Sony WH-1000XM4 Battery Replacement
By Carsten Frauenheim • Difficulty: Moderate
Introduction

Follow this guide to replace the battery on the Sony WH-1000XM4 wireless headphones.

Most single-celled lithium-ion replacement batteries with the same battery connector should work—as long as they physically fit.

Note: If you’re having battery charging problems, follow this procedure to disassemble your headphones, disconnect the battery for 15 minutes, reconnect it, and see if the problem is fixed before replacing the battery.

To minimize risk of damage, turn on your headphones and allow the battery to fully discharge before starting this procedure. If a charged lithium-ion battery is accidentally punctured, a dangerous and uncontrollable fire may result. If your battery looks puffy or swollen, take extra precautions.

Place the headphones speakers-up
  • Before beginning any repairs, press and hold the power button on the left ear cup for about 2 seconds until the blue light turns off.
  • Place your headphones onto a work surface, ear pads facing up.
Create a gap
  • Use your thumb to depress the RIGHT ear pad near the long outer edge, creating a gap between the cushion and the frame.
Unclip the ear cup
  • Insert the flat end of a spudger into the gap you've created, between the edge of the cushion and the frame.
  • Pivot the spudger down to unclip the long edge of the ear pad.
  • When the first clip disconnects, you'll hear an audible clicking sound.
  • This may take a considerable amount of force. If the cushion won't click out of place, move your spudger to different points along the long edge.
Step 4
  • Repeat the previous step around the perimeter of the ear cup to disconnect the remaining clips.
Remove the ear pad
  • Remove the right ear pad.
Reassembly tip
  • When installing a replacement right ear pad:
  • Align the cushion over the speaker and press them firmly together to snap it into place.
  • Press around the entire edge of the cushion, making sure all the clips have engaged.
Remove the foam liner
  • Remove the foam liner from the right ear cup's speaker.
Remove the ear cup cover screws
  • Use a Phillips screwdriver to remove the four 8.4 mm screws securing the right ear cup cover.
Flip out the cover
  • Flip the headphones over, ear cups facing down.
  • Use your fingers to lift up and flip over the right ear cup cover.
  • Don't try to completely remove the cover just yet—it's still attached with the touch cable.
Remove the right ear cup cover
  • Grip the touch ribbon cable and pull it straight out of its connector on the main board to remove it.
  • Remove the ear cup cover.
Disconnect the battery
  • Warning: Over time, this connector can become brittle. Go slowly, and try to hold the off-white connector to the board as you work. Don't use excessive force, or you risk pulling the connector off of the board and breaking the fragile solder joints.
  • Use a pair of tweezers to grip the edges of the battery connector, and pull up to disconnect it from the main board. If necessary, lever the connector out, or "walk" the tweezer arms side-to-side to release the connector from its socket.
  • Always pull cables by their connectors and not the wires themselves.
Remove the thermal sensor
  • If your replacement battery doesn't come with a thermal sensor preinstalled, you'll need to transfer your old one over from your old battery.
  • Whenever you use tweezers near the battery, be very careful not to puncture the battery.
  • Use a pair of tweezers to peel back the foam and adhesive covering the battery thermal sensor.
  • During reinstallation, make sure the diode on the end of the thermal sensor flex cable is facing up.
Step 13
  • Use a pair of tweezers to pull up on the thermal sensor ribbon cable to disconnect it from the main board.
  • Pull only on the darker pull-tab section of the cable, not the cable itself.
  • Remove the thermal sensor.
Pry up the battery
  • Slide the flat end of a spudger under the top-lefthand corner of the battery.
  • Push the spudger underneath the battery, prying up intermittently to work the battery away from its adhesive.
Remove the battery
  • Remove the battery.
  • Don't reuse the battery after it has been removed, as doing so is a potential safety hazard. Replace it with a new battery.
  • To install a new battery:
  • Remove any remaining adhesive from the battery well.
  • If your replacement battery does not come with replacement adhesive, lay some double-sided tape or pre-cut adhesive strips in the headphone's battery well.
  • Peel away any tape liners to expose the adhesive.
  • Lay the battery on the adhesive and press firmly.
Conclusion

Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.

To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Try some basic troubleshooting or search our Answers community for help.