Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 vs Sony WH-1000XM6

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Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 compared with WH-1000XM6

	BoseNoise Cancelling Headphones 700	SonyWH-1000XM6
Overview
Released
Released	June 2019	May 2025
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	Yes	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	–	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	–	30 mm
Back
Back	Closed	–
Bluetooth codecs
Bluetooth codecs	SBC and AAC	SBC, AAC, LDAC and LC3
Lossless over USB-C
Lossless over USB-C	–	No
Chip
Chip	–	QN3
Drivers
Drivers	–	30 mm driver unit with a high-rigidity carbon fibre composite dome and neodymium magnet; 4 Hz to 40,000 Hz (wired, switched on); sensitivity 103 dB/mW switched on, 102 dB/mW switched off; impedance 48 Ω switched on, 16 Ω switched off (1 kHz)
Chip
Chip	–	HD Noise Canceling Processor QN3 (Sony says seven times faster than the WH-1000XM5's) and Integrated Processor V2
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	Twelve microphones for noise cancelling; Adaptive NC Optimizer tunes noise cancelling to the fit, surroundings and air pressure; Ambient Sound Mode with Auto Ambient Sound; Quick Attention Mode; Speak-to-Chat; 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	LDAC up to 990 kbps (Hi-Res Audio Wireless); Hi-Res Audio over the headphone cable; DSEE Extreme upscaling; 10-band EQ and Game EQ; 360 Reality Audio; 360 Upmix for Cinema; spatial sound with head tracking; BGM effect; LE Audio with a low-latency mode and Auracast broadcast audio
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 40 hours with noise cancelling off (AAC, SBC or LC3); with LDAC, 26 hours with noise cancelling on or 36 hours off; talk time up to 24 hours (28 hours with noise cancelling off); up to 28 hours on the headphone cable with noise cancelling on (38 hours off); can 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)	3 minutes gives about 3 hours of playback with a USB PD adaptor (9 V/2.3 A or more), or about 1 hour with a 5 V/1.5 A adaptor; full charge in about 3.5 hours
Design
Weight
Weight	254 g	254 g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	5.0	5.3
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 (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 NC/AMB buttons on the left unit (double-press NC/AMB to mute the microphones during calls, once enabled in the app); nod or shake your head to answer or reject calls; proximity sensor pauses music when the headphones are taken off and switches them off after 15 minutes
Microphones
Microphones	Eight microphones; six used for active noise cancellation, with two of those shared with two further microphones for four-microphone voice pickup	Twelve microphones for noise cancelling; six-microphone AI-based beamforming for calls; MEMS, omnidirectional
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, over-ear; wider soft-fit headband in synthetic leather; stretchable earpads; folds flat and folds up to fit the supplied carrying case, which has a magnetic closure
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 for iOS and Android; multipoint connection to two devices; LE Audio and Auracast with compatible devices; the headphone cable also works with the headphones switched off, without noise cancelling
Colours
Colours	Black and Silver at launch	Black, Platinum Silver, Midnight Blue, Sand Pink, Sandstone (Sony US; colours vary by region)
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), headphone cable (about 1.2 m, gold-plated L-shaped stereo mini plug), carrying case, documents