Apple and Bose both just announced their new noise-cancelling true wireless earphones, and while they look very different, their features and functionality are actually quite similar. Both the second-gen AirPods Pro from Apple and the QuietComfort Earbuds II from Bose have active noise cancellation (ANC), and analyze your ears to provide the most effective distraction-blocking experience. They’re also relatively pricey at $249 and $299, respectively.
Both pairs are sequels to highly recommended Editors’ Choice award winners, the original AirPods Pro and QuietComfort Earbuds. We can’t say for sure which pair is better until we put them to the test, but for now we can asses how they “sound” on paper.
Sound Quality
This is the most important aspect for earphones, and while arguments can be made about accuracy and response, it’s also the most subjective aspect of the testing experinence.
Both the original AirPods Pro and QuietComfort Earbuds sound excellent, though neither will please audio purists, as neither delivers a flat sound signature free of boosting. We expect similar performance from their successors, though each model has the benefit of a few more years of audio engineering from their respective designers.
Which pair sounds better will depend on their drivers, tuning, how they fit in your ears, and, of course, a little bit of subjectivity.
QuietComfort Earbuds II
(Credit: Will Greenwald)
Noise Cancellation
Bose has been in the ANC business for decades, while Apple is a relative newcomer. That said, both the AirPods Pro and the AirPods Max have really impressed us with their ability to tamp down outside noise. Apple claims the second-generation AirPods Pro offer double the noise cancellation capabilities over the previous model, which should automatically put them near the top of the class.
However, the valedictorian has historically been Bose (though Sony has matched it in some ways), and the QuietComfort Earbuds II are said to possess the company’s most effective ANC circuitry yet. I tried them out for just a few minutes at a recent Bose event and was truly impressed by just how much noise they canceled.
This one is going to be a very close call, but even without testing them we can say that both pairs of earphones will likely offer some of the strongest noise cancellation you can get for the true wireless category.
Ear-Based Tuning
Both the AirPods Pro and the QuietComfort Earbuds II can adjust their audio balance and noise cancellation based on the shape of your ears. How they do this is wildly different, though.
Apple relies on the TrueDepth camera (on any iPhone with Face ID) to scan the contours of your ears to determine the best possible sound. (Sony has a similar ear-scanning feature, though it works with any phone camera.)
Apple AirPod Pro relies on the iPhone’s TrueDepth camera to scan the shape of your ear
(Credit: Apple)
The QuietComfort Earbuds II, meanwhile, adjust purely through acoustics. The earphones send out a tone when they’re inserted your ears and then measure that tone with an inward-pointing microphone to calculate how to best tweak the audio.
As for which method works better, we’ll have to test both be sure.
Audio Adjustability
Apple tends to take control out of users’ hands for audio, relying on its own on-the-fly tweaks to determine the ideal listening experience. The AirPods Pro will be easy to pair with any iPhone thanks to their H2 chip and iOS integration, but don’t expect a lot of customization options.
Bose, meanwhile, is enabling some impressively granular adjustments with the QuietComfort Earbuds II, letting you dial in how much noise is blocked or allowed to pass through with ANC and transparency mode sliders, as well as letting you tweak the audio to taste with customizable EQ.
Recommended by Our Editors
AirPods Pro
(Credit: Tim Gideon)
Ear Fit
This isn’t subjective, but it can vary from person to person. The original AirPods (not the Pro model) had a generally poor fit because they didn’t include eartips to form a seal in the ear. The AirPods Pro fixed this issue, putting them on equal footing with other top in-ear models.
The new AirPods Pro and QuietComfort Earbuds II see few physical changes over their predecessors, using a stem and a panel, respectively, to help stabilize them in your ear. The panels on the Bose earpieces are a bit narrower than the previous version, but they’re otherwise pretty close.
Both pairs of earphones have round bodies and come with multiple pairs of silicone eartips, so you’ll likely be able to find a similarly secure fit with both.
Control
I hope you like stroking your earphones, because both the AirPods Pro and the QuietComfort Earbuds II have touch-sensitive areas that support swiping gestures. In fact, both appear to have nearly identical control schemes: Swipe up and down to adjust volume, tap to control playback, and long-press to switch between ANC and transparency modes.
Price
The AirPods Pro (2nd gen) are $249 and come out Sept. 23. The QuietComfort Earbuds II are $299 and will be available starting Sept. 29. How often do you see a tech comparison and the Apple product is the less expensive one?
So Which Earphones Are Better?
For a definitive answer to that question, you’re going to have to wait for our full reviews. In the meantime, be sure to check out our first listen of the new AirPods Pro.
