Bose QuietComfort 35 II vs Sony WH-1000XM6

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QuietComfort 35 II compared with WH-1000XM6

	BoseQuietComfort 35 II	SonyWH-1000XM6
Overview
Released
Released	September 2017	May 2025
Sound
Type
Type	Over-ear	Over-ear
Noise cancelling
Noise cancelling	Yes	Yes
Transparency mode
Transparency mode	–	Yes
Spatial audio with head tracking
Spatial audio with head tracking	–	Yes
Driver size
Driver size	–	30 mm
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	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	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	No custom equaliser in Bose Connect (SoundGuys); SBC and AAC codecs confirmed by SoundGuys	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 wirelessly or 40 hours using the supplied audio cable; headphones do not play while charging; analogue listening remains possible with a depleted battery	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	Full charge in up to two hours (current owner's guide); What Hi-Fi reports 15 minutes provides 2.5 hours of wireless listening	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
Bluetooth
Bluetooth	4.1	5.3
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	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	Built-in microphone system for calls and voice assistants; maker's launch announcement describes voice pickup but does not publish a microphone count	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; headband folds and earcups rotate 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	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	No water resistance rating; Sony says the headphones are not waterproof
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	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 charging cable and analogue audio cable; micro-USB charging connector; 2.5 mm headphone to 3.5 mm device audio cable (TechRadar)	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