Airpods Pro Vs. Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds: Which Is Better And Why?

If you’re looking for a new pair of earbuds, this blog will compare and contrast two popular options: the Bose Quietcomfort Earbuds Vs Airpods Pro. The comparisons will include price, durability, battery life, sound quality, and more. Which option is best for you?

If money isn’t an issue for you, go ahead and buy whichever sounds better because they’re both great products. But if budget matters, then keep reading below!

Bose Quietcomfort Vs Airpods Pro: Quick Comparison

Both models

• Great comfort for long terms listening sessions
• Reliable Bluetooth connection
• Premium construction quality
• Housing that is sweatproof (IPX4)
• Multipoint support
• SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs

The Differences

Bose Sport Earbuds

• Stable, comfortable, and more secure
• No Transparency or noise cancelling.
• Bluetooth 5.1 is future-proofing.
• Five h/charge – 10h per case
• Basic customization, proximity sensor, decent mic
• Deep bass and a larger soundstage.

Apple AirPods Pro

• It’s comfortable, but not the best for sports.
• Transparency mode and active noise cancelling
• Bluetooth 5.0
• Five h/charge – 19h per case
• Dolby Atmos, excellent microphones, EQ on iOS and Dolby Vision, ear scanning
• Solid bass, clearer, and good sound, and better vocal clarity

Price

AirPods Pro, Apple’s premium wireless earbuds, are not cheap. The current price is PS249 (AU$399). However, you might be able to find an AirPods Pro discount and save as much as 20% on the RRP.

They are also available for free to students who purchase certain Macs or iPads. For more information, visit the Apple website.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are only PS1 less expensive in the UK, at PS250. However, they cost $20 more in America at $280. They might be available at a slight discount, but they have had very few significant savings over their lifespan.

Battery Life

Wireless devices need to be charged. The AirPods Pro has a 24-hour battery and is among the longest-lasting wireless devices.

Of course, you won’t get all 24 hours in one charge. The five-hour battery of the buds is sufficient; the included wireless charging case can provide 19 hours through multiple charges.

Although you won’t be able to listen for 24 hours straight without the plug socket, you can still use them for that length of time.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are not as successful. The buds can hold six hours of juice, and the Bose case has 12 hours. This gives them a total of 18 hours. But it’s no joke.

Both pairs feature quick-charging technology: the AirPods Pro charges in five minutes, and Bose’s earbuds charge in 15 minutes. Bose promises two hours of music with a 15-minute juice up.

Design

They are very different in aesthetics. The Apple Airpod has all-white curves and shiny finishes, which is typical of Apple. Bose’s have a more stark industrial design. They are more oblique and use muted colors.

Both come with silicone ear tips that go into your ears and stay in place during movement.

Bose buds weigh in at 8.5g and 5.4g, respectively, while the AirPods are 5.5g and 5.4g. They also come with a bulkier charging case that is almost twice as large as the Apple one.

Bose’s case uses a mechanical catch instead of a magnetic fastening. This makes it a bit safer and doesn’t spill the buds if dropped.

Do you like to face the elements? These wireless in-ears have an IPX4 rating, making them water-resistant. They’re not the most impressive, but they can withstand sweat and rain showers, so you should be able to take them out.

We aren’t sure if it’s us, but we don’t like the AirPods’ signature white look. This is a small iPod commercial from 2003, and the stems are not for everyone. The Bose is available in a broader range of colors, so consider the QuietComfort Earbuds.

Features

The AirPods Pro has a lot of cool features, just like any Apple product. Although they have touch controls, they can be a little challenging to use when you’re on the move. You can also perform an Ear Tip Fit Test on your iPhone.

This allows you to play five seconds of music and then analyze the sound for any sound leaks. If you get a green Good Seal result, you are ready to go. However, if there is an issue with your iPhone’s sound quality, you will be asked to use a different-sized tip.

Apple’s H1 chip allows for a seamless user experience. Pairing is easy, and playback runs smoothly, comfortable to wear Airpods Pro. However, there is one caveat: They are optimized for Apple devices so that only iPhone/iPad owners can get the best out of them.

The Bose buds are touch-controlled, just like the AirPods Pro. To access voice assistants and decline calls, hold your finger on the touchpad at the right earbud. You can’t adjust the volume control. This means you will need to take your phone out from your pocket each time you adjust it.

However, the Bose buds have an app, which is something that the AirPods do not. You can adjust the active noise cancelling
settings or manage your Bluetooth connections by opening the Bose Music App (though there is no adjustable EQ setting).

QuietComfort also has a few other tricks, such as Self Voice calling mode. You can hear your voice through the earbuds. This allows you to modulate your voice and not shut down the speaker. It’s clever.

Connection

The embedded H1 chip makes it easy to connect the AirPods Pro with an IOS device. After opening the AirPods Pro box, a card will appear on your iPhone, prompting you to connect the device.

You will also see information like your AirPods Pro’s battery. Once you have established the connection, your AirPods will be connected with all devices associated with your iCloud account.

Although pairing the AirPods Pro to a Windows PC or Android device can be more complex than other Bluetooth earbuds, it is still possible. Put the AirPods Pro in Bluetooth pairing mode and choose them from the Bluetooth menu.

AirPods Pro supports Bluetooth 5.0, the SBC, and AAC codecs. Although the connection quality is good, some users have experienced issues. These issues are usually fixed by updating the firmware version.

