Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 vs Sony WH-1000XM3

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Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 compared with WH-1000XM3

	BoseNoise Cancelling Headphones 700	SonyWH-1000XM3
Overview
Released
Released	June 2019	September 2018
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	–	40 mm
Back
Back	Closed	Closed
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	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	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	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	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	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 20 hours	Up to 30 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 20 hours per charge; USB-C charging; the headphones do not play audio or cancel noise while charging	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	15 minutes gives up to 3.5 hours; full charge in up to 2.5 hours (current owner's guide)	10 minutes gives up to 5 hours with a USB adapter rated at least 1.5 A
Design
Weight
Weight	254 g (better)	255 g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	4.2
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	Yes	Yes
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	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	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	Eight microphones; six used for active noise cancellation, with two of those shared with two further microphones for four-microphone voice pickup	Internal and external microphones for noise cancelling; built-in microphones for Bluetooth calls
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Around-ear cushions; stainless-steel headband with sliding earcups; earcups rotate flat for the supplied carry case	Circumaural ear cushions; adjustable headband and folding earcups; carrying case supplied
Dimensions
Dimensions	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	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	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 and Silver at launch	Black, Platinum Silver
In the box
In the box	Headphones, carry case, USB-C to USB-A cable, 3.5 mm to 2.5 mm audio cable	Headphones, carrying case, 1.2 m headphone cable, approximately 20 cm USB-A to USB-C cable, in-flight plug adapter