If you want adaptive noise cancelling, wear-detection controls, and flexible wired listening for airplane travel, choose Bowers & Wilkins FP39691; if you need longer stated battery life and conversation-aware controls, choose Sony WH-1000XM4. For an airplane, I’d pick the Bowers & Wilkins for its listening and connection options, while Sony makes a strong case for travelers who prioritize battery endurance.
Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 vs Sony WH-1000XM4 at a Glance
• Sony WH-1000XM4: Up to 30 hours of battery life, quick charging and Speak-to-Chat. Its trade-off is that the supplied information lists wireless connectivity without a headphone jack.
• Choose Bowers & Wilkins if you value its adaptive cancellation, automatic pause-and-resume behavior and wired-listening options.
• Choose Sony if you want longer stated wireless battery life and controls designed to handle brief conversations without removing the headphones.
The Bowers & Wilkins FP39691, also called the PX, is an over-ear wireless headphone with adaptive noise cancellation. Its sensors can pause audio when you lift an ear cup, put the headphones into a sleep state when you set them down, and resume playback when you pick them up. That makes its controls feel oriented around the way people naturally move between listening and paying attention.
For air travel, the PX offers a useful choice of listening modes. Its stated battery life is up to 22 hours with Bluetooth and noise cancellation, up to 29 hours with Bluetooth and cancellation off, and longer when used wired: up to 33 hours with noise cancellation or up to 50 hours without it. A headphone cable is included. Those figures give you a fallback if you would rather listen over a cable, though the Bluetooth-and-ANC figure is the most relevant one for a typical wireless flight.
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-23 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
I’d consider the PX if adaptive cancellation and automatic wear detection appeal more than maximizing wireless endurance. Skip it if your main priority is the longest stated Bluetooth-and-ANC runtime: Sony’s figure is higher. The PX’s 40 mm dynamic drivers, subtly angled for a more natural stereo perspective, and its 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency range are useful design details, but they do not by themselves establish how either headphone will sound to you.
Sony’s WH-1000XM4 is an over-ear wireless headphone with active noise cancellation and Dual Noise Sensor technology. Its headline practical advantage is up to 30 hours of battery life. Sony also lists quick charging: a 10-minute charge is specified to provide up to five hours of playback. That combination suits a traveler who may forget to charge before leaving or who wants fewer charging interruptions on a long trip.
The touch controls cover playback, track changes, volume, voice-assistant activation and calls. Speak-to-Chat automatically lowers the volume during conversations, a potentially handy feature when someone nearby asks a question or you need to speak briefly. It is a different approach from the PX’s lift-an-ear-cup pause behavior: one responds to conversation, while the other relies on movement of the headphones.
Choose Sony if longer stated battery life and conversation-aware controls are your priorities. Its listed connectivity is wireless Bluetooth, and the product information says it is without a headphone jack. That is a meaningful limitation if you specifically want to connect with a cable during a flight. The listed Bluetooth version is 5, while the PX uses Bluetooth 4.1; the figures identify different specifications, but don’t alone tell you which headphone will sound better or cancel more noise in your particular seat.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for longer stated wireless battery life → Sony WH-1000XM4. Sony lists up to 30 hours, compared with up to 22 hours for the PX with Bluetooth and noise cancellation enabled.
• Best if you want automatic pause when adjusting your headphones → Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. Its sensors respond when you lift an ear cup, set the headphones down or pick them up.
• Best for quick charging before heading out → Sony WH-1000XM4. Sony specifies up to five hours of playback from a 10-minute charge.
• Best for lowering audio during a conversation → Sony WH-1000XM4. Speak-to-Chat automatically reduces volume when you speak.
• Best if adaptive noise cancellation is the feature you’re focused on → Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. Its cancellation is described as adjustable to suit your preference.
• Best if you want to compare Bluetooth versions → Sony WH-1000XM4. The listed version is Bluetooth 5, versus Bluetooth 4.1 for the PX. Treat that as a specification difference, not a guarantee of better sound or cancellation.
• Best lightweight wireless headset for airplane travel → neither can be named from the listed weight alone. The supplied weights use different units and refer to product information, not a like-for-like wearing-comfort test. Choose based on the battery and connection features that matter most to you.
One search phrase worth clarifying: these are over-ear headphones, not in-ear models or earbuds. If you’re looking for active noise cancelling in ear headphones for airplane use, or foldable earbuds for airplane travel, neither product matches that form factor. Both are built to sit over the ears.
I’d choose the Bowers & Wilkins FP39691 for an airplane because I value its adaptive cancellation, wear-detection controls and included headphone cable as a flexible combination for travel. Sony is the more compelling pick if longer stated wireless battery life and quick charging matter more to you. My recommendation is specifically for the traveler who wants more than a single wireless-listening setup, not a claim that the PX will sound or cancel noise better for everyone.
Sony lists up to 30 hours of battery life. The PX lists up to 22 hours with Bluetooth and noise cancellation, though its stated figure changes with the listening setup, reaching up to 50 hours wired without cancellation.
For the combination of adaptive cancellation, wear-detection controls and wired listening, I’d choose the Bowers & Wilkins FP39691. Sony is a sensible alternative if you put more weight on its 30-hour battery figure and quick charging.
By comparison, the PX includes a headphone cable and lists wired listening modes.
Both products are over-ear headphones, not earbuds. The supplied details do not establish that either model folds, so I wouldn’t choose one on the assumption that it offers a foldable design.
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