ANC: Yes
bluetooth: 5.3
Battery (Buttons): 6 hours
App: Yes
Weight: 6.2g per bud
Bose’s high-end wireless earbuds are among the best specified we’ve ever tested. Great ANC, excellent sound quality and a great app give them an edge over the equally excellent Apple AirPods Pro 2. Search around, and you might find them with a deal too…
For
- Exceptional noise reduction
- Beautifully balanced sound
- Excellent levels of detail
In return for
- Battery life can be improved
- No Bluetooth multipoint
- No wireless charging
ANC: Yes
bluetooth: 5.3
Battery (Buttons): 6 hours
App: Yes
Weight: 5.4g per button
The Pro 2 are the first in-ear AirPods to earn five stars from us, so they’re a marked improvement over the originals. They’re great performers and intuitive to use, but some iOS-only features and no customizable ANC modes struggle with Bose.
For
- Clear, detailed, powerful sound
- Excellent noise cancelling
- Intuitive to use
In return for
- Many features are only for iOS
- No adjustable ANC
There are all kinds of cheap wireless earbuds around, but what if you want more premium performance? What if you’re happy – and able – to spend more for the best experience you can get, with extras like noise cancellation, more sound modes, adjustable EQ and everything else? Then you have come to the right place.
The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II and Apple AirPods Pro 2 are two of the best wireless earbuds we’ve ever tested. They are both sequels, allowing both brands to build on their already excellent original pairings. And they both have some of the best noise-canceling features around.
But which one should you buy? Brace yourself, we’re pitting these two five-star buds against each other to see who comes out victorious. Let’s go.
Bose QC Earbuds II vs AirPods Pro 2: price
The Bose and Apple are two of the best wireless earbuds out there, and as such these flagship models don’t come cheap.
The AirPods Pro 2 launched at £249 / $249 / AU$399 and, barring the odd deal, it generally hovers around that level. But they’re certainly affordable compared to the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II, which launched at £280 / $299 / AU$429. That makes the Bose one of the most expensive wireless earbuds – if not the most expensive – we’ve seen.
They’ve since dropped, though they’re still about £10 / $10 / AU$40 more than their Apple rivals. It was not a huge amount at the time, but in this economic climate every penny counts.
**Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 2**
Bose QC Earbuds II vs AirPods Pro 2: design
Bose and Apple have gone for very different styles. The QuietComfort Earbuds II look a bit more industrial to us, while the curvaceous AirPods Pro 2 are more elegant. Which one you prefer is a matter of personal preference – for instance, the Bose comes in two finishes (Triple Black and Soapstone), while the Apple only comes in white.
Most importantly, both are comfortable and stay in your ear. That’s welcome news for anyone who feels the standard AirPods don’t fit – their one-size-fits-all approach can be a bit hit and miss. But there’s no such problem with the AirPods Pro 2 — they come with four earbud sizes, which is one more than the original AirPods Pro (the XS size is new).
The QuietComfort Earbuds II only come with three earbud sizes, but they do have a choice of three stability straps that add a bit more grip to the fit. We found them to be more comfortable than the original QuietComfort earbuds, which had one-piece wing tips instead of the new adjustable straps.
Both the Apple and Bose pairs themselves opt for touch controls on the buttons, and both are intuitive and responsive – and so are their respective mobile apps.
**Winner: Draw**
Bose QC Earbuds II vs AirPods Pro 2: Features
In terms of features, AirPods are always a game of two halves. If you’re an Apple user, great – you get the full range of features, provided you’re using a device with the latest version of the iOS operating system. And if you’re not? You’re missing out on a lot, like full spatial audio with dynamic head tracking, audio sharing, Siri, and more.
The AirPods Pro 2 have an impressive array of features. Highlights? Adaptive Transparency, which reduces sudden loud and loud noises when you use Transparency mode to stay aware of your surroundings. And spatial audio is as effective as ever and can now be adapted to your own ears and head shape. Admittedly, we still find it a bit limited in its use case, particularly stereo – and how often do you want to stay immersed in a movie when you turn your head away from the screen?
Bose’s list of features is a bit shorter. There’s no wireless charging, no spatial audio equivalent, and no multipoint connectivity to connect wirelessly to multiple devices via Bluetooth (the AirPods Pro 2 also don’t have multipoint, but can seamlessly switch between iCloud devices). But Bose has one advantage: they work the same whether you use Android or iOS. For Android users, or anyone looking to use their earbuds on the two platforms, that’s pretty important.