If you still experience problems, contact Apple customer service. Firmware updates are only available for iPhone users. They occur automatically with iPhone updates.

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are compatible with both iPhone and Android devices. They are Bluetooth 5.1 compatible, so they use less energy than the AirPods Pro with Bluetooth 5. But this is not a problem if you have an iPhone with the AirPods Pro.

The H1 chip makes it incredibly efficient for energy efficiency. The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are compatible with the AirPods. However, Android users won’t have reliable codecs due to AAC’s poor integration with non-IOS devices.

Software

AirPods Pro are well-known for their extensive list of software features. Most of these are available only to iPhone users. Spatial Audio mimics movie theatre surround sound.

This feature is quite advanced as it can distinguish between your head moving and the plane or car you are in turn and adjusts the sound accordingly.

You can also perform an ear tip test using the Settings app on your iPhone, switch between devices via iCloud connection, or optimize the battery to protect the buds’ long-term health.

Although the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds aren’t as advanced as the AirPods Pro’s, they still have premium features such as automatic ear detection and the ability to select different levels of noise cancelling.

These features are also available in the Apple AirPods Pro, but they only have three active noise cancelling headphones settings: Off, On, and Transparency. You can easily switch between source devices by downloading the Bose Music App for the QuietComfort Earbuds.

The Apple AirPods Pro and QuietComfort Earbuds don’t allow for custom EQ settings. However, the Bose earbuds have Active EQ that adjusts the earbuds sound signature based on your environment.

The AirPods Pro also has Adaptive EQ, which adjusts the sound signature based upon the shape of your ears.

Noise-Canceling

Both pairs offer active noise-canceling headphones but take very different approaches.

Two microphones are built into each Apple AirPods Pro bud to detect ambient sounds coming in and cancel it out with anti-noise. The other is on the inside to detect any external sounds passing through the seal.

It also analyzes how music reacts to the unique geometry of your ears. Apple claims that the most effective noise cancelling is adjusted 200 times per second, which is industry-first.

There are no options for noise-canceling – it can be turned on or off. There is also a Transparency mode, which allows you to hear announcements and engage in conversation.

Bose is the king of active noise cancelling headphones. Bose QuietComfort buds were the inventor of the first commercially available noise-canceling headphones. It also created the over-ear models that offer outstanding and effective noise cancellation. The same technology has been ported to the in-ear model.

Bose’s noise-canceling technology is more flexible than Apple’s. Bose Music offers a sliding scale for noise-canceling that ranges from zero (no sound-canceling) up to 10.

The app allows you to assign three positions (e.g., 0, 5, and 10) as ‘Favourites’ and then cycle through them by double-tapping the left earbud.

Although you’re free to experiment, the QuietComfort buds are very effective in cutting out background noise. Are you getting an incoming call from someone? Bose buds have four microphones that help you with call quality. They work well together to make your voice clear and solid.

Both True Wireless earbuds can block out any unwanted noises, whether they are chatter or rumbling planes. The Bose buds are better and can be adjusted.

Sound Quality

AirPods Pro has Apple’s neutral tonal balance. There’s no thumping bass. The vents Apple added make them sound more significant than their appearance would indicate.

It’s much more like listening to music in the open than hearing it pumped into your brain via in-ear headphones. That’s a good thing.

The midrange is especially impressive. Vocals are rich in texture and detail. The treble is bright and has some sparkle. The only problem is that Transparency mode and noise-canceling can cause a slight drop in sound quality. This is a small step down, but it’s still there.

AirPods Pro buds sound good, but Bos earbuds are better. They exude enthusiasm and excitement that is infectious. The bass is rich, and the melodies are precise.

Bose’s subtle yet effective noise-canceling technology allows each note to shine. Even with the noise-canceling turned up to 10, tracks retain their richness.

The AirPods Pro sounds a little more open and neutral, but the Bose headphones sound more engaging and impressive across the board.

The class-leading earbuds, Sennheiser True Momentum Wireless 2, at this price, offer more dynamics and timing than the two pairs we have (be aware that the Bose headphones boast superior noise cancellation).

Microphone

Apple AirPods Pro is very adept at relaying vocal frequencies via their microphone. This means that no matter what pitch your voice is, it shouldn’t be a problem to hear clearly.

The Apple AirPods Pro also has a speech-detecting accelerometer, which, when combined with the beamforming microphones, reduces unwanted noise so that your voice sounds clear, no matter where you are.

Bose QC Earbuds also have a decent microphone. However, its tone is slightly harsher than that of the Apple AirPods Pro microphone.

Sometimes, the QuietComfort Earbuds microphone can clip audio which can cause slight distortion. The microphone is excellent for calling from a phone and rejecting any environmental noises.

Conclusion

The Bose QuietComfort earbuds and Airpods Pro are solid choices and can be bought based on personal preference.

When it comes to sound quality, both of these products deliver. The difference between the two is in the way the different companies deliver their product.

The Bose Free has a more natural sound, with all the details of the music being heard clearly. The AirPods, on the other hand, do not have the same level of fidelity in their sound but are more dependent on your environment to deliver quality sound.

Hooke Audio hopes you liked the article! Check out my other blog posts for more of our work. Feel free to ask us any questions you may have in the comments section below.

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