Bose QuietComfort 35 II vs Sony WH-1000XM3

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QuietComfort 35 II compared with WH-1000XM3

	BoseQuietComfort 35 II	SonyWH-1000XM3
Overview
Released
Released	September 2017	September 2018
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	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	–	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	High, Low and Off settings in the Bose Connect app or via the Action button; defaults to High on power-up; no dedicated transparency mode described in the maker's guide	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 custom equaliser in Bose Connect (SoundGuys); SBC and AAC codecs confirmed by 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 20 hours	Up to 30 hours
Battery life detail
Battery life detail	Up to 20 hours wirelessly or 40 hours using the supplied audio cable; headphones do not play while charging; analogue listening remains possible with a depleted battery	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	Full charge in up to two hours (current owner's guide); What Hi-Fi reports 15 minutes provides 2.5 hours of wireless listening	10 minutes gives up to 5 hours with a USB adapter rated at least 1.5 A
Design
Weight
Weight	–	255 g
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.1	4.2
Two devices at once
Two devices at once	Yes	Yes
Headphone cable
Headphone cable	Yes	Yes
Controls
Controls	Power/Bluetooth slider, volume buttons and multi-function button on the right earcup; left Action button can control noise cancellation; multi-function button accesses the phone's voice control	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	Built-in microphone system for calls and voice assistants; maker's launch announcement describes voice pickup but does not publish a microphone count	Internal and external microphones for noise cancelling; built-in microphones for Bluetooth calls
Fit and ear tips
Fit and ear tips	Around-ear cushions; headband folds and earcups rotate for the supplied carry case	Circumaural ear cushions; adjustable headband and folding earcups; carrying case supplied
Dimensions
Dimensions	SoundGuys reports 235.3 g and 180 × 170 × 81 mm; What Hi-Fi's table gives 240 g; no current maker headphone weight was verified, so the main weight field is left out	–
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 Connect app for iOS and Android; two active Bluetooth devices, one audio stream at a time, with eight stored pairings; NFC pairing; SimpleSync with compatible Bose speakers and soundbars; Bluetooth 4.1 confirmed by TechRadar; Google Assistant is not available on iOS according to Bose's current article; current maker product page also lists Amazon Alexa, subject to country and language availability	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 charging cable and analogue audio cable; micro-USB charging connector; 2.5 mm headphone to 3.5 mm device audio cable (TechRadar)	Headphones, carrying case, 1.2 m headphone cable, approximately 20 cm USB-A to USB-C cable, in-flight plug adapter