Beats Solo3 Wireless vs Sony WH-1000XM3

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Solo3 Wireless compared with WH-1000XM3

	BeatsSolo3 Wireless	SonyWH-1000XM3
Overview
Released
Released	September 2016	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 and AAC	SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD and LDAC
Chip
Chip	Apple W1	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	SBC and AAC Bluetooth codecs; no active noise cancellation (SoundGuys)	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 40 hours	Up to 30 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	–	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	A 5-minute micro-USB Fast Fuel charge gives up to 3 hours of playback	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	Ear-cup buttons for playback, volume, calls and the paired device's voice assistant	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	Flexible headband, rotating ear cups and folding design	Circumaural ear cushions; adjustable headband and folding earcups; carrying case supplied
Works with
Works with	Apple W1 pairing and Class 1 Bluetooth; 3.5 mm wired listening (SoundGuys); iOS and Android compatible	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	Originally Gloss White, Gloss Black, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold and Black	Black, Platinum Silver
In the box
In the box	Headphones, soft carrying case with carabiner, 3.5 mm audio cable and micro-USB charging cable (SoundGuys)	Headphones, carrying case, 1.2 m headphone cable, approximately 20 cm USB-A to USB-C cable, in-flight plug adapter