Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 vs Sony WH-1000XM4

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Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 compared with WH-1000XM4

	BoseNoise Cancelling Headphones 700	SonyWH-1000XM4
Overview
Released
Released	June 2019	August 2020
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	–
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC, AAC and LDAC
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	–	No
Chip
Chip	–	QN1
Drivers
Drivers	–	40 mm dome-type driver with an aluminium-coated LCP diaphragm, CCAW voice coil and neodymium magnet; 4 Hz to 40,000 Hz (JEITA); sensitivity 105 dB/mW switched on, 101 dB/mW switched off; impedance 40 Ω switched on, 16 Ω switched off (1 kHz, wired)
Chip
Chip	–	HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 (with an integrated analogue amplifier) and a Bluetooth Audio SoC
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	Dual Noise Sensor technology, with two noise-cancelling microphones on each ear cup (one outside, one inside); Personal NC Optimizer and Atmospheric Pressure Optimising; Ambient Sound Mode with Voice focus; Adaptive Sound Control; Quick Attention Mode; Speak-to-Chat
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	LDAC up to 990 kbps (Hi-Res Audio Wireless); High-Resolution Audio over the headphone cable; DSEE Extreme upscaling; 360 Reality Audio certified; equaliser in the app
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	Up to 38 hours with noise cancelling off (AAC or SBC); with LDAC, 24 hours with noise cancelling on or 30 hours off; with DSEE Extreme on, 18 hours with noise cancelling on (16 hours with LDAC); Speak-to-Chat shortens battery life by about 30%; talk time up to 24 hours (30 hours with noise cancelling off); standby up to 30 hours with noise cancelling on (200 hours off); up to 22 hours on the headphone cable with noise cancelling on (36 hours off); can't be used while charging
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 about 5 hours of playback with a 1.5 A or higher USB adaptor; full charge in about 3 hours
Design
Weight
Weight	254 g	254 g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
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	Touch sensor control panel on the right ear cup (double-tap to play, pause or answer calls; swipe forwards or backwards to skip; swipe up or down for volume; hold for the voice assistant; cover with your hand for Quick Attention Mode); power and CUSTOM buttons; a proximity sensor and two acceleration sensors pause music when the headphones are taken off and switch them off after 15 minutes; NFC one-touch pairing
Microphones
Microphones	Eight microphones; six used for active noise cancellation, with two of those shared with two further microphones for four-microphone voice pickup	Five microphones for calls and Speak-to-Chat (Precise Voice Pickup Technology); MEMS, omnidirectional, 50 Hz to 8,000 Hz
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	Closed, circumaural; foamed urethane earpads; stepless slider; ear cups swivel and fold inwards for the carrying case
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	No water resistance rating; Sony says the headphones are not waterproof
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	Sony | Sound Connect app (formerly Headphones Connect) for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices (AAC or SBC only while connected to two); Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built in; Google Fast Pair; Bluetooth 5.0 Class 1, about 10 m range; A2DP, AVRCP, HFP and HSP
Colours
Colours	Black and Silver at launch	Black, Platinum Silver; limited-edition Silent White sold in Europe from May 2021
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, USB-C cable (USB-A to USB-C, about 20 cm), headphone cable (about 1.2 m, gold-plated L-shaped stereo mini plug), plug adaptor for in-flight use, carrying case