Apple AirPods Max (Lightning) vs Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

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AirPods Max (Lightning) compared with Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

	AppleAirPods Max (Lightning)	BoseNoise Cancelling Headphones 700
Overview
Released
Released	December 2020	June 2019
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Back
Back	–	Closed
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	Yes	–
Driver size
Driver size	40 mm	–
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC and AAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	No	–
Chip
Chip	H1	–
Drivers
Drivers	Apple-designed dynamic drivers with dual neodymium ring magnet motors	–
Chip
Chip	H1 in each ear cup	–
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	Eight microphones for Active Noise Cancellation; Transparency mode	Adjustable noise cancellation from full cancellation to full transparency; three customisable favourites on the Noise Control button; Conversation mode pauses audio and allows surroundings through; launch reviews describe 11 levels
Audio features
Audio features	Personalised Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking; Adaptive EQ; Audio Sharing; AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs (SoundGuys); analogue wired listening through a separately sold Lightning to 3.5 mm audio cable	Active equalisation; bass, mid-range and treble adjustment in the Bose app after updating the headphones; Self Voice adjusts how much of your own voice you hear during calls
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 20 hours	Up to 20 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 20 hours of movie playback with Spatial Audio; Smart Case puts headphones in an ultra-low-power state; charging via Lightning	Up to 20 hours per charge; USB-C charging; the headphones do not play audio or cancel noise while charging
Fast charging
Fast charging	Around 1.5 hours of listening after 5 minutes of charging	15 minutes gives up to 3.5 hours; full charge in up to 2.5 hours (current owner's guide)
Design
Weight
Weight	384.8 g	254 g (better)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	–	Yes
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	Digital Crown for volume, playback, calls and Siri; listening mode button for ANC/Transparency; “Hey Siri”	Touch surface on the right earcup for playback, volume and calls; separate Power/Bluetooth, Noise Control and Voice Assistant buttons; hold Noise Control for one second for Conversation mode
Microphones
Microphones	Nine microphones, three for voice pickup (two shared with ANC); optical, position and case-detect sensors and accelerometer in each cup, gyroscope in left cup	Eight microphones; six used for active noise cancellation, with two of those shared with two further microphones for four-microphone voice pickup
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Stainless steel frame, telescoping arms and knit mesh canopy; memory foam cushions; aluminium ear cups	Around-ear cushions; stainless-steel headband with sliding earcups; earcups rotate flat for the supplied carry case
Case weight
Case weight	134.5 g (Smart Case)	–
Dimensions
Dimensions	187.3 × 168.6 × 83.4 mm (height × width × depth), including cushions	254 g weight reported by What Hi-Fi and SoundGuys; an accessible current maker document does not give the headphone weight
Water resistance detail
Water resistance detail	–	No IP rating verified in the maker documents used; owner's guide says not to use near water
Works with
Works with	Apple devices with current iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS or tvOS; Bluetooth audio with older Apple software and non-Apple devices, with limited features	Bose app (originally Bose Music) for settings and updates; two active Bluetooth devices, one audio stream at a time, with eight stored pairings; SimpleSync with compatible Bose speakers and soundbars; Bluetooth 5.0 and SBC/AAC confirmed by SoundGuys; Google Assistant is not available on iOS according to Bose's current support article; launch Bose AR functionality is not treated as a current feature
Colours
Colours	Space Grey, Silver, Sky Blue, Green, Pink	Black and Silver at launch
In the box
In the box	AirPods Max, Smart Case, Lightning to USB-C cable, documentation	Headphones, carry case, USB-C to USB-A cable, 3.5 mm to 2.5 mm audio cable