmartPrice) claims to show the sequel to Sony’s very good WF-1000XM3 — and if it’s real, it seems like a nice design upgrade.

The new purported design does away with the large, Popsicle-stick-like design that sticks out of the user’s ear, and instead goes with a more modern style of bud that fits in your ear — similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Pro.

The leaked image shows a copper accent cylinder that acts as a design flair similar to Sony’s 1000XM3 headphones or its modern, high-end Walkmans. We’ll likely have to wait for an official announcement to find out its purpose — whether it’s a charging port, microphone array for active noise cancellation, or something else entirely. At the moment, though, I can’t help but hope that this leak is real, as these are a considerable improvement over the old model.