Beats Solo2 Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM3

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Solo2 Wireless compared with WH-1000XM3

	BeatsSolo2 Wireless	SonyWH-1000XM3
Overview
Released
Released	November 2014	September 2018
Sound
Type
Type	On-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	No	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	–	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	–	40 mm
Back
Back	–	Closed
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC	SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and LDAC
Chip
Chip	–	HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1
Drivers
Drivers	–	40 mm dome drivers with aluminium-coated liquid crystal polymer diaphragms, CCAW voice coils and neodymium magnets; wired frequency response 4 Hz–40 kHz. Impedance is 47 ohms powered on and 16 ohms off; sensitivity 104.5 dB/mW on and 101 dB/mW off.
Noise cancelling detail
Noise cancelling detail	–	QN1 processor and dual noise sensors; Personal NC Optimizer and Atmospheric Pressure Optimizing; Ambient Sound Mode, Quick Attention and Adaptive Sound Control
Audio features
Audio features	No active noise cancellation (TechRadar and CNET); SBC playback observed with a MacBook Pro (MacRumors)	DSEE HX upscaling; Bluetooth frequency response 20 Hz–20 kHz at 44.1 kHz sampling, or 20 Hz–40 kHz with LDAC at 96 kHz and 990 kbps; QN1 includes a DAC and amplifier
Battery
Listening time (maker's claim)
Listening time (maker's claim)	Up to 12 hours	Up to 30 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 12 hours of wireless listening, from the maker's announcement quoted by MacRumors; passive wired listening remains available when the battery is flat	Maximum 30 hours with noise cancelling or 38 hours off uses AAC with DSEE HX off. The manual lists 24 hours with noise cancelling for aptX, aptX HD and LDAC; SBC is 28 hours with noise cancelling and DSEE HX off.
Charging case
Charging case	–	USB-C charging; about 3 hours for a full charge; USB does not carry audio
Fast charging
Fast charging	–	10 minutes gives up to 5 hours with a USB adapter rated at least 1.5 A
Design
Weight
Weight	–	255 g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	–	4.2
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	–	Yes
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	Left ear-cup playback, call and volume controls; supplied RemoteTalk cable with playback, call, volume and voice-command controls; functions vary by device	Right earcup touch panel for playback, volume and calls; holding a palm over it activates Quick Attention; separate power and NC/AMBIENT buttons
Microphones
Microphones	–	Internal and external microphones for noise cancelling; built-in microphones for Bluetooth calls
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Adjustable headband, folding ear cups and supplied carrying case	Circumaural ear cushions; adjustable headband and folding earcups; carrying case supplied
Works with
Works with	Bluetooth wireless listening and 3.5 mm wired connection (CNET); maker claims up to 30 feet of wireless range, quoted by MacRumors	Bluetooth A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP; NFC pairing. Multipoint connects one music source using A2DP and another device for calls using HFP/HSP, without two music sources; unavailable with Google Assistant or Alexa assigned. The supplied cable allows passive listening, but disables Bluetooth and does not carry the headphone microphone.
Colours
Colours	Black, White, Blue and Red at announcement; additional finishes followed	Black, Platinum Silver
In the box
In the box	Headphones, carrying case, RemoteTalk audio cable and Micro-USB charging cable	Headphones, carrying case, 1.2 m headphone cable, approximately 20 cm USB-A to USB-C cable, in-flight plug adapter