Products
Apple AirPods Pro 2
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Nov 12, 2025 04:02 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated Oct 30, 2025 03:15 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Balanced (0 dB)
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Underemphasized (-5 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessYes
TransducerDynamic
Treble Amount
Balanced (-1 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
Our Verdict
Apple AirPods Pro 2
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless are better for most usages than the Apple AirPods Pro 2. You might favor the Apple headphones if you already own products within the Apple ecosystem due to the seamless integration provided by their H2 chip. They're also more portable and lightweight, with an IPX4 rating, which adds up to a better performance for sports and exercising. While both headphones have somewhat warm sound profiles, the Apple rolls off the treble range quite a bit. Some users might prefer this veiled sound as it can be less fatiguing, but the Bose definitely comply with our target curve better. Otherwise, the QuietComfort Ultra are supremely comfortable over-ear headphones with a superb ANC system and a longer continuous battery life. While they're bulkier than the Apple, these factors make them a better fit for travel, and their superior mic performance makes them a better choice for office work and online meetings..
Variants
- AirPods Pro 2 (White)
- AirPods Pro 2 (USB‑C) (White)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Black)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Deep Plum)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Diamond 60th Edition)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Lunar Blue)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (Sandstone)
- QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (White Smoke)
Check Price
White
AirPods Pro 2
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
AirPods Pro 2 (USB‑C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Deep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Diamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness
Sports And Fitness
Threshold
Sports And Fitness
7.9
7.4
Portability
9.6
6.4
Comfort
7.5
8.5
Stability
7.5
7.0
Group Delay
8.5
1.2
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
600 Hz
950 Hz
Bass Amount
Balanced (0 dB)
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
Treble Amount
Underemphasized (-5 dB)
Balanced (-1 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
8.0
7.0
Consistency L
Consistency R
Std. Deviation
0.84 dB
1.09 dB
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.9
8.9
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
0.6 dB
3.1 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
0.57 dB
3.49 dB
Mid Bass
-0.51 dB
3.7 dB
High Bass
0.38 dB
-0.13 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.9
9.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.58 dB
1.03 dB
Low Mid
1.15 dB
0.45 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.41 dB
0.66 dB
High Mid
-2.25 dB
-1.05 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
6.0
9.8
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.23 dB
1.59 dB
Low Treble
-5.36 dB
-0.52 dB
Mid Treble
-4.58 dB
-1.4 dB
High Treble
-8.34 dB
-6 dB
Peaks/Dips
8.6
8.1
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
0.83 dB
1.13 dB
Dips
1.07 dB
1.29 dB
Stereo Mismatch
8.6
6.9
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.14 dB
0.58 dB
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
1.04 dB
1.41 dB
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.2°
2.6°
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
0.0
5.3
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
N/A
6.19 dB
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
6.67 dB
PRTF Distance
N/A
9.17 dB
Harmonic Distortion
9.3
8.4
Harmonics Levels
THD Ratio
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.06%
0.15%
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.17%
0.40%
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
104.9 dB
100.3 dB
Virtual Soundstage
5.0
3.3
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
On/Off
No
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
On/Off
Adjustable
Virtual Surround
Personalized Spatial Audio
No
Test Settings
Firmware
8A358
1.6.7+g6ebabd2
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Adaptive EQ
No EQ
ANC
On
Quiet
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
In-ear
Over-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Yes
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
8.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.02 lbs
0.56 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0.8 lbs
Controls
8.2
7.6
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Decent
Feedback
Great
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
Mute/Unmute
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
Presets
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Portability
9.6
6.4
Portability Picture
L
1.2" (3.0 cm)
7.5" (19.0 cm)
W
0.9" (2.3 cm)
5.9" (14.9 cm)
H
0.9" (2.3 cm)
1.5" (3.8 cm)
Volume
0.99 in³ (16.20 cm³)
65.65 in³ (1,075.78 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
9.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
1.8" (4.5 cm)
8.3" (21.1 cm)
W
2.4" (6.1 cm)
6.1" (15.4 cm)
H
0.9" (2.2 cm)
2.1" (5.4 cm)
Volume
3.67 in³ (60.10 cm³)
107.08 in³ (1,754.68 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.5
7.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
9.1
9.5
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-24.49 dB
-27.00 dB
Bass
-19.97 dB
-20.79 dB
Mid
-27.28 dB
-29.81 dB
Treble
-26.90 dB
-31.42 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.6
9.5
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-23.46 dB
-22.12 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-21.69 dB
-21.71 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-25.48 dB
-24.15 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
8.3
7.3
Leakage
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
31.85 dB
37.83 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
5.3
7.8
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
216.68 Hz
281 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
4.98 dB
2.3 dB
HFE
3,466.89 Hz
6,088.74 Hz
Weighted THD
57.033
0.055
Gain
-4.91 dB
33.39 dB
Noise Handling
6.4
6.5
SpNR
SpNR
10.15 dB
22.71 dB
Noise Gate
No
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.0
6.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
5.5
6.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
7.0
8.2
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
5.9 hrs
29 hrs
Additional Charges
4.0
0.0
Total Battery Life
29.5 hrs
29 hrs
Charge Time
0.9 hrs
2.3 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
Auto-Off Timer and Standby Mode
Audio While Charging
Yes
No
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
Lightning
USB-C
App Support
6.5
8.0
App Picture
App Name
iOS Interface
Bose Music
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
No
Yes
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
Presets
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
Yes
Playback Control
No
Yes
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
Yes
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
6.6
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
Yes
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
Yes
Length
N/A
3.28 ft (1.00 m)
Connector
No Wired Option
1/16" TRS
Latency - Analog
N/A
35.0 ms
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
Analog
Bluetooth Connection
8.0
7.5
Bluetooth Version
5.3+H2 chip
5.3
Multi-Device Pairing
Yes (Apple Ecosystem)
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
No
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
Yes
No
Line Of Sight Range
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
160 ms
292 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
372 ms
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
85 ms
Latency - LDAC
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
AAC Support
Yes
Yes
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
Audio Only
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
Audio Only
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
No
Audio Only
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
Audio Only
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
Audio Only
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
2.2
0.0
Type
Charging Case
No Base/Dock
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
No
Power Supply
Lightning
No Base/Dock
Check Price
White
AirPods Pro 2
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
AirPods Pro 2 (USB‑C)
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Deep Plum
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Diamond 60th Edition
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Lunar Blue
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sandstone
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White Smoke
QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
To access
and
Become an Insider
unlimited full product reviews,
product prices
other exclusive site features
Apple AirPods Pro 2
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless
Comments
Apple AirPods Pro 2 vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones Wireless: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.