Neither supports hi-res audio codecs like aptX HD or Sony’s LDAC, but they do handle standard SBC and AAC over Bluetooth. This is a little disappointing considering they’re both premium pairs – although it doesn’t seem to have impacted absolute sound quality, as you’ll read below.
What about battery life now? Both pairs will give you six hours of earbud use, but the AirPods Pro 2 will last longer if you add the case to the equation – this adds an extra 24 hours of run time, while the QuietComfort Earbuds 2 case will give you another 18 hours gives.
So it’s a win for the AirPods Pro 2 in this round, with the rather big caveat that you’ll get the most out of them if you pair them with an Apple device.
**Winner: Apple AirPods Pro 2**
Bose QC Earbuds II vs AirPods Pro 2: Noise cancellation
Apple has improved the noise-canceling capabilities of the AirPods Pro 2 over their predecessors, but they still can’t quite match the QuietComfort Earbuds II in this area.
The noise cancellation of the AirPods Pro 2 is noticeably better than the original Pros, with the newer model blocking out twice as much background noise. The repositioning of the acoustic vents creates a comfortable, airy effect that is less ‘shrouded in silence’ than the Bose, while still allowing you to enjoy your music without outside distractions.
One feature sorely missing is the ability to adjust the noise reduction. It’s on or off. While the Transparency mode (and Adaptive Transparency, as mentioned earlier) offers more flexibility in how you listen, it’s nowhere near as advanced as Bose’s system.
This gives you custom ANC modes depending on your situation. Silent mode blocks out all background noise, while Aware mode is essentially the same as Apple’s Transparency. It even has a mode similar to Adaptive Transparency (called ActiveSense) that cuts out loud noises in Aware mode. But where it gets really smart is in adjusting the level of ANC to suit your surroundings, so if you’re listening to a quiet piece of music somewhere quiet, you won’t hear the hiss of ANC in the background.
Bose’s system is simply more effective than Apple’s, silencing the outside world as if it were covered in a blanket of snow. bliss.
**Winner: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II**
Bose QC Earbuds II vs AirPods Pro 2: sound
In-ear AirPods have never been the best-sounding earbuds money can buy, but the AirPods Pro 2 pulls Apple up a level with the competition. They’re the first Apple earbuds to earn five stars from us, and with good reason – they retain Apple’s signature clarity and tonal neutrality while adding more weight, detail and dynamic subtlety.
It’s all thanks to the new high-distortion, high-excursion audio driver, high-dynamic-range transducer and amplifier housed in each earbud. They join forces with the H2 chip’s advanced audio algorithms to create a richer, more powerful sound that results in a captivating, entertaining performance.
There is a great sense of drive. The AirPods Pro 2 are rhythmically nimble and agile, songs flow with an easy fluidity, and they communicate both energetic songs and more contemplative fare with ease.
But the Bose is only a lot better. They sound wonderfully balanced and do not impose their own character on the music. No aspect of their performance stands out – highs don’t sound brash or bright, nor do low frequencies sound lead-footed or laggy.
They display an impressive level of detail, with lots of texture and subtle nuances. There’s also impressive speed and agility on display, which when combined with the dynamic capabilities of the earbuds just makes for a dramatic and engaging performance.
So in terms of sound quality, the QuietComfort Earbuds just pip the AirPods Pro 2. They sound just a little more subtle, more evenly composed, and the sonic character is better balanced across the different ANC modes.
**Winner: Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II**
Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II vs Apple AirPods Pro 2: Verdict
It is near. The AirPods Pro 2 win on price and features, but the QuietComfort Earbuds II take the all-important rounds for noise cancellation and sound quality. In terms of design, it’s a shame.
Overall, we prefer the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II (which is why we’ve given them a 2022 Which Hi-Fi? award for the best wireless earbuds over £200), but not by much. They’re just a little more capable and sophisticated than Apple’s pair, especially if ANC is paramount, while the price is mostly the same. But what’s right for you depends on your situation – if you love your basic AirPods but want to upgrade, you might be better off spending your money on Apple.
Whichever you choose, you’re guaranteed a fantastic listening experience.
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